Gibson Guitar Corporation

Gibson Brands, Inc. (formerly Gibson Guitar Corp.) is an American manufacturer of guitars and other instruments,
now based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was formerly known as Gibson Guitar Corp. and renamed Gibson
Brands, Inc. on June 11, 2013.[3][4]
Orville Gibson founded the company in 1902 as The Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co., Ltd. in Kalamazoo,
Michigan to make mandolin-family instruments.[1] Gibson invented archtop guitars by constructing the same type
of carved, arched tops used on violins. By the 1930s, the company was also making flattop acoustic guitars, as well
as one of the first commercially available hollow-body electric guitars, used and popularized by Charlie Christian. It
was bought by Chicago Musical Instruments in 1944, which was then acquired by the E.C.L. conglomerate that
changed its name to Norlin Inc. Many observers see this as the beginning of an era of mismanagement.[citation
needed]
Gibson sells guitars under a variety of brand names[5] and builds one of the world's most iconic guitars, the Gibson
Les Paul. Many Gibson instruments are highly collectible. Gibson was at the forefront of innovation in acoustic
guitars, especially in the big band era of the 1930s; the Gibson Super 400 was widely imitated. In 1952, Gibson
introduced its first solid-body electric guitar, the Les Paul which became its most popular guitar to date— designed
by Ted McCarty and Les Paul.
Gibson was owned by the Norlin corporation from 1969 to 1986. In 1986, the company was acquired by its present
owners. Gibson is a privately held corporation owned by its chief executive officer Henry Juszkiewicz and its
president David H. Berryman. In addition to guitars, Gibson offers consumer audio equipment devices through its
subsidiaries Onkyo Corporation, Cerwin Vega and Stanton,[6] as well as professional audio equipment from KRK
Systems also pianos from their wholly owned subsidiary Baldwin Piano and music software from Cakewalk.
 Gibson ES-335 Overview
The Gibson ES-335 is the world's first commercial thinline archtop semi-
acoustic electric guitar. Released by the Gibson Guitar Corporation as part of
its ES (Electric Spanish) series in 1958, it is neither hollow nor solid; instead, a
solid maple wood block runs through the center of its body. The side "wings"
are hollow, and the top has two violin-style f-holes over the hollow chambers.
[1]
Origins

Before 1952 Gibson produced only hollow-body guitars, which are prone to feedback when
amplified loudly. That year saw the introduction of their first solid-body, the Gibson Les Paul, a
significantly different instrument from Les Paul's early electric guitar experiment, "The Log",
which consists of a center block with detachable chambers on the both side,[2][3] a neck,
hardware, and pickup attached. By 1958 Gibson was making a few solid-body models which had
much lower feedback and better sustain but lacked the darker, warmer tone and unamplified
volume of hollow bodies. The ES-335 was an attempt to find a middle ground: a warmer tone
than a solid body with almost as little feedback. Though semi-hollow-bodies like the ES-335 are
essentially a compromise of earlier designs, they are for this reason extremely flexible, as
evidenced by the ES-335's popularity in a wide range of music, including blues, jazz, and rock.
With a basic price of $267.50 it quickly became a best-seller, and has been in continuous
production since 1958.

The first major update came in mid 1962, with the most visible change being the markers on
neck: early models had dots (hence "dot neck"), later models had blocks.[4]

Models

Some models feature a coil split switch, which allows the humbuckers to produce a "single-coil"
sound. The ES-335 Pro, ES-335TD CRS and CRR models were equipped with Gibson "Dirty
Fingers" humbuckers, which had a significantly higher output than the standard pickups.

The company has produced a number of signature guitars as well, such as Trini Lopez-inspired
model (1964-1970) with narrow diamond-shaped soundholes replacing the f-holes, a Firebird-
style headstock with all the tuners on one side, and slashed-diamond inlays. In September 2007,
Gibson introduced the DG-335, designed in collaboration with Dave Grohl, a variation on the
Trini Lopez Gibson; the Grohl model has a stopbar tailpiece and Gibson's new Burstbucker
humbuckers.[5] Other signature models include the heavily customized Alvin Lee "Big Red"
335. A reissue of the 1963 model was a 2014 "Editor's pick" in Guitar Player magazine, at
$4000[4]

Variations

ES-345

The ES-345 was first produced in 1958 as upscale version of ES-335. Although the design is
very similar to the 335, the 345 featured a multi-position "Varitone" switch located just above
the lead tone and volume controls, which added various combinations of inductors and capacitors
to the electronic pickup circuit of the guitar in order to alter its resonant frequency and add
"color" to the sound. The ES-345 also featured an optional stereophonic output jack, gold-plated
hardware, large split parallelogram fingerboard inlays (similar to ES 175), and a thicker three-ply
edge binding than that of the ES-335. Notable users were Freddie King, John McLaughlin, Jorma
Kaukonen, Fred Frith, Porl Thompson of The Cure and Elvin Bishop.

It was discontinued in 1981, one year after the Gibson Lucille was launched. As of 2012, the ES-
345 is available as limited edition of Epiphone, as well as the ES-355.

ES-355

The ES-355TD (Thinline semi-hollow, Double pickups) was at the top of Gibson's range of
thinline semi-acoustic guitars. It was manufactured from 1958 until 1982,[7][8] fitted with
Varitone Stereo option (SV), as ES-355TD-SV released in 1959.

The headstock has a split-diamond inlay rather than the smaller crown inlay on the 335/345, in
addition to a multiple-layered binding. The fingerboard inlays are inlaid mother-of-pearl blocks,
beginning at the first position of the fretboard. In addition to the headstock, binding is also
applied to the fretboard and both the front and the back edges of the body. Rather than the
rosewood fretboard on a 335 or 345, both variations of the 355 have an ebony fingerboard for a
'smoother' sound. Reissues use a richlite fingerboard. Early models of Epiphone's limited edition
budget version had an ebony fingerboard but the later issues had a rosewood board.
The ES-355 was available with a Vibrola vibrato unit or a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece. It was also
available with a stereo output and Varitone tone filter circuitry. When fitted with the optional
stereo wiring and Varitone, the model was known as the ES-355TD-SV.

EB-2 & EB-2D

The EB-2 was first produced in 1958 as the bass version of the ES-335. Having the same body as
the ES-335, it held a 30.5" scale neck and hardware borrowed directly from the Gibson EB-0. In
1959, a "baritone-switch" was added to filter the output from the neck humbucker and give it
more of a guitar-like sound. The EB-2 was discontinued at the end of 1961, being replaced by
the EB-3.[12] Due to a boom in the use of the EB-2 and its sibling, the Epiphone Rivoli, in the
Merseybeat in England in the early sixties, production restarted in 1964, with a 2-pickup version
called the EB-2D being added to the line in 1966. In 1972 the EB-2 line was discontinued.[13]
 Gibson Les Paul Overview
The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar that was first sold by the
Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952.[1] The Les Paul was designed by
guitarist/inventor Les Paul with the assistance of Ted McCarty and his team.
The Les Paul was originally offered with a gold finish and two P-90 pickups. In
1957, humbucking pickups were added, along with sunburst finishes in 1958.
The sunburst 1958–1960 Les Paul – today one of the best-known electric guitar
types in the world – was considered a failure, with low production and sales.
For 1961, the Les Paul was redesigned into what is now known as the Gibson
SG. This design continued until 1968, when the traditional single cutaway,
carved top bodystyle was reintroduced. The Les Paul has been continually
produced in countless versions and editions since. Along with Fender's
Telecaster and Stratocaster, it was one of the first mass-produced electric solid-
body guitars. Les Pauls have been used in many genres, including rock, pop,
soul, rhythm and blues, blues, jazz, reggae, punk, and heavy metal.

History

In 1950, the ancestors of Fender Telecaster (Fender Esquire and Fender Broadcaster) were
introduced to the musical market and solid-body electric guitars became a public craze. In
reaction to market demand, Gibson Guitar president Ted McCarty realized Gibson's mistake, and
brought guitarist Les Paul into the company as a consultant. Les Paul was a respected innovator
who had been experimenting with guitar design for years. He hand-built a solid-body prototype
called "The Log", often suggested as the first solid-body Spanish guitar ever built. "The Log"
was given its name from the pine block running through the middle of the guitar whose width
and depth are a little more than the width of the fretboard; conventional hollow guitar sides or
"wings" were added for shape. Although numerous other prototypes and limited-production
solid-body models by other makers have since surfaced, it is known that in 1945–1946, Les Paul
had approached Gibson with "The Log" prototype, but his solid body design was rejected.[7][8]

In 1951, Paul, McCarty and his team at the Gibson Guitar Corporation began work on what
would eventually become the Les Paul Model. Early prototypes are very similar to the final
version.[9] The new Les Paul guitar was to be an expensive, well-made instrument in accordance
with Gibson's reputation at the time.[7] Although recollections differ regarding who contributed
what to the Les Paul design, it was far from a replica of rival guitar manufacturer Fender's
models.
Les Paul logo on headstock

Additionally, Gibson's president Ted McCarty stated that the Gibson Guitar Corporation
approached Les Paul for the right to imprint the musician's name on the headstock with the
intention of increasing sales; in 1951, Gibson presented Paul a nearly finished instrument for
approval. Subsequently, McCarty claimed that design discussions with Les Paul were limited to
the tailpiece and the fitting of a maple cap over the mahogany body for increased density and
sustain, which Les Paul had requested reversed. However, this reversal would have caused the
guitar to become too heavy, and Paul's request was refused.[10] Paul states that the original
Custom should have had the maple cap and the Goldtop was to be all mahogany. The Custom did
not appear on the market for another two years following the introduction of the Goldtop; it is
possible that Gibson had planned a full model range of guitars (with a roll-out over the course of
several years) at the time when initial specifications were being set. Les Paul's contributions to
the guitar line bearing his name were more than cosmetic, but certainly included them. For
example, Paul specified that the guitar be offered in a gold finish, not only for flashiness, but to
emphasize the high quality of the Gibson Les Paul instrument.[10] The later-issue Les Paul
models included flame maple (tiger stripe) and "quilted" maple tops, again in contrast to the
competing Fender line's range of car-like custom color finishes.

The 1952 Les Pauls featured two P-90 single coil pickups, and a one-piece, 'trapeze'-style
bridge/tailpiece with strings fitted under (instead of over) a steel stop-bar.[note 4]

Mid-1950s (1953–1957)

A second Les Paul model was introduced in 1953. Called the Les Paul Custom, this black guitar
with gold-plated hardware was dubbed the "Black Beauty." Various bridge and tailpiece designs
were added in 1953 and 1954, including the popular Tune-o-matic bridge. The Goldtop and
Custom models continued without significant changes until 1957. In 1957, P-90 pickups were no
longer offered on Les Pauls. New humbucker pickups designed by Seth Lover in 1955 (U.S.
Patent 2,896,491) debuted on Les Pauls in 1957. This innovation in pickups became the flagship
pickup design most associated with Gibson. Many other guitar companies followed suit,
outfitting their electrics with versions of the humbucking pickup.

Sunburst failure and resurgence (1958–1968)

In 1958, the Les Paul saw its first major design change. A new model, called the Standard,
retained most features of the 1957 Goldtop. However, Standards featured a cherry-red sunburst
finish. These guitars were priced higher than the Goldtop models, but lower than the Customs. At
this time, Gibson instruments were marketed toward an older, jazz-oriented audience rather than
young burgeoning guitarists. As a result, over the three-year period of production, only c. 1,700
Standards were made.

These Les Pauls were considered to be too heavy and old-fashioned, and they initially did not
find favor amongst guitarists. In 1961, Gibson stopped producing the traditional Les Paul in
favor of a lighter redesign which was later called the SG. The mid-1960s, however, brought a
resurgence of interest in the Les Paul Standard. In 1964, The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards
began using a sunburst, 1959 Les Paul Standard – becoming the first "star-guitarist" to play a Les
Paul on the British scene.[11][12] The guitar, outfitted with a Bigsby tailpiece, served as one of
the guitarist's prominent instruments and provided the first impetus to the use of Les Pauls during
the British blues boom.[13][14] In 1965, Eric Clapton began using Les Pauls because of the
influence of Freddie King and Hubert Sumlin, and played a 1960 Standard on the
groundbreaking album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton.[15][16][17] In America, Mike
Bloomfield began using a 1954 Les Paul goldtop while touring with the Paul Butterfield Blues
Band, and recorded most of his work on the band's East-West album with that guitar. A year
later, he traded it for a 1959 Standard with which he became most identified. Concurrently,
artists such as Peter Green, Jeff Beck, Paul Kossoff, and Jimmy Page began using sunburst Les
Paul Standards in the late 1960s. Responding to this influence and increased pressure from the
public, Gibson reintroduced Les' single-cutaway guitar in July 1968.
 Gibson SG Overview
The Gibson SG is a solid-body electric guitar model that was introduced in
1961 (as the Gibson Les Paul) by Gibson, and remains in production today with
many variations on the initial design available. The SG Standard is Gibson's
best selling model of all time.[1]

Origins

In 1960, Gibson Les Paul sales were significantly lower than in previous years.[citation needed]
The following year, the Les Paul was given a thinner, flat-topped mahogany body, a double
cutaway which made the upper frets more accessible, and a contoured body. The neck joint was
moved by three frets to further ease access to the upper frets. The simpler body construction
significantly reduced production costs, and the new Les Paul, with its slender neck profile and
small heel was advertised as having the "fastest neck in the world". Although the new guitar was
popular, Les Paul himself did not care for the new design (nor did he have anything to do with
it), and requested the removal of his name from the new model. He remained under contract to
Gibson, and was photographed with the new model several times.

Gibson honored Les Paul's request, and the new model was renamed "SG", which stood for
"Solid Guitar'". Les Paul's name was officially deleted in 1963, but the SG continued to feature
Les Paul nameplates and truss rod covers until the end of 1963.

In the early-to-mid 1960s Gibson's parent corporation, Chicago Musical Instruments, also
revived the "Kalamazoo" brand name for a short time. Later models of the Kalamazoo KG-1 and
KG-2 featured a body style similar to the Gibson SG, effectively creating a budget-line model
until the brand was dropped in the late 1960s. Gibson currently releases lower-cost,
internationally sourced versions of the SG through their subsidiary, Epiphone.

Because of its ease of play, holding comfort, popularity and vintage heritage, the body style of
the SG is often copied by other manufacturers, although much less frequently than the Les Paul
and the Fender Stratocaster.

Unique SGs

Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton used a 1964 Gibson SG Standard[6] starting in 1967 while in Cream. This guitar
was known as the "Fool" guitar, as it was painted by the Dutch artists known collectively as The
Fool. In spring 1968, the SG was loaned to Jackie Lomax, an associate of George Harrison. The
"Fool" was later sold to Todd Rundgren for $500 before eventually being sold to a private
collector for about $500,000.

Tony Iommi

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath owns several custom-made black left-handed Gibson SGs with
white cross-shaped fretboard inlays. Epiphone produces a similar guitar as the Tony Iommi G-
400.[7] Iommi's original SG (used on the early Sabbath albums) was a cherry red, left-handed
1965 SG Special with P-90 pickups.

John Cipollina

John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service used a custom Gibson SG with custom
pickguards in the shape of bat-like figures, as well as the fret board being customized with
unique patterns.

Angus Young

Angus Young of AC/DC occasionally uses a custom-made SG with lightning-bolt inlays