2. Gibson guitars is one of the most popular guitars ever made. Orville Gibson started making mandolins in Kalamazoo, Michigan USA in the late 1890s.
3. Gibson used the same type of carved, arched tops in archtop acoustic guitars, and by the 1930s was also making flattop acoustic guitars and electric guitars. Gibson Guitars have now been a major producer of electric guitars and acoustic guitars for over 50 years.
4. In 1950 they released their first solid body in the form of the Gibson Les Paul Standard electric guitar. One of Gibson's triumphs - the Les Paul model was, and still is, in the hands of a boatload of guitar playing pioneers. The Les Paul model was the company's response to public enthusiasm for the electric guitar.
5. Les Paul was arguably the most popular electric guitar player in the world who had previously invented his own solid body electric guitar. He was signed up by the Gibson company to lend his name to their new guitar and actually made some design suggestions which may or may not have been followed up, according to who you listen to.
6. But the world of making great guitars was not all cheese and crackers. In the late nineteen fifties the world was obsessed with "modern" things. Space travel was on the minds of many creative people working in a multitude of areas of industrial design. So it was one morning that the Gibson Flying V awoke and attempted to take flight.
7. Unfortunately it only survived for about one year. It slept then until the flamboyant nineteen seventies welcomed it once more to the world. Some famous guitarists, Jimi Hendrix among them, played it for a while and it found its way into the shops again, but only for a short time.
8. The Gibson company tried to rescue the situation by introducing the Firebird, a variation on the Flying V thought up by a car designer. The result looks more like a bad drawing of an electric guitar.
9. Recently Gibson has added an astounding feature to the world of guitar playing. The Powertune system. It gives electric guitars the ability to tune themselves, thus making sure that the secret of many professional guitar players remains perfectly safe.
10. Another thing that might surprise some people is the fact that Gibson has held its own quite well in the area of acoustic guitar manufacturing. There is an Arlo Guthrie guitar in the Gibson Artist Signature Series of guitars.
11. Possibly somebody in the early seventies thought Arlo was going to be really, really big. Other artists to have Gibson acoustic guitars named for them are Elvis Presley, Sheryl Crow, Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson and Pete Townshend.
12. The general guitar playing public were getting interested in the look of their guitars and not just the sound and feel of the guitar. In response to this Gibson introduced some crazy shapes which were to fill a future niche market and the Gibson guitar company is still as popular as ever today with professional and hobby musicians around the world.
13. Gibson's commitment to excellence, and support of top musicians is demonstrated most deeply through its well known Custom Shop. The Custom Shop produces specialty instruments for artists, and discerning musicians.
14. To find a wide range of acoustic guitars, guitar amps, and strings click link below www.gibson-accoustic-guitar.com