Gibson, like Fender, is one of the largest and best known manufacturers of acoustic and electric guitars as well as amplifiers. Orville Gibson started making mandolins in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In 1902, the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co, Ltd. was founded to market his instruments, but he ended his personal involvement in the company a year later. During the 1920s and 1930s, the Gibson company was responsible for many innovations in guitar design, and became the leading manufacturer of arch-top guitars, paticularly the Gibson L5 model. In 1936 they introduced their first "Electric Spanish" model, the ES-150, generally recognized as the first commercially successful electric guitar (if you're interested in electric guitar and electric guitar gear, check out our page on the "ins and outs" of learning to play electric guitar).

Gibson, in collaboration with guitarist Les Paul, designed and manufactured a solid-bodied electric guitar. In the late 1950s Gibson unveiled a number of innovative designs like the "humbucker" pickup, the Gibson Explorer, Flying V, and ES-335, a semi-acoustic guitar. The Les Paul was discontinued in favour of the Gibson SG in 1961, but returned in the late 1960s after it was taken up by players such as Eric Clapton and Peter Green. Their most popular models are the Gibson Les Paul, ES 335 and its stereo cousin, the 355, played by B.B. King (Lucille). Epiphone, a subsidiary of Gibson, manufactures less expensive variations of Gibson's popular models. Other Gibson companies include Valley Arts guitars, Kramer and Steinberger guitars and basses, as well as OAI Bluegrass instruments and Baldwin pianos.

Although Gibson manufactures several types of stringed instruments, including mandolins, banjos, electric basses, and acoustic and Dobro guitars, they are probably best known for their electric guitars, especially the Gibson Les Paul and ES-335 models. Gibson guitars have been owned and played by nearly every important jazz, rock, funk, country, metal, and blues guitar player including Charlie Christian, Hank Garland, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Jimmy Page, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan (owned a Gibson Johnny Smith model), and Angus Young of AC/DC.

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