We Found A Gibson Factory Tour Documentary From 1967

[darylcrisp]

this may have made its rounds here before, first time i've seen it. was posted on the mandolincafe a few days ago.

the replies are very interesting on the videos with people seeing family who worked there and other old stories.

[RP]

Thanks for sharing, Daryl. Hope you're doing well....

[Wade Hampton]

Thanks for posting the link, Daryl. It was an interesting look at Gibson during that era.

My guess is that the documentary was made to show to Gibson’s dealers, only to get buried and forgotten about when Norlin took over a few years later.


Wade Hampton Miller

[redi]

Interesting video.

My first guitar was a Gibson LG-0 from about that date. Around 9:45 there is a bracing template showing the ladder bracing pattern used for the LG-0, TG-0 and the virtually identical Epi FT28 and FT30. Guess they came out of the same factory, no offshoring back then, all in Kalamazoo.

Great look back in time.

[Wade Hampton]

What I found interesting was that the guitar that’s more or less featured start to finish in the video is not a Gibson Les Paul but a 335. In fact, I don’t recall seeing any Les Pauls in the video at all (if any do show up it’s strictly in background glimpses.)

Nowadays any similar factory visit video by Gibson would have Les Pauls front and center, beginning to end, ad nauseam. But in 1967 they must not have been considered all that important.


whm

[upsidedown]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

What I found interesting was that the guitar that’s more or less featured start to finish in the video is not a Gibson Les Paul but a 335. In fact, I don’t recall seeing any Les Pauls in the video at all (if any do show up it’s strictly in background glimpses.)

Nowadays any similar factory visit video by Gibson would have Les Pauls front and center, beginning to end, ad nauseam. But in 1967 they must not have been considered all that important.


whm

Good call! I'm sure someone who's done the research will chime in, but wasn't that young upstart Keith Richards a pioneer in the Les Paul's resurgence during the British Invasion? If they made the film 2 years later, the Les Paul would probably be front and center.

[Beanctr]

I grew up in that time period and never saw a Les Paul in a music store. I don't think they became popular until the 70's. Jimmy Page, the Who, etc.

[redi]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

What I found interesting was that the guitar that’s more or less featured start to finish in the video is not a Gibson Les Paul but a 335. In fact, I don’t recall seeing any Les Pauls in the video at all (if any do show up it’s strictly in background glimpses.)

Nowadays any similar factory visit video by Gibson would have Les Pauls front and center, beginning to end, ad nauseam. But in 1967 they must not have been considered all that important.

Gibson was not making LP in 1967. They stopped in '61 and switched over to the SG double cut body style due to "poor sales" of the single cut LP, and some of the early double cut SGs were badged 'Les Paul'. Players still sought the LP however, and I think they started up the LP again in '68.

[PeteD]

I grew up a couple of miles from the original factory in Kalamazoo. I got to buy my 2nd guitar when I was a teenager from the guys at Heritage guitars who stayed behind when Gibson moved to Nashville. I'll never forget it...they rolled in a cart with 6-7 finished Les Paul body styled guitars, and I got to pick from the rack. What a day.

Now as a bit of a tabletop luthier myself, what I wouldn't give to go back in time and sweep up the shop for free, just to be around those old craftsmen who had so much history.

If the video of the factory looks depressing...watch this one to see how it's still got great guitars coming out of it!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbFvnF2ZXXM