Architects And Designers Codexery

Orville Gibson

Founder of the Gibson Guitar Company and innovator of carved mandolins.

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In 1902, the Gibson Guitar Company was established in Kalamazoo, Michigan, by the American instrument maker Orville H. Gibson.[1] A mandolin-guitar with ten strings, created in 1894, is the oldest surviving instrument made by Gibson.[2]

Key facts and history

He settled in Kalamazoo in 1890 and began making musical instruments as a hobby.[3] He had no formal training in instrument making.[3][4] Gibson filed for his first and only patent on May 11, 1896.[5] His mandolins featured carved soundboards and rims cut from solid wood rather than bent.[5]

He patented his mandolin design in 1898.[4] On October 11, 1902, he met with businessmen to form the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Manufacturing Co., Limited.[5] Orville sold his patent rights to the company for $2,500 in 1904.[5] He purchased 60 shares of stock in the company on November 1, 1902.[5]

What the cited sources add

The Gibson Guitars official site states that Orville started constructing and selling his guitars in late 1902.[3] According to the "Orville Gibson" account, his guitars were louder and more durable than other contemporary instruments.[3] The same account notes that Orville felt bowl-back mandolins lacked the resonance to produce the power and quality of tone found in his instruments.[5] A photo of Orville shows him playing a classical guitar left-handed, which may explain why his instruments had pickguards across the entire face.[5]

State records indicate Orville had "delusions of persecution" and was admitted to Kalamazoo Hospital for psychological treatment from 1907 to 1909.[5] The Attorney General of Michigan assigned a guardian to manage Orville's affairs due to his diminished mental capacity.[5]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Orville Gibson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Gibson History", Gibson Corporate Press Kit (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Orville Gibson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gruhn, "Orville Gibson's Last Mandolin", mandolinarchive.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. "Orville Gibson", Gibsonguitars. facts only, no text reused. gibsonguitars.weebly.com
  4. Wikipedia, "Orville Gibson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Gruhn, "Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars", GPI Books, 1991, p. 73; "Mandolin"; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. "Orville Gibson". facts only, no text reused. siminoff.net

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Orville Gibson (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year did Orville Gibson die?

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Not quite. The answer is 1918.

2. In what year was Orville Gibson born?

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Not quite. The answer is 1856.

3. In which place was Orville Gibson born?

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Not quite. The answer is Chateaugay, New York, U.S..

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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