Gibson Guitar History

Posted by The Guide in Articles

The story that is Gibson Guitar History is one of the longest and most prestigious in the annuls of Music History. Through dizzying highs and sickening lows, the company has prospered and gone on to become an American Legend. Here’s how:

In the Beginning…

A man named Orville unknowingly started a guitar revolution. He worked as a restaurant clerk in Michigan, but his innovative mandolin designs got him a patent (his only one) and prompted him to start The Gibson Guitar Manufacturing Company, LTD. in 1902. He was soon bought out by investors, but the brand exploded with the popularity of mandolin orchestras in the early part of the century. Gibson Guitar History had begun, and would soon lead to the…

Birth of the First Gibson Electric Guitar

Guitarists were beginning to get drowned out onstage in the Big Band era of the 1930s. The quest for louder guitars had begun. In 1936, after much trial and error, Gibson installed a hexagonal pickup on the ES 150(Electric Spanish) guitar and entered the newly created electric guitar market. Charlie Christian loved the guitar and used it to change the face of guitar playing forever. Really. Electric guitar was now officially a “lead” instrument.The ES 150 is widely considered to be the first commercially successful electric guitar.

The Golden Era

Engineer Ted McCarty (who didn’t even play guitar!) joined Gibson as CEO in 1948 and was responsible for so many Gibson triumphs that he can be considered the King of Gibson’s Golden Era. During his 18 year reign (1948 to 1966), he presided over the production of nearly 1 million instruments and amplifiers, including some of the most valuable fretted instruments in the world.

This period saw the introduction of the Les Paul, the tune-o-matic bridge, the Flying V, The Explorer, the humbucking pickup, and plenty more firsts. Nice run Ted! He passed away in 2001, but his contribution to all things guitar will never fade.

Current Gibson CEO and Chairman Henry E. Juszkiewicz said “Ted McCarty was the architect of a Golden period in Gibson’s history. During his 18-year tenure, he helped to reestablish the company’s historic leadership in the industry through a number of musical innovations that still resonate today”

The Edge of Extinction

The late 1970s were tough times for guitar makers, including Gibson. The company was saved in the 11th hour, literally from the jaws of extinction.

Despite millions of dollars in annual sales, Gibson Guitar Corp. is still a privately held company. The company was three weeks away from bankruptcy in the 1980s before being rescued by Juszkiewicz & Berryman in January 1986. This much needed rescue quickly returned Gibson’s reputation to prominence, and also turned profits upward again.

The Future of Gibson

Gibson has a long history of innovation, and no intention of stopping now. The Robot Guitar sold out it’s limited edition run in 2 days, and the Darkfire guitar promises to be perhaps the New Standard in digital electric guitars.

Lawsuits

Everyone follows the leader, and sometimes they follow so closely that they get sued. Gibson has had to call out the sharks a few times over the years to defend its famous designs. The first lawsuit was against Ibanez in 1977 for making a near-identical copy of Gibson’s “open book” headstock. Shortly after the turn of the millennium, Gibson sued Paul Reed Smith for their single cutaway guitar design. This suit was unsuccessful, and some think it was a shot a PRS because they were taking market share from Gibson.

Some axemakers, including Tokai, Stellar and new-comer Myaxe, have also been called out for blatantly producing and flooding the market with Les Paul copies. Watch out for these! China has been producing fakes in great quantity lately, learn how to spot fake Gibsons here.