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 GIBSON |
| GIBSON HISTORY: 1980-PRESENT |
| In 1980, Norlin decided to sell Gibson. Norlin also relocated some of the sales, marketing, administration, and finance personnel from Chicago to the Nashville plant. Main Gibson production was then handled in Nashville, and Kalamazoo became a specialist factory for custom orders. In 1983, then- Gibson president Marty Locke informed plant manager Jim Deurloo that the Kalamazoo plant would close. Final production was June 1984, and the plant closed three months later. On a side note: Rather than give up on the 65-year-old facilities, Jim Deurloo, Marv Lamb, and J.P. Moats started the Heritage Guitar Company in April of 1985. The company is located in the original 1917 building. In January of 1986, Henry Juszkiewicz (pres), David Berryman (VP of finance and accounting), and Gary Zebrowski (electronics business) bought Gibson for five million dollars. Since the purchase in 1986, the revived Gibson USA company has been at work to return to the level of quality the company had reached earlier. Expansion of the acoustic guitar production began at the Bozeman, Montana facilities. Many hard rock bands and guitarists began playing (and posing) with Gibson guitars, again fueling desire among the players. Gibson's Historic Collection models were introduced in 1991, and custom pieces built at Gibson's Custom Shop began sporting their own Gibson Custom Art Historic logo on the headstock in 1996. This new division is responsible for producing Historic Collection models, commemorative guitars, custom-ordered and special edition guitars, as well as restoration and repair of vintage models. In the tail end of 1996, both the Dobro production facilities in California and the Montana mandolin guitar facilities were closed down. New production facilities for both named Original Musical Instruments (O.M.I.) opened in Nashville, Tennessee in late 1998. In 1998, Gibson opened up a new dealer level for specialty guitars. The Gibson Historic Collection Award models are only available through the (estimated) 50 Award Level dealers, and feature specific year/model designated instruments at an upscale price. This is similar to the antique and vintage firearms marketplace, which has been making authentic reproductions of popular makes/models since the late 1950s. Also during 1998, Gibson introduced guitars made from SmartWood. SmartWood is a program of the Rainforest Alliances, an international non-profit conservation organization that certifies that certain woods are harvested in a sustainable manner. During 1999, Gibson once again released a large number of new models and finishes, further filling out their electric guitar lineup. In the Blue Book of Electric Guitars, both the Custom Collection and Historic Series Models from the Custom Shop have been grouped in the back of the Gibson section for easier lookup. Since Gibson continues to change their model lineup on a regular basis, it is suggested that a trip to their website is in order to learn more on what's current, and, just as important, what has been discontinued. Gibson started the new millennium in perhaps its best shape for a long time. With the Montana plant now producing consistently high quality acoustic instruments (perhaps their best ever), and the electric models being led by the extensive offerings from the Gibson Custom, Art, and Historic Division, this legendary American guitar company seems to be in great shape for the next century of guitar manufacturing. Additionally, Gibson recently opened up a new archtop production facility in Memphis, TN during 2001. During 2001, Gibson opened up a new production facility in Memphis, TN, primarily manufacturing ES-335 electric instruments and variations. At the end of 2001, Gibson Guitar Corp. purchased Baldwin, longtime manufacturer of pianos and organs. At the 2002 Nashville summer NAMM Show, Gibson celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Les Paul by announcing the world's first truly digital guitar - a digital LP. Gibson's abbreviated terminology for this new technology is called MaGIC (Media Accelerated Global Information Carrier). This technology converts an analog signal to a high quality digital signal inside the guitar, utilizing Gibson's patented HEX pickup, which measures both up and down and side to side motions on each string. Also, since each string is individually recorded and converted, MaGIC allows tonal/EQ adjustments on each string. Guitar output is via a RJ-45 connector, and standard Cat 5 ethernet cable. This new MaGIC technology also is 100% compatible with existing equipment. Gibson has announced that production models will be available during 2003. During 2002, Gibson purchased long time guitar retailer Valley Arts Guitars, and opened up a separate retail store in downtown Nashville. During the Nashville summer NAMM Show in 2003, Gibson celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Custom Shop, which was relocated in a separate production facility on Massman Drive during 1993. During 2004-2005, Gibson continued to release additional Artist Collection models, and presented the "All For Paul" concert held at Carnegie Hall on June 19, 2005, which celebrated the 90th birthday of their most famous endorsee, Les Paul. Source: Walter Carter, Gibson Guitars: 100 Years of an American Icon; Tom Wheeler, American Guitars, and www.gibson.com. |