The Glory of Gibson
Gibson factory, Kalamazoo, MI
In 1902, five Kalamazoo businessmen bought Orville Gibson’s patent for a new type of mandolin. Gibson’s mandolin had arches into the tops and backs, making it louder and stronger. The new company – the Gibson Mandolin Guitar Mfg. Co., Ltd. – carried Gibson’s name, although Gibson himself served only as a consultant. That name would come to carry special resonance for lovers of fine musical instruments.
In 1918 the Gibson Company built a new factory at 225 Parsons Street in Kalamazoo. The factory remained open until 1984, when the company moved its operations to Nashville. The undated photo above depicts workers at the Parsons Street location. During this facility’s years of operation, Gibson greatly expanded its line, manufacturing different varieties of mandolins, banjos, guitars, violins, ukuleles and other stringed instruments.
The Gibson legacy includes many prominent figures. In the 1920s, acoustic engineer Lloyd Loar created the Gibson “Loar” F5 mandolin, considered the crowning achievement of mandolin design. The instrument sold poorly at the time. Today, a 1920s Loar mandolin will sell for well over six figures (Relatively few were produced, and Loar himself signed every one.). In the 1940s, blue grass pioneer Bill Monroe helped revive popular interest in Gibson mandolins. He played a Gibson Loar F5 on stage and on recordings with his “Blue Grass Boys.” In 1952, Gibson began making solid body electric guitars. One of the most popular models, the Les Paul electric solid body, was designed to famed guitarist Paul’s specifications. Many celebrity musicians used Gibson instruments and toured the Kalamazoo facility. Examples include (but are by no means limited to) Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Gene Autry, Johnny Cash, Roy Clark, Perry Como, Peter Frampton, Mick Jagger, B. B. King and Ernest Tubb, as well as the aforementioned Bill Monroe and Les Paul.
Today, Gibson craftsmen continue their fine line of instruments in their modern factory in Nashville, Tennessee. The story of the Kalamazoo Gibson factory doesn’t end here, however. Heritage Guitars, Inc. occupies the site today and continues to manufacture stringed instruments in the location. Go to Heritage Guitar Web Site to learn more about Heritage Guitar.
Mike Van Buren’s “Guitar Town: Kalamazoo, Julius Bellson and the Gibson Heritage” was a main source for this essay. Van Buren’s article appeared in the September/October 1990 issue of Michigan History magazine. Click Michigan History Magazine Web Site for information on ordering this and other back issues.
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