May 15, 2006  1980-1988 OMI Dobro: 8 (#)### yD configuration. 8 is the decade of manufacture (8=1980s). 2 or 3 or 4 numerals in center are serial number for year. Numeral y before letter is last digit of year. Last character is body type: D=wood, B=metal. 1988-1994 OMI Dobro: A# #### yyD configuration. First letter (and numeral) is style.

• Gibson Dobro Serial Number Decoder
• Gibson Guitar Serial Numbers And Value
• Gibson Serial Lookup Pre 1977
• Gibson Dobro Serial Numbers

1. Product page for Dobro acoustic instruments from Gibson Dobro brand Instruments We use cookies to understand how you use our site, give you an awesome experience, and deliver our services.
2. In 1977, Gibson introduced the serialization method that we primarily use to this day at Gibson USA, Gibson Acoustic, and the Gibson Custom facility in Memphis, TN. The serial number will be an 8 digit number impressed into the back of the headstock with “MADE IN USA” below.

When John Dopyera stormed out of the National shop in January 1929, his resignation stemmed from more than a spur-of-the-moment tantrum. For months, the inventor of the resonator guitar spent his evenings and weekends working with his brother, Rudy, on a secret project – a single-cone guitar they believed superior to the National Triolian. They called their new instrument the Dobro.

The Triolian’s bridge sat in a round wooden “biscuit” mounted in the center of a metal amplifying cone. John Dopyera developed the biscuit-bridge system for use in a ukulele, but felt the design did not sustain well enough when enlarged for a guitar. National’s president, George Beauchamp, overruled Dopyera and rushed the Triolian into production in late 1928. Beauchamp and Dopyera had been rubbing each other the wrong way for some time, and this came as the last straw. John and his brothers decided to split from National.

The Dopyeras turned the resonator upside-down and modified its V shape into a W, connected to the bridge by a long screw through the center. A radiating spider carried the sound from the bridge to the edges of the cone. Without a block of wood choking it, the inverted resonator vibrated freely and sustained notes longer than the biscuit-bridge cone.

Rudy and Emil (later called Ed) Dopyera left National soon after John.

The brothers named their new company Dobro (a shortened version of Dopyera Brothers). The word also meant “good” in their native Slovak language. Emil, the salesman, showed the prototype guitar to dealers in southern California and took the first orders. Two other brothers, Louis and Bob, helped finance the venture. In the spring of ’29 Dobro started production in the back room of Russell Plating Company. Within a few months the company moved to a new brick factory at 727 East 62nd Street in Los Angeles.

Dobro’s model numbers corresponded to list prices in a system that has long confused collectors. Because prices changed from year to year, guitars changed model numbers, and the same model number may have applied to several different guitars. For instance, 1929’s Model 45 was a dark, unbound student guitar, 1932’s Model 45 was a bound single-screenhole “Cyclops,” and by late ’33 the Model 45 was a spruce-top with two screenholes. This was not a progression of the same basic guitar. These were Dobro guitars that in those particular years carried a list price of $45. It was not a good system, and the company stuck it with until production ceased at the dawn of World War II.

Dobro’s original 1929 line included the unbound student Model 45, the Standard Model 55 with a bound fretboard, the two-tone French scroll carved (actually sandblasted) Model 65 with a bound ebony fretboard, the Professional Model 85 with a triple-bound mahogany body, and the Model 125 “De Luxe” with a walnut body and four-way matched back.

Custom Dobro guitars with gold-plated, engraved hardware and fancy inlay cost from $175 to $250. Round or square necks were available on all models.

Dobro also made mandolins, ukuleles, and “Tenortrope” banjo-guitars with round wooden bodies. By ’31 Dobro introduced the Model 50 tenor guitar, with a bound fretboard and a mandolin-size resonator in a guitar-size body.

Dobro started its serial numbers around 800. Later in the ’30s Regal in Chicago confused things by numbering a run of Dobros across the same range.

An early California instrument can be identified by square slot-ends in the headstock, coverplate screws in the points of numbers on a clock, and the lack of a dot at the 17th fret. The dot at the 17th fret was added in late 1930. By 1933 Dobro moved the screws to the half-hour points so a repairman could open a guitar without removing the tailpiece.

In ’32 Dobro modified its guitar line, with new model numbers ending in six instead of five. The unbound student guitar, its hardware painted silver instead of plated, dropped in price to become the Model 36. The Model 55 became the Model 56 (some ads specified hardware plated with nickel instead of chrome). The scrollwork Model 60 evolved into two styles: the Model 66, with a fretboard of red bean wood, and the Model 66-B, with a bound body.

Dobro introduced the Model 76, with a bound birch body and inlaid celluloid trademark, but made few of them. The Model 85 became the Model 86, with engraving added on the coverplate. Dobro’s Model 106 was a walnut guitar with a two-way matched back. The Model 156 was walnut with an inlaid fretboard and gold plating. Dobro’s tenor guitar came in three models, the 50, 75, and 100, with details corresponding to the Models 56, 76, and 106.

On the extreme high end was Dobro’s Model 206, with a spruce top, walnut back and sides, gold-plated and engraved hardware, and five-ply binding with a layer of gold sparkle in the center. Dobro made few Model 206 guitars – John Dopyera said no more than 12 or 15 – as showpieces for trade shows or by special order. Only three are known to exist today.

By this time the Great Depression had kicked into high gear.

Gold-plated guitars were hard to sell to people having trouble putting food on the table. Most of Dobro’s sales were in the lower end of the scale. To increase sales, Dobro had to make some even cheaper by simplifying the design and omitting some features.

In 1932, Dobro introduced a line of single-screenhole guitars, today known as the Cyclops instruments, which required less hardware and labor.

The least expensive was the Model 27, with an unbound body stained, painted silver, or brushed with a faux wood grain. Some ’33 square-necks had their frets painted on. The Model 45 Cyclops had a bound body with a rosewood finish. The Model 60 Cyclops had the same “carved” scrollwork and binding as the 66-B.

In mid ’33 Dobro replaced the Cyclops guitar’s full-sized screenhole with two smaller ones joined in a single frame. No model numbers for the double-Cyclops guitars have come to light, but there are two distinct styles. Some have no binding on the body, and others have ivoroid binding around the top and fretboard. Some double-Cyclops guitars, especially those sold through Montgomery Ward under the brand name Magno-Tone, have coverplates with radiating slots in a design called the poinsettia. Most of the double-Cyclops guitars date to ’33 and ’34, but Dobro apparently made a few as late as ’36.

California Dobro-made guitars appeared under a variety of brand names in the early 1930s, sold either through catalogs or by private music studios (guitar schools). Dobro often economized on guitars carrying other brands by installing no soundwells under the resonators or by cutting f-holes instead of installing screens. According to Emil Dopyera, part of the thinking was that if a guitar did not have the Dobro emblem it should not have the full Dobro sound. Budget Dobro guitars were sold under such brands as Hawaiian Radio-Tone, Michigan Music, Rex, and others. Emil later said, “If we got an order for 100 guitars with a special coverplate for a little less money, we did it.”

In Dobro’s 5,000-square-foot factory the production of guitar bodies was limited by space. According to John Dopyera, in about 1931 Dobro bought a shipment of guitar bodies from Regal, in Chicago. Dobro assembled between 60 and 100 guitars with Regal-made bodies in its Los Angeles factory before deciding that shipping the bodies from Illinois was too expensive, especially if Dobro had to send the finished guitars back to Chicago for distribution. So the Dopyeras decided to ship the metal parts east and let a Midwestern company assemble some guitars, as National already did with Harmony.

Gibson expressed interest in the deal, but their representative made no effort to hide his opinion that the Dobro was not a real guitar, but a gimmick. The brothers took offense at what they called Gibson’s “holier-than-thou” attitude. They decided to go with Regal, which at that time was producing its own line of guitars as well as Lyon and Healy and Washburn instruments. Dobro and Regal divided the U.S. into two territories, with the Mississippi River as the center line; Dobro would sell to jobbers in the West, Regal in the East.

The first Regal-made Dobros reached the market by the summer or fall of ’32. In January ’33, Regal announced in Musical Merchandise its own line of ampliphonic instruments built with Dobro parts. Regal made identical guitars under both the Dobro and Regal brands. Dobro in Los Angeles skipped over most of the 4000s in their serial numbering, reserving those numbers for Regal-made Dobros. Regal Dobros of the mid ’30s are most easily recognizable by their round slot ends extending straight through the headstock.

In 1933, Dobro introduced one of the first electric guitars. George Beauchamp’s and Adolph Ricken-bacher’s Electro frypan appeared in late 1932, but in Seattle a musician named Paul Tutmarc had been selling electric guitars under the name Audiovox since 1931. Dobro employee Victor Smith claimed he had been working on an electric guitar as early as 1929. Art Stimson, who had worked with Tutmarc, came to Los Angeles and told the Dopyeras the Audiovox pickup was his own invention. He sold them all rights for $600.

1933’s Dobro All-Electric looked something like a standard Dobro with a bound mahogany body. But its coverplate had no holes and was engraved with lightning bolts. Two pickup blades rose through a slot in the coverplate, one under the three bass strings and one under the treble.

Underneath the coverplate the blades connected to a large horseshoe magnet and a heavy transformer.

In 1934 Dobro combined the pickup with a resonator in a bound mahogany guitar. A horseshoe magnet was mounted inside the back, and the pickup blades rose on stems through holes in the resonator. According to John Dopyera, all but one of these guitars were returned to the factory for refunds because their owners didn’t understand how to use them. Only one, serial number 6845, is known today.

At the 1934 NAMM show Dobro presented a revamped line of guitars, mandolins, and ukuleles. The shift from the old line was gradual, with some of the new models produced as early as 1933. By mid ’34 all previous models were discontinued. Because the mid ’30s were Dobro’s peak production years, the new line contained what are today the best known prewar Dobro models. All these guitars had bodies roughly 31/2″ deep at the butt, where earlier Dobros had measured closer to 31/4″.

The Model 19 was Dobro’s cheapest resonator guitar – so cheap that it didn’t carry the Dobro emblem. Its decal said, “The Angelus, a Dobro Product.” It had no soundwell and smooth-sided f-holes instead of screenholes. The Angelus coverplate had a simple design of 12 round holes at the clock points.

The birch Model 27 proved Dobro’s biggest seller and remained popular through the decades. This was the model played on the Grand Ole’ Opry in the post-war years by both Bashful Brother Oswald and Josh Graves. In the ’70s, Jerry Douglas made his mark playing a Regal-built Model 27. Modern dealers and collectors usually identify a Model 27 as having binding on the top only, but rare early examples had no binding at all and most Regal-made Model 27s were bound top and back. The true identifying mark of a Model 27 is its lack of the three holes under the strings between the screenholes, an economy suggested by Regal and adopted by Dobro (Regal apparently never liked bothering with the three holes and even on high-end models never beveled the edges, as Dobro did). Many players hold that omitting the three holes improved the sound of the Model 27.

Dobro’s 1934 line included the Model 37, with a mahogany body bound top and back and along the fretboard, the Model 45, with a spruce top and mahogany back and sides, the Model 60, its scrollwork “carved” in a new pattern with a more prominent letter “D” on the back, and the walnut Model 100. Dobro in California marketed some budget flat-tops with trapeze tailpieces and 14-fret Spanish necks, using the name Dobro Jr. Regal produced only the Models 19, 27, 37, and 45, by far the more common models.

Both Dobro and Regal built tenor guitars with full-size resonators, shortened bodies and 14-fret necks. Dobro called theirs the 37T and 45T, with details corresponding to the Model 37 and Model 45 guitars (a Model 37 guitar was a 37G, and a mandolin a 37M). Regal offered more tenor guitar models but used a different numbering system, calling their tenors the 191/2, 271/2, 371/2, and 451/2.

In September ’34 Dobro introduced a line of metal-body guitars.

Rudy Dopyera wanted Dobro to build metal instruments from the beginning, but John was not satisfied with the soldering method used by National. The solder of the era was weak, and heliarc welding was not yet invented. When John Dopyera found a local shop making metal boxes by crimping the edges together, he learned the technique from the foreman and applied it to metal guitars. The crimped rims of Dobro’s metal guitars gave them the name “fiddle-edge.”

The first metal Dobros had solid headstocks and individual gear machines, at that time an expensive feature. Dobro’s metal guitars had “crossed window” soundholes; Regal’s had five-sectioned f-holes. The Dobro M14 (Regal 14M) “Leader” had a body of nickel-plated brass, the M15 Professional was of German silver, and the M16 “Artist” was of German silver, “…elaborately engraved.” Regal and Dobro used different engraving patterns. Serial numbers on the metal guitars ran in a new sequence with the prefix “M.” These instruments were the quality single-cone guitars John Dopyera wanted to build at National in 1929. But times had changed. Few of the M guitars sold in the Depression market.

In 1935 a less-expensive line of Dobro metal guitars replaced the M series. The Model 32 had a painted steel body. The Model 46 was made of “Dobro-Lite” aluminum, finished in translucent silver-gold or, later, painted.

The Model 62 had a body of nickel-plated brass with stencil-sandblasted designs on the front and back.

In January ’35, following a bitter lawsuit and a lot of wheeling and dealing, National and Dobro merged into one company under the control of Louis Dopyera. Two months later National-Dobro moved into a new factory at 6920 McKinley Avenue in Los Angeles, where the two lines came to share much equipment. The characteristic square slot ends of the earlier Dobros gave way to rounded slot ends passing through the headstocks at a slant, cut by the same router used on National guitars of that period. McKinley Avenue Dobros typically have spun cones instead of stamped ones and serial numbers in the 8000s. They include the Model 27 square-necks prized by collectors today.

Gibson Dobro Serial Number Decoder

At the ’35 NAMM show, Dobro introduced the prototypes of its new electric line: the No. 1 Hawaiian Guitar, with a one-piece body of cast aluminum, the No. 2 Standard Guitar, with a Regal archtop body and a pickup mounted in an oval metal housing, and the No. 3 Mandolin. The earliest aluminum lap steels had no knobs. Later Dobro added first a volume and then a tone control. The aluminum guitar was discontinued by 1937.

In early ’36 National-Dobro opened a branch office in Chicago, the center of the nation’s musical instrument business. National and Dobro instruments shipped from Los Angeles to Chicago were numbered in the same series with the prefix “A.” By ’37 the Chicago office grew from a warehouse to a full-fledged factory, building National and Supro instruments and handling so much of the company’s business that the Los Angeles plant finally closed.

In August ’37, National-Dobro contracted all Dobro assembly to Regal, agreeing to sell Regal hardware by the unit. By that time National-Dobro’s attention was focused on production and profitability.

Louis Dopyera had bought out all his brothers and, except for a few odd shares, was sole owner of the company. All five brothers continued to collect royalties for use of the Dobro brand name.

Sql anywhere 7 download. The introduction of a cheap, efficient gear machine in ’36 allowed solid headstocks on lower-priced guitars. Regal began using solid headstocks on all models of Dobros in a new serial number sequence beginning apparently at one and continuing into four digits. Mike Auldridge played a Model 37 from this series with the Seldom Scene in the ’70s and ’80s, and kept another only a few serial numbers different as a backup.

Once Regal took over all Dobro production, it ceased numbering any guitars except for a occasional enigmatic marks like “J” or “HH25.”

National-Dobro, however, continued the Dobro number series, which had reached the 9000s, usually with an “L” prefix, on National guitars. Regal never numbered resonator guitars carrying its own trademark, except by accident.

Regal mixed and matched hardware freely on all its Dobro guitars, apparently using whatever tailpieces or coverplates were handy at the time.

After ’37 Regal used the f-hole and crossed-window dies on metal guitars and sold them with or without pickguards. Distributors, studios, and mail-order houses sold Regal-built resonator instruments under brand names that included Alhambra, Broman, Bruno, Gretsch, Magno-tone, More Harmony, NIOMA, Norwood Chimes, Old Kraftsman, and Orpheum.

In ’37 the Dobro Model 75, with a walnut body and engraved coverplate, made a brief appearance in Regal’s catalog. That year Regal replaced the budget Model 19 with the Model 25, which had top and back binding and pointed f-holes, and introduced the Model 6, a small, two-tone guitar with f-holes and a mandolin-size resonator not specified as genuine Dobro, although many of them were. The Model 6 had a moon-and-stars or 12-diamond coverplate.

In 1937 Regal introduced the Dobro Hawaiian Electric Guitar, with a solid, square-ended wooden body. The Dobro Spanish Electric Guitar had an archtop body with a two-blade pickup mounted in a square metal housing.

In 1939 Regal revised its prices and changed the Dobro line once again. The blond Model 5, with a mandolin resonator, joined the Model 6 in the bargain basement. The former Model 25 got a $2 raise to become the new Model 27, and the former Model 27 went up $5 to become the Model 32. The steel-bodied former Model 32 became the Model 35. The mahogany Model 37 disappeared from the line. The aluminum Model 47 dropped $1 to become the Model 46, and the plated-brass Model 62 rose $3 to become the Model 65. A measure of the Great Depression was that the most expensive wood-body Dobro of ’39, the spruce-top Model 45, had the same price and model number as the cheapest student Dobro of ’29.

Regal made a few Dobro guitars for which no model number is known. Some spruce-tops had f-holes instead of screenholes. In ’38 Regal made Super Auditorium Size Dobros using archtop bodies bought from Harmony or Kay. These required 13-fret necks to get the scale right. In ’41 Regal made an f-hole resonator guitar with maple top, back, and sides in a natural finish.

The U.S.’ entry into WWII was a death blow to resonator guitars. President Roosevelt issued a limitation order restricting the use of critical materials. Louis Dopyera saw the handwriting on the wall. Within weeks of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he sold all the assets of National-Dobro to himself and with his former employees Vic Smith and Al Frost started the Valco Corporation to go into war work. According to Smith, Valco sold the Dobro hardware it had on hand to Gibson.

Gibson experimented with a few resonator guitar prototypes in the 1940s, but never put any into production. After the war Valco returned to the instrument business, building electric guitars. Regal struggled along and declared bankruptcy in 1954.

Not until the folk music revival of the ’60s would anyone make another Dobro.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s June ’99 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Coordinates: 36°07′48″N86°43′33″W / 36.1298758°N 86.7257458°W

Gibson Brands, Inc. (formerly Gibson Guitar Corporation) is an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and professional audio from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and now based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was formerly known as Gibson Guitar Corporation and renamed Gibson Brands, Inc. on June 11, 2013.^[3][4]

Orville Gibson started making instruments in 1894 and 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. In 1944, Gibson was bought by Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI), which was acquired in 1969 by Panama-based conglomerate Ecuadorian Company Limited (ECL), that changed its name in the same year to Norlin Corporation. Gibson was owned by Norlin Corporation from 1969 to 1986. In 1986, the company was acquired by a group led by Henry Juszkiewicz and David H. Berryman. In November 2018, the company was acquired by a group of investors led by private equity firm KKR & Co. Inc. (formerly known as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and KKR & Co. L.P.).

Gibson sells guitars under a variety of brand names^[5] and builds one of the world's most iconic guitars, the Gibson Les Paul. 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 a team led by Ted McCarty.

In addition to guitars, Gibson offers consumer electronics through its subsidiaries KRK, Cerwin Vega, and Stanton, Gibson Pro Audio line.

On May 1, 2018, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection,^[6] and announced a restructuring plan to return to profitability by closing down unprofitable consumer electronics divisions such as Gibson Innovations.^[7][8]

• 1History
• 2Legal actions

History[edit]

Beginnings[edit]

Orville Gibson patented a single-piece mandolin design in 1898 that was more durable than other mandolins and could be manufactured in volume.^[9] Orville Gibson began to sell his instruments in 1894 out of a one-room workshop in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In 1902, the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co. Ltd. was incorporated to market the instruments. Initially, the company produced only Orville Gibson's original designs.^[10] Orville died in 1918 of endocarditis (inflammation of the inside lining of the heart chambers and valves).^[9]

The following year, the company hired designer Lloyd Loar to create newer instruments.^[10] Loar designed the flagship L-5 archtop guitar and the Gibson F-5 mandolin that was introduced in 1922, before leaving the company in 1924.^[11] In 1936, Gibson introduced their first 'Electric Spanish' model, the ES-150, followed by other electric instruments like steel guitars, banjos and mandolins.

During World War II, instrument manufacturing at Gibson slowed due to shortages of wood and metal, and Gibson began manufacturing wood and metal parts for the military. Between 1942-1945, Gibson employed women to manufacture guitars. 'Women produced nearly 25,000 guitars during World War II yet Gibson denied ever building instruments over this period,' according to a 2013 history of the company. Gibson folklore has also claimed its guitars were made by 'seasoned craftsmen' who were 'too old for war.'^[12][13]

In 1944 Gibson was purchased by Chicago Musical Instruments. The ES-175 was introduced in 1949. Gibson hired Ted McCarty in 1948, who became President in 1950. He 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. The guitar was offered in Custom, Standard, Special, and Junior models.^[14]

In the mid-1950s, the Thinline series was produced, which included a line of thinner guitars like the Byrdland. The first Byrdlands were slim, custom built, L-5 models for guitarists Billy Byrd and Hank Garland. Later, a shorter neck was added. Other models such as the ES-350T and the ES-225T were introduced as less costly alternatives.^[15] In 1958, Gibson introduced the ES-335T model. Similar in size to the hollow-body Thinlines, the ES-335 family had a solid center, giving the string tone a longer sustain.

In the 1950s, Gibson also produced the Tune-o-matic bridge system and its version of the humbucking pickup, the PAF ('Patent Applied For'), first released in 1957 and still sought after for its sound.^{[citation needed]}

In 1958, Gibson produced two new designs: the eccentrically shaped Explorer and Flying V. These 'modernistic' guitars did not sell initially. It was only in the late 1960s and early 70s when the two guitars were reintroduced to the market that they sold well. The Firebird, in the early 60s, was a reprise of the modernistic idea, though less extreme.

Modernization[edit]

In the late 50s, McCarty knew that Gibson was seen as a traditional company and began an effort to create more modern guitars. In 1961 the body design of the Les Paul was changed due to the demand for a double-cutaway body design.^[16] The new body design then became known as the SG (for 'solid guitar'), due to disapproval from Les Paul himself. The original Les Paul design returned to the Gibson catalog in 1968.

On December 22, 1969, Gibson parent company Chicago Musical Instruments was taken over by the South American brewing conglomerate ECL. Gibson remained under the control of CMI until 1974 when it became a subsidiary of Norlin Musical Instruments. Norlin Musical Instruments was a member of Norlin Industries which was named for ECL president Norton Stevens and CMI president Arnold Berlin. This began an era characterized by corporate mismanagement and decreasing product quality.

Between 1974 and 1984, production of Gibson guitars was shifted from Kalamazoo to Nashville, Tennessee. The Kalamazoo plant kept going for a few years as a custom-instrument shop, but was closed in 1984; several Gibson employees led by plant manager Jim Duerloo established Heritage Guitars in the old factory, building versions of classic Gibson designs.

The company was within three months of going out of business before it was bought by Henry E. Juszkiewicz, David H. Berryman, and Gary A. Zebrowski in January 1986.^[17] Gibson's wholesale shipments in 1993 were an estimated $70 million, up from $50 million in 1992. When Juszkiewicz and Berryman took over in 1986, sales were below $10 million.^[18] New production plants were opened in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as Bozeman, Montana. The Memphis facility is used for semi-hollow and custom shop instruments, while the Bozeman facility is dedicated to acoustic instruments.

Recent history[edit]

Gibson purchased Garrison Guitars in 2007.^[19] In mid 2009 Gibson reduced its work force to adjust for a decline in guitar industry sales in the United States.^[20]

In 2011, Gibson acquired the Stanton Group, including Cerwin Vega, KRK Systems and Stanton DJ. Gibson then formed a new division, Gibson Pro Audio, which will deliver professional grade audio items, including headphones, loudspeakers and DJ equipment.^[21]

Gibson announced a partnership with the Japanese-based Onkyo Corporation in 2012. Onkyo, known for audio equipment and home theater systems, became part of the Gibson Pro Audio division.^[22]

In 2013, Gibson acquired a majority stake in TEAC Corporation.

In 2014, Gibson acquired the consumer electronics business of Royal Philips.

In October 2017, Gibson announced plans to relocate its Memphis operations to a smaller location and plans to sell the Memphis property. Gibson opened its Memphis facility 18 years before, which occupies just a portion of a massive 127,620 square foot complex. According to the Memphis Daily News, Gibson plans to search for a new facility for its Memphis operations and will stay in the current spot for the next 18 to 24 months. The facility, which sits across from the FedExForum along South B.B. King Boulevard, is expected to list for $17 million.

Since its opening, the Gibson Memphis shop has mostly focused on building hollow and semi-hollowbody guitars, such as the famed ES series. Presumably, this shuffling of assets is meant to address Gibson's well-publicized financial troubles.

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

We are extremely excited about this next phase of growth that we believe will benefit both our employees, and the Memphis community. I remember when our property had abandoned buildings, and Beale Street was in decline. It is with great pride that I can see the development of this area with a basketball arena, hotels, and a resurgent pride in the musical heritage of the great city of Memphis. We continue to love the Memphis community and hope to be a key contributor to its future when we move nearby to a more appropriate location for our manufacturing based business, allowing the world the benefit of our great American craftsmen.'^[23]

Bankruptcy[edit]

On May 1, 2018, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of its debt restructuring, the company will close down and liquidate its unprofitable Gibson Innovations division, which sells audio equipment outside of the U.S. and has been the source of much of the company's financial troubles. The restructuring will allow Gibson to focus on its most profitable ventures, such as musical instruments. No changes will be made to its guitar manufacturing business, and all Gibson and Epiphone branded guitars were expected to continue in production. Additionally, $135 million was provided by existing creditors to provide liquidity to maintain existing operations.^[24][25]

On September 6, 2018, the company announced that a global settlement has been reached with respect to the company's reorganization plan upon emergence from Chapter 11. Under the plan, the company will be focused on its core musical instruments business with 'essentially no debt.' Juszkiewicz stepped down as CEO and assumed the role of consultant.^[26]

On October 23, 2018, the company announced the appointment of James “JC” Curleigh as the new President and CEO; Cesar Gueikian as Chief Merchant Officer; Kim Mattoon as Chief Financial Officer; and Christian Schmitz as Chief Production Officer. The appointments were effective November 1, 2018.^[27]

Legal actions[edit]

Origin of 'lawsuit guitars'[edit]

In 1977, Gibson sued Hoshino Gakki/Elger Guitars for copying the ”archtop” headstock. The lawsuit was settled out of court, and Ibanez replaced the headstock with a revised design.^[28]

In 2000, Gibson sued Fernandes Guitars in a Tokyo court for allegedly copying Gibson designs. Gibson did not prevail.^[29]

PRS[edit]

Gibson also sued PRS Guitars in 2005, to stop them from making their Singlecut model. The lawsuit against PRS was initially successful.^[30] However, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed the lower court decision and ordered the dismissal of Gibson's suit against PRS.^[31]

FWS raids & Lacey Act violation[edit]

Gibson's factories were raided in 2009 and 2011 by agents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). In November 2009 authorities found illegally imported ebony wood from Madagascar.^[32][33] A second raid was conducted in August 2011,^[32] during which the FWS seized wood imports from India that had been mislabeled on the US Customs declaration.^[34][35] Gibson Guitar Corp. filed a motion in January 2011 to recover seized materials and overturn the charges, which was denied by the court.^[36][37]

The United States Department of Justice found emails from 2008 and 2009 in which Gibson employees discussed the 'gray market' nature of the ebony wood available from a German wood dealer—who obtained it from a supplier in Madagascar—as well as plans to obtain the wood. It filed a civil proceeding in June 2011,^[35][38][39] the first such case under the amended Lacey Act, which requires importing companies to purchase legally harvested wood and follow the environmental laws of the producing countries regardless of corruption or lack of enforcement.^[39] Gibson argued in a statement the following day that authorities were 'bullying Gibson without filing charges' and denied any wrongdoing.^[34][40] Arguing against the federal regulations and claiming that the move threatened jobs, Republicans and Tea Party members spoke out against the raids and supported Juszkiewicz.^[41]

The case was settled on August 6, 2012, with Gibson admitting to violating the Lacey Act and agreeing to pay a fine of $300,000 in addition to a $50,000 community payment. Gibson also forfeited the wood seized in the raids, which was valued at roughly the same amount as the settlement.^[42][43] However, in a subsequent statement Gibson maintained its innocence with Juszkiewicz claiming that 'Gibson was inappropriately targeted' and that the government raids were 'so outrageous and overreaching as to deserve further Congressional investigation.' Juszkiewicz continued to state, 'We felt compelled to settle as the costs of proving our case at trial would have cost millions of dollars and taken a very long time to resolve.'^[44]

Gibson was able to reclaim some wood stock which was confiscated during the raids,^[45] and produced a new series of guitar marketed to draw attention to the raids and seizures.^[46]

In the midst of the controversy, conservative commentators alleged that the raid was a politically motivated act of retaliation by the Obama administration, as Juszkiewicz had frequently donated to Republican politicians. Chris Martin IV, the CEO of Gibson competitor C.F. Martin & Co., had donated over $35,000 to the Democratic National Committee and Democratic candidates in the same time period. Though Martin featured several guitars in its catalog made with the same Indian wood as Gibson, but with correct documentation filed, the company was not subjected to a raid.^[47]

Paper Jamz[edit]

Gibson filed a lawsuit November 18, 2010, in Federal court, the Central District of California, against WowWee USA and their Paper Jamz battery operated guitar toys charging trademark infringement.^[48][49] The lawsuit claimed the Paper Jamz toy guitars copied the looks of some of Gibson's famous guitars, the Gibson Les Paul, the Gibson Flying V, the Gibson Explorer, and the Gibson SG. On December 21, 2010 Gibson was granted a request for an injunction against WowWee and retailers in the United States which were selling Paper Jamz guitars: Walmart, Amazon, Big Lots stores, Kmart Corporation, Target Corporation, Toys “R” Us, Walgreens, Brookstone, Best Buy, eBay, Toywiz.com, and Home Shopping Network (HSN)^[50][51][52] The case was dismissed with prejudice (dismissed permanently) January 11, 2011 by Federal Judge R. Gary Klausner.^[53][54]

Instruments[edit]

Gibson also owns and makes instruments under brands such as Epiphone,^[55]Kramer,^[56]Maestro,^[57]Steinberger,^[58] and Tobias,^[59] along with the ownership of historical brands such as Kalamazoo,^[60][61]Dobro,^[5]Slingerland,^[62]Valley Arts,^[62] and Baldwin^[5] (including Chickering,^[62] Hamilton,^[62] and Wurlitzer^[5][62]).

Gibson makes authorized copies of its most successful guitar designs. They are less expensive than those bearing the Gibson name.^{[clarification needed]} A former competitor, Epiphone, was purchased by Gibson in 1957 and now makes competitively-priced Gibson models, such as the Les Paul and SG, sold under the Epiphone brand,^[63] while continuing to make Epiphone-specific models like the Sheraton, Sorrento, and Casino. In Japan, Orville by Gibson once made Gibson designs sold in that country.^[64] Gibson has sought legal action against those that make and sell guitars Gibson believes are too similar to their own.

In 1977, Gibson introduced the serial numbering system in use until 2006.^[65] An eight-digit number on the back shows the date when the instrument was produced, where it was produced, and its order of production that day (e.g., first instrument stamped that day, second, etc.).^[66] An exception is the year 1994, Gibson's centennial year; many 1994 serial numbers start with '94', followed by a six-digit production number^{[citation needed]}. As of 2006, the company used seven (six since 1999) serial number systems,^{[65][clarification needed]} making it difficult to identify guitars by their serial number alone. The Gibson website provides a book to help with serial number deciphering.^[65][66]

In 2006, Gibson introduced a nine-digit serial number system replacing the eight-digit system used since 1977, but the sixth digit now represents a batch number.^{[65][clarification needed]}

In 2003,^[67] Gibson debuted its Ethernet-based^[68] audio protocol, MaGIC, which it developed in partnership with 3Com, Advanced Micro Devices, and Xilinx.^[67] Replacing traditional analog hook-ups with a digital connection to 'satisfy the unique requirements of live audio performances'.^[68] This system requires a special pickup,^[67] and cabling is provided by a standard Cat-5 Ethernet cable.^[67][68]

The Gibson 'self-tuning guitar', also known as a 'robot model', an option on some newer Les Paul, SG, Flying V and Explorer instruments, tunes itself in about two seconds using robotics technology developed by Tronical GmbH.^[69] Under the tradename Min-ETune, this device became standard on several models in 2014.^[70]

In 2013, Gibson 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 after the resolution of the company's Lacey Act violation in 2011. The guitars were finished in 'government grey' and also featured decorations which intended to draw attention to the issue of government. A year later in 2014, Gibson released the Government Series II^[71] of guitars, which were essentially the same as the first series, only finished in a new color: 'government tan'.

Factories[edit]

All Gibson-brand guitars are currently made at three facilities, depending on the type of guitar. Solid body electric guitars such as the Gibson Les Paul and the Gibson SG are made in Nashville, Tennessee at Gibson USA and the Gibson Custom Shop. Semi-acoustic guitars such as the Gibson ES Series are also made in Nashville, Tennessee at Gibson USA. Full acoustic guitars such as the Gibson J Series are made in Bozeman, Montana. The Nashville and Bozeman facilities are off-limits to visitors.

All Gibson instruments are made in USA. Below are some of the facilities used to produce Gibson instruments, along with years of their operation:

See also[edit]

• David Harvey (luthier)
• Jim Triggs (luthier)
• Lloyd Loar (luthier)

Footnotes[edit]

1. ^ ^ab'Gibson History'. Gibson Corporate Press Kit. Gibson Guitar Corp. Archived from the original on 29 April 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
2. ^Gisbon Brands at Gibson Press websiteArchived 2014-07-05 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 10 Dec 2014
3. ^'Gibson Brands, Inc.: Private Company Information'. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2017-06-25.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
4. ^'Drop the guitar Gibson rebrands' on BizJournals.comArchived 2014-12-25 at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ ^abcdAyala Ben-Yehuda (9 April 2007). 'Gibson Guitar embraces China, Latin markets'. Reuters. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
6. ^'Gibson Guitars Files For Bankruptcy Protection'. NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
7. ^'US guitar firm Gibson goes bust'. BBC News. 2018-05-02. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
8. ^Mattise, Jonathan (2018-05-02). 'Gibson guitar maker sees a future with bankruptcy protection'. CTVNews. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
9. ^ ^ab'Orville H. Gibson, 1856—1918'. Siminoff.net. Archived from the original on 2011-02-25. Retrieved 2011-01-28.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
10. ^ ^ab'Gibson Dusk Tiger'. Gibson.com. 2008-06-24. Archived from the original on 2011-01-20. Retrieved 2011-01-28.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
11. ^Wheeler, Tom. American Guitars. HarperCollins. 1992.pp 100—1 ISBN978-0-06-273154-8
12. ^Lister, Kat (2014-04-23). 'The Forgotten Women of Kalamazoo'. Feminist Times. Archived from the original on 2014-06-27. Retrieved 2014-09-15.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
13. ^Thomas, John (2012). Kalamazoo gals: a story of extraordinary women and Gibson's banner guitars of WWll. Franklin, TN: American History Press. ISBN9780983082781.
14. ^Hembree 2007, p. 74—85
15. ^Duchossoir 1998, p. 55—62
16. ^Hembree 2007, p. 110
17. ^Hembree 2007, p. 306
18. ^Miller, Bryan. 'Saving Gibson Guitars From the Musical Scrap Heap'. The New York Times. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
19. ^Garrison Guitars sold to GibsonArchived 2012-04-07 at the Wayback Machine thetelegram.com, July 4th, 2007
20. ^Email, published by Walker Duncan (2009-03-23). 'Sources: Gibson adds to layoff tally Make and Buy NashvillePost.com: Nashville Business News + Nashville Political News'. NashvillePost.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2011-01-28.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
21. ^'Gibson Guitar increases high-tech lineup with purchase'. Tennessean.com. 2011-12-06. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
22. ^'Gibson Expands Pro Audio Division'. Gibson.com. 2012-01-04. Archived from the original on 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2012-02-09.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
23. ^'Gibson Set to Sell Memphis Guitar Factory - Reverb News'. Web.archive.org. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
24. ^Snyder, Eric (1 May 2018). 'Gibson files for Chapter 11 brankruptcy'. Nashville Business Journal. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
25. ^'Gibson files for bankruptcy in a deal to renew its guitar business'. Bloomburg. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
26. ^'Gibson Brands reaches global settlement and files amended plan of reorganization'. PR Newswire. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
27. ^Rau, Nate (23 October 2018). 'Gibson taps JC Curleigh as CEO to lead iconic guitar company out of bankruptcy'. Nashville Tennesean. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
28. ^Fjestad, Zachary (June 16, 2010). 'Ibanez 'Lawsuit Era' Les Paul Custom Copy'. Premier Guitar. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
29. ^'Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property Vol 4 Iss 2'(PDF). Law.northwestern.edu. 2010-08-19. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2012-05-09.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
30. ^Gibson Guitar Corp. v. Paul Reed Smith Guitars, L.P.Archived 2014-01-15 at the Wayback Machine, 325 F. Supp. 2d 841 (M.D. Tenn., 2004)
31. ^Gibson Guitar Corp. v. Paul Reed Smith Guitars, LPArchived 2014-11-10 at the Wayback Machine, 423 F.3d 539 (6th Cir. 2005).
32. ^ ^abWadhwani, A.; Paine, A. (25 August 2011). 'Gibson Guitar raided but lips zipped'. The Tennessean. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
33. ^Lind, J.R. (29 December 2010). 'Federal agent: Gibson wood investigation likely to result in indictments'. NashvillePost.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
34. ^ ^ab'Gibson Guitar Corp. responds to federal raid'. Gibson Guitar Corp. 25 August 2011. Archived from the original on 12 September 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2011.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
35. ^ ^abTrotter, J. (25 August 2011). 'Endangered lemurs could be connected to Gibson raid'. WMCTV.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
36. ^'Update: CEO's Outrage Gets Media Buzzing'. Gibson Guitar Corp. 26 August 2011. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2011.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
37. ^'Gibson Guitars fails to squash illegal wood investigation'. Sound & Fair. 19 January 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2011.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
38. ^'Gibson/Lacey Act Update'. Home Furnishings Business. 6 July 2011. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
39. ^ ^ab'Endangered species trafficking: What did Gibson Guitar know?'. Mongabay.com. 7 July 2011. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2011.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
40. ^Stern, Andrew (25 August 2011). 'Gibson Guitar to fight U.S. probe of its wood imports'. Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2011.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
41. ^Schelzig, E. (August 7, 2012). 'Gibson Guitar Corporation admits to importing endangered wood'. The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 24 November 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
42. ^Black, R. (6 August 2012). 'Gibson settles discord on timber'. BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
43. ^Clarke, C.; Grant, A. (4 May 2011). 'Are your wood products really certified?'. Wri.org. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2011.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
44. ^'Gibson Comments on Department of Justice Settlement'. Gibson Guitar Corporation. August 6, 2012. Archived from the original on 24 November 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
45. ^'Gibson launches 'Government Series' guitars with tonewood seized in 2011 raid'. The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2018.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
46. ^Faughnder, Ryan (15 February 2014). 'Gibson guitars made with government-seized wood are sold out'. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
47. ^'Now the Gibson Guitar Raids Make Sense'. www.investors.com. Investors' Business Daily. May 23, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2018. According to C.F. Martin's catalog, several of their guitars contain 'East Indian Rosewood,' which is the exact same wood in at least 10 of Gibson's guitars. So why were they not raided and their inventory of foreign wood seized? Grossly underreported at the time was the fact that Gibson's chief executive, Henry Juszkiewicz, contributed to Republican politicians..By contrast, Chris Martin IV, the Martin & Co. CEO, is a long-time Democratic supporter.
48. ^'Gibson Sues Over Paper Jamz'. Guitar News Daily, November 25, 2010. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
49. ^Hachman, Mark. 'Gibson Sues WowWee over Paper Jamz Guitars'. PC Magazine, November 27, 2010. Archived from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
50. ^'Gibson Granted Injunction Against Paper Jamz Guitars'. Premier Guitar, December 22, 2010. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
51. ^Hasselback, Drew. 'Gibson obtains injunction against WowWee's Paper Jamz guitars'. Financial Post, December 23, 2010. Archived from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
52. ^Biggs, John. 'Gibson Forces WowWee to Pull Paper Jamz Guitars'. TechCrunch, December 28, 2010. Archived from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
53. ^Gibson Guitar Corp. v. WowWee USA, Inc. et al (Central District of California 2011) ('That this action is dismissed with prejudice without costs or attorneys fees; That the funds deposited by plaintiff to secure the preliminary injunction be returned to plaintiff.'). Text
54. ^Roberts, Katie. 'Wowwee/Gibson Guitars dispute settled'. ToyNews, January 7, 2011. Archived from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
55. ^'epiphone.com'. Epiphone.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2012-05-09.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
56. ^kramerguitars.comArchived 2008-12-18 at the Wayback Machine Kramer Official Site
57. ^Maestro by GibsonArchived 2010-07-19 at the Wayback Machine Gibson Official Site
58. ^steinberger.comArchived 2011-02-07 at the Wayback Machine Steinberger Official Site
59. ^TobiasArchived 2011-02-02 at the Wayback Machine Gibson Official Site
60. ^Ken Achard (1996). The History and Development of the American Guitar. Bold Strummer. p. 10. ISBN978-0-933224-18-6. Also during the mid to late thirties, Gibson produced a range of cello and flat top instruments under the Kalamazoo name and at inexpensive prices.
61. ^'Gibson Kalamazoo'. January 2, 2009. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
62. ^ ^abcde'Gibson Brands Announces Intention to Acquire Cakewalk Inc'. Gibson Guitar Corporation. 23 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 10 May 2015.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
63. ^'Epiphone Les Paul Standard'. Epiphone.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-18.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
64. ^'Epiphone: A History — Epiphone and Gibson'. Epiphone.com. Archived from the original on 2015-11-04.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
65. ^ ^abcdGibson Serial Numbers: What a serial number can and can't tell you about your GibsonArchived 2011-02-02 at the Wayback Machine Gibson Official Site, 7.17.2007
66. ^ ^abBlue Book of Electric Guitars. Sixth Edition: Gibson Serialization. Edited by S.P. FjestadArchived 2015-02-07 at the Wayback Machine Gibson Official Site
67. ^ ^abcdThe MaGIC of Gibson's Digital Guitars Maximum PC magazine, April 2003
68. ^ ^abcThis Is MaGICArchived 2010-01-16 at the Wayback Machine Gibson Official Site
69. ^Yuri Kageyama (The Associated Press) (December 3, 2007). 'World's first robot guitar takes care of the tuning'. Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-04.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
70. ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-24.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
71. ^'Gibson Guitars Announces Government Series II Les Paul'. guitarworld.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2018.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
72. ^ ^abcWheeler 1992, p. 95
73. ^Carter 1994, p. 12
74. ^Spann 2011, p. 1
75. ^Spann 2011, pp. 1–2
76. ^Spann 2011, p. 2
77. ^Wheeler 1992, pp. 101, 151
78. ^Wheeler 1992, p. 144
79. ^Bonds 2004, p. 318
80. ^Thomas 2012, p. 3
81. ^Bonds 2004, p. 396
82. ^Bonds 2004, p. 406
83. ^'Gibson Guitar Memphis Factory Tour Directions'(PDF). Archived(PDF) from the original on August 21, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2014.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
84. ^Fjestad, S.P., Editor (2015) [1999]. 'Blue Book of Electric Guitars'(PDF). Gibson Serialization (Sixth ed.). Blue Book Publications, Inc. Archived(PDF) from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2015.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)

References[edit]

• Achard, Ken (1989). The History and Development of the American Guitar. Westport, CT: Bold Strummer Ltd. ISBN978-0-933-22418-6.

• Bacon, Tony (2002). 50 Years of the Gibson Les Paul. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN978-0-879-30711-0.

• Bacon, Tony (2009). The Les Paul Guitar Book: A Complete History of Gibson Les Paul Guitars. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN978-0-879-30951-0.

• Bacon, Tony (2011). Flying V, Explorer, Firebird: An Odd-shaped History of Gibson’s Weird Electric Guitars. Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books. ISBN978-1-617-13008-3.

• Bacon, Tony (2012). The History of the American Guitar: From 1833 to the Present Day. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN978-1-617-13033-5.

• Bacon, Tony (2014). Sunburst: How the Gibson Les Paul Standard Became a Legendary Guitar. Montclair: Backbeat Books. ISBN978-1-617-13466-1.

• Bonds, Ray (2004). The Illustrated Directory of Gutiars. New York: Barnes and Noble. ISBN978-0-760-76317-9.

• Carter, Walter (1994). Gibson Guitars: 100 Years of an American Icon. Los Angeles: General Publishing Group. ISBN978-1-881-64939-7.

• Carter, Walter (2007). Gibson Electric Guitar Book – Seventy Years of Classic Guitars. Backbeat Books: New York. ISBN978-0-879-30895-7.

• Day, Paul; Carter, Walter; Hunter, Dave; Verheyen, Carl (2011). The Ultimate Gibson Guitar Book. New York: Metro Books. ISBN978-1-435-13756-1.

• Duchossoir, A. R. (1998). Gibson Electrics: The Classic Years. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard. ISBN978-0-793-59210-4.

• Duchossoir, A. R. (2008). Guitar Identification: A Reference for Dating Guitars made by Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, and Martin (4th ed.). Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard. ISBN978-1-423-42611-0.

• Duchossoir, A. R. (2009). Gibson Electric Steel Guitars: 1935-1967. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard. ISBN978-1-423-45702-2.

• Erlewine, Dan; Whitford, Eldon; Vinopal, David (2009). Gibson’s Fabulous Flat-top Guitars: An Illustrated History & Guide. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN978-0-879-30962-6.

• Fjestad, Zachary R.; Meiners, Larry (2007). Gibson Flying V. Minneapolis, MN: Blue Book Publications. ISBN978-1-886-76872-7.

• Fox, Paul (2011). The Other Brands of Gibson. Anaheim Hills, CA: Centerstream Publications. ISBN978-1-574-24271-3.

• Gruhn, George; Carter, Walter (1993). Acoustic Guitars and Other Fretted Instruments: A Photographic History. San Francisco: GPI Books. ISBN978-0-879-30240-5.

• Gruhn, George; Carter, Walter (2010a). Electric Guitars and Basses: A Photographic History. New York: Backbeat Books. ISBN978-0-879-30974-9.

• Gruhn, George; Carter, Walter (2010b). Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars: An Identification Guide for American Fretted Instruments. New York: Backbeat Books. ISBN978-0-879-30422-5.

• Hembree, George (2007). Gibson Guitars: Ted McCarty’s Golden Era 1948-1966. Austin, TX: GH Books. ISBN978-1-423-41813-9.

• Ingram, Adrian (1997). The Gibson L5: Its History and its Players. Anaheim, CA: Centerstream Pub. ISBN978-1-574-24047-4.

• Ingram, Adrian (2007). The Gibson 175: Its History and its Players. Anaheim, CA: Centerstream Pub. ISBN978-1-574-24223-2.

Gibson Guitar Serial Numbers And Value

• Marx, Wallace (2009). Gibson Amplifiers 1933-2008. Minneapolis, MN: Blue Book Publications. ISBN978-1-886-76890-1.

• Spann, Joe (2011). Spann’s Guide to Gibson: 1902-1941. Anaheim Hills, CA: Centerstream Pub. ISBN978-1-574-24267-6.

• Thomas, John (2012). Kalamazoo Gals: A Story of Extraordinary Women & Gibson’s ‘Banner’ Guitars of WWII. Franklin, TN: American History Press. ISBN978-0-983-08278-1.

• Wheeler, Tom (1992). American Guitars: An Illustrated History (rev. and updated ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. ISBN978-0-062-73154-8.

External links[edit]

Gibson Serial Lookup Pre 1977

Gibson Dobro Serial Numbers