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Positioned in the heart of the Rocky Mountains in Bozeman, Montana, you'll find master luthiers continuing the rich tradition of Gibson Acoustic. New offerings include guitars for the discerning vintage player and collector looking for an acoustic instrument that is intertwined with some of the greatest movements in music history, as well as guitars for the modern player looking to unleash the ultimate guitar player inside them.
Gibson Acoustic Guitars are all made in Bozeman, Montana and what makes them so unique in today’s music world is that they have solid wood tops, backs, and sides on ALL of the instruments – no thin laminates and no synthetics. You’re getting a professional instrument that can truly go anywhere and do anything for decades to come!
When Orville Gibson started building mandolins and stringed folk instruments out of a simple workshop in Kalamazoo, Michigan back in 1894, not even he could have predicted the rollicking journey that the Gibson namesake and company would embark on. Their electric guitars might get the lion’s share of the attention, but the longest-lasting historic traditions rest with their acoustics.
During the first decade of the 20th Century, creative scenes all over the world were expanding, new musical genres were coming into existence, and there was increasing demand for new instruments. The arch-top acoustic guitar was the first of such instruments to explode in popularity. Gibson’s mandolin, mandola, and mandocello instruments (think violin, viola, and cello in relation to size, but for the mandolin family) provided the inspiration for these new arch-top guitars. Orville Gibson himself is credited with the introduction of the very first of these, after patenting his arch-top mandolin design in 1898 and then moving into larger guitars thereafter. These acoustics had six strings, an arched wooden top and back carved from a single piece of wood, an adjustable ‘floating’ bridge, and while the first models had round soundholes, they eventually transitioned to violin-inspired ‘F-holes’ on the top.
Eventually, their arch-top acoustic guitars served as the template and takeoff point for Gibson’s very first electric hollowbody guitar, the Gibson ES-150. Released in 1936 and popularized by jazz guitarist Charlie Christian, the ES-150 was a legendary step forward in taking the guitar from primarily a chording instrument into one that could solo and be heard over the ensemble. The Gibson ES-Series of hollowbodies (and later semi-hollowbodies, headlined by the popular Gibson ES-335) would go on to forge their own path in the world of jazz, country, blues, rock, and alternative.
The arch-tops got things rolling, but it was the Gibson flat-top acoustic guitars that accelerated the momentum. After all, when someone says that they play acoustic guitar, flat-tops are the types we immediately think of.
The very first Gibson flat-tops were released at the end of the 1910s, but they were still works in progress in many ways. The first adjustable truss rod and adjustable bridge came in 1921, helping to combat the warping and tension issues caused by temperature and humidity shifts. Gibson’s next wave of flat-tops that came along in the mid-1920s had a distinct round shoulder design and were smaller and more compact than the majority of modern instruments we see today. Throughout the dizzying highs of the late 1920s and the difficult lows of the Great Depression throughout the 1930s, the Gibson Flat-Top acoustics enjoyed immense popularity among musicians.
It was the Dreadnought body shape, named after the most commanding naval battleship of that era with the same name, that ushered in a new level of popularity for the acoustic guitar. There are two variations of the Dreadnought acoustic, Round Shoulder and Square Shoulder. The very first Gibson Dreadnoughts were Round Shoulder - a distinct union of the Dreadnought’s overall dimensions and the distinct rounded shoulders that were the calling cards of Gibson’s earliest flat-top acoustics. The very first Gibson Acoustic that ventured into this territory was the 1934 ‘Jumbo.’ The Gibson Advanced Jumbo, originally released in 1936, was the next adaptation that really kicked things off, standing tall as a big, full-bodied acoustic that helped to guide in a new period of music exploration.
There was heated competition between Gibson, Epiphone, and Martin throughout this time period. With the three companies engaging in an ‘anything you can do, I can do better’ series of challenges, new strategies, new build methods, and new instruments were created.
What started as a one-off custom request in 1937 ultimately became the Gibson Super Jumbo, now known as the Gibson SJ-200. So, what was the main calling card of this revolutionary new acoustic guitar that would come to be known as “King of the Flat-Tops?” To power through the texture of large ensembles and take charge in larger performance spaces! It also brought an element of style and bravado to a guitar player’s look and stage persona.
World War II was an incredibly difficult time and many industries dealt with enormous amounts of strain just to stay solvent. Gibson was no different, as production restrictions and a shortage of materials lead to the company trimming back its acoustic lineup. Out of this difficult period came the Gibson J-45, considered by many to be their most popular and best-selling acoustic. Painstakingly built, rugged, lightweight, and incredibly resonant, the J-45 was a guitar that truly embodied ‘necessity being the mother of invention.’ American Musical Supply carries a wide range of J-45s, including modern, lefty, decade-specific, Custom Shop historic, special edition, and Artist Signature models. The Gibson J-50 originally had the same specifications as the J-45, but in a blonde or ‘natural finish.’ Over time, the two models began to diverge and incorporate their own special takes on bracing structure, bridge layout, and crafting of the solid top.
The Ted McCarty era (1950-66) of Gibson was known for its groundbreaking electric guitars, including the Les Paul, SG, Firebird, Explorer, Flying V, and ES-335. It’s also important to remember that this time period also saw the introduction of Gibson’s first square-shoulder dreadnoughts, the Hummingbird and the Dove.
The Gibson Hummingbird, first released in 1960, is a commanding acoustic with a hand-picked Sitka Spruce top and rich Mahogany back and sides. Our selection of Hummingbirds showcases a variety of beautiful finishes and cover the entire spectrum of custom build work, from the hard-working Hummingbird Studios to the Custom Shop models that highlight the design of those very first models.
The Gibson Dove was introduced in 1962 and introduced Flame Maple back and sides to accompany the popular Sitka Spruce top. The dove motif on the pickguard and the matching winged inlay on the bridge help the instrument stand out from the crowd visually, while the scalloped bracing and a master luthier’s attention to detail do the work from a sonic standpoint.
The Gibson J-185 Jumbo, another instrument from this period, made its debut in 1951. This acoustic is just slightly less jumbo than the SJ-200, but packs same kind of sonic punch. With sharp appointments such as parallelogram inlay on the fingerboard and cross inlay on the bridge, you’re getting a no-nonsense guitar that grabs the audience’s attention with commanding tone and a sense of classic, confident humility.
Today, Gibson Acoustics look ahead to the future, while always staying true to the culture and legacy of its illustrious past. The modern ‘Generation’ acoustics are more price-friendly alternatives that maintain the quality build standards and spirit of their lineup. Gibson Generation guitars are the seamless pairing of patient detail work and steadfast building techniques designed to create a range of instruments for the modern player that are rich, vibrant, and consistent throughout – all at a low prices for any budget! In addition to the popular Gibson G-45 the G-00, G-Writer, and G-200 round out a collection based on Gibson’s iconic square-shoulder and round-shoulder dreadnoughts, small body, and jumbo body configurations.
American Musical Supply is excited to be your stop for Gibson Acoustic Guitars – we carry a wide selection of these instruments and they are waiting to join your creative setup.
We make buying a Gibson Acoustic Guitar quick and easy - we offer a range of 0% interest payment plans and in-stock items that are ordered before 5PM will ship out the same day! (see our Shipping Information Page for more details) Do you have questions about Gibson Acoustics and which model would be best for you? Give us a call at 1-800-458-4076 - our experts are standing by.
