The Gibson guitar company is one of the biggest, and most successful, instrument manufacturers in the world.
Although Gibson is probably most famous for their Les Paul and SG lines of electric guitar, Gibson’s acoustics are prized among guitar players for their unparalleled quality and sound.
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Gibson is an American company, and historically, all of Gibson’s guitars were made at one of Gibson’s factories in the United States.
When Orville Gibson founded the company in 1902, he made his guitars in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In the intervening hundred and twenty years, however, guitars bearing the Gibson logo have come from other factories in the United States and abroad.
Gibson also acquired a few other guitar brands, such as Epiphone, to outsource some of their manufacturing.
While the top-line Gibson guitars are still made in the USA to this day, Gibson has a few factories across the country.
In this article, I’ll offer a virtual tour of Gibson’s various factories in the US and abroad. I’ll also explain why there is such variation in Gibson’s production locations, so if you’re eyeing a new guitar, you’re armed with all the facts.
Gibson Guitar Factory Locations
As I mentioned earlier, all guitars bearing the Gibson logo are built in the USA. Gibson has called several American cities home over the years:
- Kalamazoo, Michigan
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Bozeman, Montana
The original Gibson guitar “factory” was actually Orville Gibson’s own home! He built his original guitars in his home until business boomed so much that he had to open up a real manufacturing plant.
Gibson built all guitars bearing the Gibson logo in Kalamazoo, Michigan, up until 1974. In 1974, Gibson moved most of their guitar production to Nashville. Gibson made acoustics and some semi-acoustic models at their Kalamazoo factory up until 1984.
That means that if you own a Gibson guitar from any time up until 1974, it was made in Kalamazoo, most likely in the main factory by the railway line.
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From around 1974 onwards, Gibson’s main lines of solid-bodied electric guitars, such as the Les Paul and SG, were produced in the Nashville factory.
In fact, almost all of Gibson’s guitars were produced in this factory. Gibson moved acoustic guitar production to Bozeman, Montana, in 1989.
In 2000, Gibson opened a facility in Memphis, Tennessee, devoted to the production of Gibson’s semi-hollowbody guitars like the ES-335. Some of Gibson’s Custom Shop line were produced in this factory, too.
The Gibson factory in Memphis was also home to the Beale Street showroom.
The Memphis facility shut down in 2018, moving all electric guitar production to the Nashville factory.
To sum it up, most Gibson electric guitars made from 1974 onwards were produced in the Nashville factory, with the exception of semi-hollowbody guitars made from 2000 to 2018.
Where Are Gibson Acoustic Guitars Made?
Although the Gibson guitar company is probably best known for their iconic electric guitars, Orville Gibson originally made acoustic instruments, including mandolins.
Gibson’s acoustic guitars are highly prized among acoustic players for their phenomenal sound quality and excellent construction.
The Gibson J-45, for example, is their flagship acoustic, wielded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan.
Today, all of Gibson’s acoustic guitars are made in their Bozeman, Montana factory. However, pre-1989 Gibson acoustic guitars were made in the company’s factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Where are Gibson Les Pauls Made?
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It’s curious that the Gibson Les Paul became an icon of American engineering in the hands of British guitarists like Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.
Regardless, the Les Paul is as iconic a feature of the golden era of American manufacturing as the Harley-Davidson motorcycle or the Singer sewing machine.
Appropriately, Gibson Les Pauls are made in the USA to this day.
Pre-1974 Gibson Les Pauls were made in the Kalamazoo factory, but from 1974 production moved to Nashville, Tennessee. This accounts for some of the inconsistent production in the mid to late 1970s.
However, most modern players (including me) agree that by the late 1980s, the Nashville factory was producing Les Pauls that rivaled Gibson’s classic 50s and 60s era in quality.
I proudly play a 1990 Les Paul Standard made in Nashville.
However, Gibson does license its subsidiaries such as Epiphone to make more affordable copies of the Gibson Les Paul in other factories.
Other Gibson Brands
The most famous Gibson subsidiary producing Gibson-like guitars is Epiphone.
Virtually all of Epiphone’s production comes from a factory in Qingdao, China. This includes their Gibson-like guitars, such as the Les Paul.
For a time, Gibson also licensed factories in Japan to produce high-quality copies of Gibson guitars for the Japanese market.
This began in the late ‘80s, and included the Orville, Orville By Gibson, and Epiphone Japan brands, with Epiphone Japan dating back to the 1970s.
Final Word
Fortunately, all Gibson guitars are still built in the United States of America. These days, Gibson guitars are made either in Nashville or Bozeman.
Epiphone guitars today are made in Qingdao, China, and offer an affordable alternative to the full-priced Gibson range.
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