Gibson electric guitars are among the most popular in the world. The Les Paul Standard is the company’s most popular guitar. The Gibson Company also produces Epiphone guitars since they purchased the company in 1957. They also produce Baldwin pianos, Slingerland Drums and many other instruments under different brand names like Kramer and Tobias.
Orville Gibson started out making mandolins during the last decade of the 19th century in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The arched top and bent sides were an innovation that produced a better sounding instrument that was even easier to make. He patented this type of mandolin in 1898, and founded the company in 1902 to begin selling the instruments.
Gibson began producing acoustic guitars in a similar fashion as the mandolins with a carved and arch top that became a signature design. They also produce Baldwin pianos, Slingerland Drums and many other instruments under different brand names like Kramer and Tobias.
The 1936 release of Gibson electric guitars known as the Electric Spanish model was the first electric guitar to become a commercial success. Then with the release of Fender’s Telecaster guitar, Gibson decided to compete with its own solid-bodied guitar. At that time, the idea of a solid-bodied guitar was undesirable in the musical word, but the Fender guitars pave the way for the styles success.
Soon the flagship of Gibson electric guitars was created, the Les Paul. Ironically, the creation of this guitar had little or no input from its namesake, who was a pioneer in solid-bodied guitar technology. It was created, and then Paul signed a contract to endorse the use of his name. He wanted the tail piece of the guitar changed, and that became his only contribution to its design.
The late 1950s offered several different designs of Gibson electric guitars including the Flying V, the Explorer and the partly hollow-bodied ES-335. The Gibson electric guitars named for Les Paul were released in several different models as well, and then the main design of these Gibson electric guitars was changed in 1961 so the body could change to a double-cutaway body design. Les Paul was displeased by this new design and ended his endorsement of the guitar. It then became the SG, which stood for Solid Guitar.
Gibson purchased top competitor Epiphone in 1957 and absorbed their popular brands. They originally intended to market Epiphone’s line of upright basses, as Gibson’s bass production had stopped during WWII and not resumed. But they quickly realized that they would have better success marketing Epiphone electric guitars.
Then when famous musicians like Eric Clapton, Peter Green and the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards popularized the Gibson electric guitars even further, the Les Paul guitar came back to Gibson’s lineup in 1968 and surged in popularity along with the SG design. Both guitars became hugely popular especially among some very well known hard rock and heavy metal guitar players, and entire bands.
The production between 1974 and 1984 moved from Kalamazoo to Nashville, TN. Two years later the company changed ownership hands, and the company has flourished under the new management, producing Gibson electric guitars and other instruments that set the standard for musical excellence. In 1994, the CEO decided that establishing relationships with environmentally friendly and aware companies would be a good move for the company, and the use of environmentally harvested tropical woods began during the production of Gibson electric guitars. A portion of the profits of each of these SmartWood Gibson electric guitars was donated to the Rainforest Alliance.
Gibson continues to be one of the most popular names in electric guitars and other instruments still today. One of the Gibson electric guitars produced today, called the Robot Guitar, is even a self-tuning guitar that tunes itself in 10 seconds. Gibson electric guitars command premium prices, and vintage Gibson guitars are some of the most prized collectibles among guitar enthusiasts and collectors who specialize in vintage guitars and vintage electric guitars.