Gibson (guitar company)

Gibson, Inc.
FormerlyGibson Guitar Corp. and Gibson Brands, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryMusical instruments
Founded1894; 130 years ago (1894)[1] in Kalamazoo, Michigan
FounderOrville Gibson
Headquarters
Nashville, Tennessee
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Productselectric and acoustic guitars, basses, strings
Brands
List
OwnerKKR & Co. Inc.[5][6]
Subsidiaries
List
Websitewww.gibson.com

Gibson, Inc. (formerly Gibson Guitar Corporation and Gibson Brands Inc.) is an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and professional audio equipment from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and now based in Nashville, Tennessee.[7][8][9][10]

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 Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.

Gibson sells guitars under a variety of brand names[11] and builds one of the world's best-known 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 the Gibson Pro Audio division, which includes KRK.

On May 1, 2018, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection,[12] and announced a restructuring plan to return to profitability by closing down unprofitable consumer electronics divisions such as Gibson Innovations.[13][14] The company exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2018.[15][16]

In January 2020, the company launched Gibson TV, an online television network focused on guitars and music culture.[17][18]

  1. ^ a b "Gibson History". Gibson Corporate Press Kit. Gibson Guitar Corp. Archived from the original on April 29, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  2. ^ "Gibson Brands Announces CEO Transition". PR Newswire. May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Benzinga.com.
  3. ^ "About Gibson". Gibson Brands. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  4. ^ Gisbon Brands at Gibson Press website Archived 2014-07-05 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 10 Dec 2014
  5. ^ "KKR Portfolio". June 19, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  6. ^ "KKR to Gibson Bidders: 'We Own the Company' Until Debt Is Repaid". Bloomberg News. August 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  7. ^ "Gibson: Private Company Information". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on June 25, 2017.
  8. ^ "Drop the guitar: Gibson rebrands". Memphis Business Journal. June 12, 2013. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014.
  9. ^ Koe, Crystal (March 28, 2024). "Gibson Brands Inc. is now just Gibson again, to reflect its "focus and objective to make the best guitars in our history"". Guitar.com. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  10. ^ "About Gibson". Gibson. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  11. ^ Ayala Ben-Yehuda (April 9, 2007). "Gibson Guitar embraces China, Latin markets". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
  12. ^ "Gibson Guitars Files For Bankruptcy Protection". NPR.org. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  13. ^ "US guitar firm Gibson goes bust". BBC News. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  14. ^ Mattise, Jonathan (May 2, 2018). "Gibson guitar maker sees a future with bankruptcy protection". CTVNews. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  15. ^ Resnikoff, Paul (October 2, 2018). "It's Over: Gibson Guitar Is Officially Exiting Chapter 11 Bankruptcy". Digital Music News. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  16. ^ "Gibson expects to emerge from bankruptcy next month". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  17. ^ January 2020, Jonathan Horsley 08 (January 8, 2020). "Gibson just launched its own online TV network". guitarworld. Retrieved April 20, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ Release, Press (June 30, 2020). "GibsonG TV Releases New Documentary Series "The Process"". Mayhem Music Magazine. Retrieved April 20, 2021.