42 Facts About Gibson Brands

Gibson Brands, Inc is an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and professional audio equipment from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and now based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Orville Gibson Brands started making instruments in 1894 and founded the company in 1902 as the Gibson Brands Mandolin-Guitar Mfg.

Gibson Brands invented archtop guitars by constructing the same type of carved, arched tops used on violins.

In 1944, Gibson Brands was bought by Chicago Musical Instruments, which was acquired in 1969 by Panama-based conglomerate Ecuadorian Company Limited, that changed its name in the same year to Norlin Corporation.

Gibson Brands sells guitars under a variety of brand names and builds one of the world's best-known guitars, the Gibson Brands Les Paul.

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Gibson Brands was at the forefront of innovation in acoustic guitars, especially in the big band era of the 1930s; the Gibson Brands Super 400 was widely imitated.

Orville Gibson Brands patented a single-piece mandolin design in 1898 that was more durable than other mandolins and could be manufactured in volume.

Orville Gibson Brands began to sell his instruments in 1894 out of a one-room workshop in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Gibson Brands moved into the Gibson, Inc Factory and Office Building in 1917.

In 1936, Gibson Brands introduced its first "Electric Spanish" model, the ES-150, followed by other electric instruments like steel guitars, banjos and mandolins.

Gibson Brands hired Ted McCarty in 1948, who became President in 1950.

Gibson Brands led an expansion of the guitar line with new guitars such as the "Les Paul" guitar introduced in 1952, endorsed by Les Paul, a popular musician in the 1950s.

In 1958, Gibson produced two new designs: the eccentrically shaped Explorer and Flying V These "modernistic" guitars did not sell initially.

Gibson Brands remained under the control of CMI until 1974 when it became a subsidiary of Norlin Musical Instruments.

Between 1976 and 1984, production of Gibson Brands guitars was shifted from Kalamazoo to Nashville, Tennessee.

In mid-2009, Gibson Brands reduced its work force to adjust for a decline in guitar industry sales in the United States.

In 2011, Gibson Brands acquired the Stanton Group, including Cerwin Vega, KRK Systems and Stanton DJ.

Gibson Brands then formed a new division, Gibson Brands Pro Audio, which will deliver professional grade audio items, including headphones, loudspeakers and DJ equipment.

Gibson Brands announced a partnership with the Japanese-based Onkyo Corporation in 2012.

In 2014, Gibson Brands acquired the Woox consumer electronics brand from Royal Philips.

In October 2017, Gibson Brands announced plans to relocate its Memphis operations to a smaller location and plans to sell the Memphis property.

Gibson Brands issued a press release about the move, with former CEO Henry Juszkiewicz stating:.

Two years later Gibson Brands closed the Memphis factory and moved hollow-body production to Nashville.

Gibson Brands started shipping Murphy Lab guitars through its Murphy Lab Division of the Gibson Brands Custom Shop in March 2021.

In July 2021, Gibson Brands announced the launch of Gibson Brands Records, a record label focused on releasing "guitar-centric music, across genres", with their first album being the upcoming fourth studio album from Slash feat.

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In 2000, Gibson Brands sued Fernandes Guitars in a Tokyo court for allegedly copying Gibson Brands designs.

Gibson Brands sued PRS Guitars in 2005, to stop them from making their Singlecut model.

Gibson Brands's factories were raided in 2009 and 2011 by agents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service .

Gibson Brands argued in a statement the following day that authorities were "bullying Gibson Brands without filing charges" and denied any wrongdoing.

Gibson Brands forfeited the wood seized in the raids, which was valued at roughly the same amount as the settlement.

Gibson Brands reclaimed some wood stock that was confiscated during the raids, and produced a new series of guitar marketed to draw attention to the raids and seizures.

Gibson Brands sent a cease and desist letter to Kiesel concerning two models that Kiesel makes—the ultra V and the 'California Singlecut.

Gibson Brands sued Dean Guitars in 2019 over trademark infringement related to several guitar shapes and names.

Gibson Brands relaunched Kramer Guitars at Winter NAMM 2020 on January 16.

Gibson Brands has long made authorized copies of its most successful guitar designs, under the Epiphone brand name.

Gibson Brands has sought legal action against those that make and sell guitars Gibson Brands believes are too similar to their own.

In 1977, Gibson Brands introduced the serial numbering system in use until 2006.

The Gibson Brands website provides a book to help with serial number deciphering.

In 2006, Gibson Brands introduced a nine-digit serial number system replacing the eight-digit system used since 1977, but the sixth digit now represents a batch number.

In 2003, Gibson Brands debuted its Ethernet-based audio protocol, MaGIC, which it developed in partnership with 3Com, Advanced Micro Devices, and Xilinx.

In 2013, Gibson Brands introduced the Government Series of Les Paul, SG, Flying V, Explorer and ES-335 guitars which were constructed solely of tonewood the US government seized but later returned to Gibson Brands after the resolution of the company's Lacey Act violation in 2011.

In 2021, Gibson Brands acquired the iconic electric guitar amplifier brand, Mesa Boogie.