Gibson Invented the Archtop

[aiglos]

Apparently Gibson invented the archtop guitar in the 1980's.
Betcha you didn't know that. Pretty funny missprint about half way down the page.

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyl...novation-1020/

[Blazer]

They invented the archtop guitar, no doubt, Orville Gibson carved his guitars from solid blocks of lumber and Loyd Loar employed violin making techniques in guitar building creating the archtop jazz guitar as we know it today.


The Gibson L5 Loyd Loar's masterpiece, the first Jazz guitar as we know it today.


An Orville Gibson made guitar


Incredibly enough, the body of this guitar is made from two pieces of walnut which were carved out by hand.

No matter how you put it, that's an incredible piece of woodworking that Mr. Gibson did here, seeing as there were no routers or CNC machines in those days.

But that all happened WAAAY before the eighties...
Yup, funny mistake here.

[jhundt]

yeah, they missed their own history by 100 years. Doesn't anyone ever proof-read internet content?

[cowboytwang]

Gibson didn't invent the archtop guitar, but they were the first to mass-produce it. Orville Gibson started his company in 1902 and produced a few, but guys like A. H. Merrill were already building them back in the 1800's. Merril even had a patent on a hand carved archtop design back in 1896, 6 years before Orville built his first archtop. It was basically using violin building methods, to build guitars & mandolins, that had been around for centuries.

[Jimmyspaz]

If you go to John Bellone Music in London Ontario, Canada, and are nice to John Bellone Jr. he might let you see and maybe even play the Orville Gibson archtop thats hanging on his office wall. looks about like that one that's pictured in the previous post. Good sound, HUGE neck by modern standards. I feel honored to have actually have played a genuine Orville Gibson . It's in amazing condition for an instrument over 100 years old.( All the nicest guitars in the store are in his office, and NOT FOR SALE!)

[jefrs]

Archtop - at least as early as the Mauchant Brothers' archtop of 1809, Mirecourt, France.

A guitar built which carved top and back, archtop bracing ('violin' construction), but with two C (viol) holes and a central O hole.

[Mike Eskimo]

Gibson can take credit for :


-laughable prices

-ridiculously bad 'reissues'

-boat anchors that you can actually play (!)

-turning the first thing you think about when someone says "Epiphone" from beautiful big band archtops of the 40's to Chinese-made black plastic-coated vaguely Les Paul-shaped guitars currently cluttering up America's CraigsLists

-wacky nutty CEO

[jhundt]

Gibson can take credit for :

some of the finest electric guitars ever built. Get your head out of the sand, brother!

We all love Fenders, but that doesn't mean that everything else sucks...

[Stevie 202]

Originally Posted by jhundt

some of the finest electric guitars ever built. Get your head out of the sand, brother!

We all love Fenders, but that doesn't mean that everything else sucks...

Amen brother!!

I loves my Fenders BUT.....
I sure do love me some Gibsons!

[Mike Eskimo]

But here's the difference my little friends :


All the Gibsons that I've had and loved and all the Gibsons I still lust after were built a long long time ago...


Yet there are plenty of Fender doo-dads in production currently that I'd be tickled to have.

But that, as they say, is just me.

Your mileage may vary...

[Michael]

... over the years, and I have never played an instrument as crisp, woody, or lively as even the most modest of them. I don't currently own an archtop, but I will someday. Quite simply, as far as I'm concerned, the most beautiful and elegant instruments I've ever owned or played. The wood feels alive, the way a violin sounds. You can probably tell I miss my Gibson archtop, but I'm sure it's in deserving hands. As much as I loved it, I passed it on because it was sitting in the case too much, and I felt it needed to be in the possession of someone who would play it often. Elegant simplicity, brilliantly realized. If I ever win the lottery...

[JackStraw]

Originally Posted by Stevie 202

Amen brother!!

I loves my Fenders BUT.....
I sure do love me some Gibsons!

Absolutely, Gibson have created some of the most beautiful and innovative guitars ever made in their long and illustrious history. I sure would love to have a Super 400 but I'm afraid it just ain't gonna happen.

[Cunningham26]

Originally Posted by Michael

... over the years, and I have never played an instrument as crisp, woody, or lively as even the most modest of them. I don't currently own an archtop, but I will someday. Quite simply, as far as I'm concerned, the most beautiful and elegant instruments I've ever owned or played. The wood feels alive, the way a violin sounds. You can probably tell I miss my Gibson archtop, but I'm sure it's in deserving hands. As much as I loved it, I passed it on because it was sitting in the case too much, and I felt it needed to be in the possession of someone who would play it often. Elegant simplicity, brilliantly realized. If I ever win the lottery...

absolutely how i feel about the one i have. Supposedly, my L48 is a bottom of the rung gibson, made worse that it was made during the war years when things were cut back and components got cheaper. BUT it has this warmth about it, along with a rich history, that makes me think I'll never let it go, even if it's not in great shape, relic'd the old fashioned way, and I only play it maybe once a week for a little while.

[EdgarHF]

Originally Posted by Stevie 202

Amen brother!!

I loves my Fenders BUT.....
I sure do love me some Gibsons!

+1 I loved my Jazz Bass in the during the 70s. I like my AVRI52, but I have not had it long enough to love it. I think I eventually will. I would not part with my J-45 for anything.

[BigDaddyLH]

My wife, yes, my dog, mebbe, my archtop never. Goin' to be buried with it!

[prawnik]

I love Gibsons as well as Fenders. I also love to rag on the NewGibsonCo and its transformation into a "lifestyle brand" marketed to a certain demographic.

At the same time, you have to admit that, problems and all, Gibson has come a long ways from when Henry Juszkiewicz and Co. bought it out.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by jhundt

some of the finest electric guitars ever built. Get your head out of the sand, brother!

We all love Fenders, but that doesn't mean that everything else sucks...

You're suggesting that Mike's remarks are ignorant and have no basis in fact.

I don't think that's true. It don't think he's on record panning all Gypsum guitars; in fact the opposite. And I don't see where he says everything but Fender sucks.

Gibson the company is capable of doing a lot better, under different leadership. Most of us will agree with that.

[jhundt]

You're suggesting that Mike's remarks are ignorant and have no basis in fact.

No - YOU are suggesting that, I never said anything like that. Please don't try to put words in my mouth.

Why do you want to stir up stuff and try to create animosity where there is none?

[Bako]

Originally Posted by Mike Eskimo

Gibson can take credit for :


-laughable prices

-ridiculously bad 'reissues'

-boat anchors that you can actually play (!)

-turning the first thing you think about when someone says "Epiphone" from beautiful big band archtops of the 40's to Chinese-made black plastic-coated vaguely Les Paul-shaped guitars currently cluttering up America's CraigsLists

-wacky nutty CEO

I think they make both great electric and acoustic. Martin and Fender can't say that.

[tboy]

Originally Posted by Mike Eskimo

[u][b]
-wacky nutty CEO

Agreed. Just like those CBS geniuses in the late 60's that moved Fender to new heights.

Seriously, both companies have made greats and duds through the years. I love a good SG. Can't connect with most other Gibsons, but that's me and my style.

BigDaddy's L5 looks damn sweet.