Gibson Guitar Corporation

The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names. With a history of over a century, Gibson has been one of the companies that have revolutionized the development of the acoustic and the electric guitar, and along the way have built one of the world's most iconic guitars, the Gibson Les Paul. Many of their instruments continue to increase in value, and some Gibsons are among the most collectible guitars. The company was founded by Orville Gibson, who made mandolins in Kalamazoo, in the late 1890s. He invented archtop guitars by using the same type of carved, arched tops found on violins. By the 1930s,...