Five Things You Didn’t Know about Gibson Guitar

Gibson Presents Min-ETune At Frankfurt Musikmesse

Gibson Guitar Corporation is an American maker of guitars and other various instruments, currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1902 in Kalamazoo, Michigan by Orville Gibson, The Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co., Ltd. was originally created to manufacture and sell mandolin-family instruments. Gibson later invented archtop guitars by constructing the same type of tops used on violins, and by the 1930s, the company was making flattop acoustic guitars and one of the first commercially available hollow-body electric guitars, the ES-150. Today, Gibson Guitar Corporation is one of the premier guitar builders in the world while also making instruments under brands including Baldwin, Epiphone, Kalamazoo, and Kramer. Read on to find out five things you might not know about the global guitar brand.

5. Gibson Pro Audio

Gibson acquired the Stanton Group, a manufacturer of professional and consumer audio equipment, in 2011. The acquisition included Cerwin-Vega!, KRK Systems, Onkyo, and Stanton, and led Gibson to form a new division, Gibson Pro Audio, which delivers professional grade audio items, including headphones, studio monitors, home theatre systems, loudspeakers, and DJ equipment through the company’s recently acquired brands.

4. World War II and the Expansion

During World War II, Gibson’s instrument manufacturing slowed due to shortages of wood and metal. Rather than making a limited run of instruments, Gibson turned to making wood and metal parts for the U.S. military. In 1944, Gibson was purchased by Chicago Musical Instruments. Gibson hired Ted McCarty, who became president in 1950, who led an expansion of the guitar line to include the famous Gibson Les Paul.

3. Robot Guitars

In 2007, Gibson unveiled the world’s first self-tuning guitar. Known as the “robot model” and available as an extra feature on newer Les Paul, SG, Flying V, and Explorer models, Gibson’s self-tuning guitars can tune themselves in just two seconds. Using robotics technology developed by German Company Tronical GmbH, a strum of the strings allow the guitar to recognize pitch and adjust the tuning heads automatically.

2. Les Paul

In 1941, a man by the name of Les Paul approached Gibson with his newest invention, a solidbody electric guitar that he called “The Log.” Built after-hours in the Epiphone guitar factory in 1940, “The Log” was simply a chunk of pine with strings and a pickup. Gibson showed no interest in the idea until rival company Fender released their own version of the electric guitar. Les Paul was called back to design the famous Gibson Les Paul, which was introduced in 1952.

1. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Raid

Gibson’s guitar factories were raided in 2009 and 2011 by agents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, which resulted in the discovery of illegally imported ebony wood from Madagascar (2009) and mislabeled wood imports from India (2011). The Justice Department found emails in which Gibson employees discussed the “gray market” nature of the ebony wood. The case was settled in 2012 with Gibson admitting violation of the Lacey Act and agreeing to pay $350,000 in fines.

Photo by Mathis Wienand/Getty Images for Gibson

Written by Derrick Krom

Derrick is a recent graduate of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia where he received a B.A. in English and Communication Studies. Throughout his life, Derrick has traveled the country and even got to study abroad in London, England for four amazing months. He's a guitar player, avid music fan and lover of literature, film, and all things entertainment.