Gibson Acoustic Guitars
The birth of Gibson acoustic guitars was started by Orville Gibson when he opened a shop in Kalazamoo in the early 1890’s. At that time banjos and mandolins were more popular that guitars. What guitars did exist were always fitted up with gut strings which precluded much volume. It would be another forty years before steel strings were replacing gut.
Gibson started building and selling what they called their “L” series of acoustic guitars. Their early guitars were archtops. At that time Epiphone was Gibson’s biggest competitor, which fact encouraged Gibson to experiment and try to improve. Gibson brought us the truss rod, which allowed the neck to be slimmed, and flattops in the 20’s, larger guitars, especially the Jumbo series in the 30’s and the cutaway toward the end of that decade.
When the founder of the Epiphone company died, his family sold the company to the Chicago Musical Instruments which ironically by then owned Gibson. By 1966, Gibson had become the world’s largest guitar manufacturer selling its own lines in addition to Epiphone and
Kalamazoo brands. Gibson moved its factory to
Nashville and shifted production of Epiphones to the
Far East . Only a few Gibson acoustic guitars were made in
Kalamazoo.
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