AEG-Electrolux GIBSON ELECTRIC SOLIDBODY GUITARS User Manual

TIMELINE

1894 Orville Gibson of Kalamazoo, MI, invents the

archtop guitar and mandolin

1902 The Gibson company formed
1921 Gibson invents the adjustable truss rod –

still the industry standard – and the height
adjustable bridge

1935 Gibson’s first electric model, the E-150 Hawaiian

lap steel

1936 First standard Gibson electric, the ES-150

(“ES” stands for Electric Spanish)

1939 First cutaway Gibsons – Super 400 Premier and

L-5 Premier

1946 The P-90 single-coil pickup debuts
1949 First three-pickup guitar, the Gibson ES-5
1949 First guitar with a “Florentine” pointed cutaway,

the Gibson ES-175

1952 Gibson’s first solidbody electric, the Les Paul Model
1954 Les Paul Custom “Black Beauty” and Les Paul

Junior officially introduced

1954 Tune-o-matic bridge, designed by Gibson president

Ted McCarty, introduced on Les Paul Custom

1955 Les Paul Special introduced
1957 Double-coil “humbucking” pickup debuts, invented

by Gibson’s Seth Lover

1958 First cherry sunburst finish on Les Paul Model,

name changed to Les Paul Standard

1958 Explorer, Flying V and Moderne introduced,

designed by Ted McCarty

1958 First semi-hollowbody electric guitar, the ES-335,

invented by Ted McCarty

1959 Les Paul Special gets double-cutaway body
1961 Les Paul line changes to SG body shape
1963 SG model name is official, Les Paul name dropped
1963 Firebird guitars and Thunderbird basses introduced
1968 Les Paul Standard and Custom reintroduced
1974 Gibson opens a plant in Nashville to make Les Pauls
1982 First solidbody acoustic, the Gibson Chet Atkins CE
1984 Gibson closes Kalamazoo plant, moves headquarters

to Nashville

1986 Current owners Henry Juszkiewicz and

Dave Berryman acquire Gibson

2002 Gibson introduces world’s first digital guitar

FEATURES
FACTS
ADVANTAGES

A RETAIL SALES GUIDE FOR

GIBSON

SOLIDBODY

GUITARS

ELECTRIC

A RETAIL SALES GUIDE FOR

GIBSON

SOLIDBODY

GUITARS

ELECTRIC

PICKUPS

★ Gibson invented the double-coil humbucking

pickup

AD

Still setting the standard followed by other makers

★ Many choices of magnets and coil-winding

configurations

AD

Smooth to edgy tone, and everything in between

★ 2-wire or 4-wire

AD

Vintage wiring or modern (with coil-split capability)

★ Tight fit between polepieces and hand-machined

baseplate

AD

No lost vibrations, minimizes feedback

WELCOME TO GIBSON USA’S RETAIL
SALES GUIDE, A QUICK AND CONCISE
REFERENCE OF SALES TIPS.

Sales tips are organized by feature.
Under each feature are the facts or
specs of that feature, designated by ★.

Under each fact, designated by AD,
is the advantage to the player.

FEATURE

★ Fact

AD

Advantage

24.75" SCALE

★ Less string tension required to tune up

AD

Smooth, slinky feel

★ Allows for heavier-gauge strings

AD

Beefier tone

★ Frets spaced slightly closer together

AD

Easier to do the Chuck Berry rhythm part
(on E chord)

TUNE-O-MATIC BRIDGE

INVENTED BY LEGENDARY GIBSON PRESIDENT
TED MCCARTY IN 1954

★ Adjustable saddles

AD

Fine-tune intonation for each individual string,
for any string gauge or action height

★ Overall height-adjustable

AD

Easy adjustment to raise or lower action

AD No individual string adjustment necessary to

conform to fingerboard radius

★ Industry standard

AD

Copied by other makers, never equaled

STOPBAR TAILPIECE

INVENTED BY GIBSON IN 1953

★ Separate from bridge

AD

Does not transfer bridge vibrations to body,
better sustain

★ Height-adjustable

AD

Adjust downward to increase string pressure on
saddles = less slippage, more sustain

AD Adjust upward for less string pressure = “slinky”

or “spongy” feel when bending strings