Heritage HISTORY .. Kalamazoo

[FredZepp]

I thought that this was interesting enough to repost.. Heritage beginnings.

 

 

 

Excerpts from "50 years of the Gibson Les Paul: Tony Bacon" ( with some editing to remain on-topic)

 

The original intention was to keep both the Kalamazoo and Nashville factories running, and that the Nashville plant would produce only acoustic guitars. Unfortunately the new acoustic project allocated to Nashville was the Mark series of models, some of the least successful of Gibson's flattops. After this failure, management decided to transfer the production of the bulk of the Les Paul line, by far the most successful Gibson solidbodies at the time.

Kalamazoo had always been what is known technically as a "soft tool" factory. This means that the machines and fixtures used to make the guitars could be modified and adapted at will, as circumstances dictated. In other words, things could be changed easily. Nashville started life as a "hard tool" facility, which means that it had a lot of heavy machines and fixtures on which the settings were never changed. So it was that the character of the two factories that Gibson ran during the remaining years of the 1970s and into the early 1980s was quite different.

 

Nashville was set up to produce very large quantities of a handful of individual models , where Kalamazoo was more flexible and had the potential to specialize in small runs. Nashville was therefore the obvious choice to produce the highest volume models in Gibson's solidbody line at the time - the Les Paul Custom and Les Paul Deluxe- along with various other solid models.

 

In the 1970s, some US dealers who specialized in older instruments began to order from Gibson's Kalamazoo plant selected Les Pauls with "vintage correct" appointments. Since the onset of Gibson's new Nashville factory in 1975 the original Kalamazoo plant had leaned more heavily toward shorter, specialized runs of guitars. Jim Deurloo, by the early 1980s plant manager at Kalamazoo, remembers dealers such as Leo's of California, Jimmy Wallace of Texas, and Guitar Trader of New Jersey ordering special vintage-style Les Paul Standards. These dealers and their customers were looking for features such as an exact old-style carving shape and a particular neck feel, as well as a number of small visual details - and Kalamazoo provided an approximation.

 

A typical ad for these dealer specials came in Guitar Traders May 1982 newsletter, " Guitar Trader and Gibson announce the ultimate Les Paul reissue" , claimed the blurb, alongside a repro of the original Standard entry from Gibsons 1960 catalog. A list of features followed: "Dimensions as per 1959 model shown".... These instruments will be produced in strictly limited quantities at the original Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, MI and represent a special investment value. Guitar Trader added that if you ordered your "59 Flametop" immediately for summer '82 delivery they would install original 1950's Patent Applied For pickups, subject to availability.

 

Jim Deurloo recalled that dealer specials like the Guitar Trader instruments were selected from the production line at Gibson, but were custom built to some degree. " I remember that Guitar Trader selected each top, and they were very picky about the color."

 

Meanwhile, the head of R&D managed to persuade Norlin to put a vintage-flavored Les Paul into production, the Heritage series Les Pauls. But not as a standard Les Paul, however, but rather as separate, premium items, touted as "limited editions" and not included on the company's general pricelist. In 1982 , Kalamazoo put out the limited-run Les Paul Standard 82, distinguished from the Heritage Standard 80 primarily by its one-piece neck and the fact that it was made in Kalamazoo.

 

In July 1983 Gibson president Marty Locke informed Jim Deurloo that the Kalamazoo plant would close. The last production at Kalamazoo was in June 1984, and the plant closed three months later, after more than 65 years of worthy service since the original building had been erected by Gibson.

 

Tim Shaw recalls, "Jim Deurloo, to his credit, fought a hard battle to keep Kalamazoo open, and he lost. When the announcement came down, he got the entire factory together and said look , they've made the decision to close this place. You people have been with the company for a long time and I'm very sorry that it worked out this way. But you're all professionals, you've worked here a long time, you have a heritage to be proud of, and as we downsize and close I want you to remain professionals.

Some of the key people were offered positions at Nashville. But Deurloo, together with Marv Lamb, who'd been with Gibson since 1956, and J P Moats, a Gibson employee of equally long standing, decided to leave. They rented part of the Kalamazoo plant and started the Heritage guitar company in April 1985. As Marv Lamb puts it, " we all grew up building guitars and we didn't know too different. We could have searched for another job, but we wanted to do what we know how to do best..."

[Patrick]

I thought that this was interesting enough to repost.. Heritage beginnings.

 

 

 

Excerpts from "50 years of the Gibson Les Paul: Tony Bacon" ( with some editing to remain on-topic)

 

The original intention was to keep both the Kalamazoo and Nashville factories running, and that the Nashville plant would produce only acoustic guitars. Unfortunately the new acoustic project allocated to Nashville was the Mark series of models, some of the least successful of Gibson's flattops. After this failure, management decided to transfer the production of the bulk of the Les Paul line, by far the most successful Gibson solidbodies at the time.

Kalamazoo had always been what is known technically as a "soft tool" factory. This means that the machines and fixtures used to make the guitars could be modified and adapted at will, as circumstances dictated. In other words, things could be changed easily. Nashville started life as a "hard tool" facility, which means that it had a lot of heavy machines and fixtures on which the settings were never changed. So it was that the character of the two factories that Gibson ran during the remaining years of the 1970s and into the early 1980s was quite different.

 

Nashville was set up to produce very large quantities of a handful of individual models , where Kalamazoo was more flexible and had the potential to specialize in small runs. Nashville was therefore the obvious choice to produce the highest volume models in Gibson's solidbody line at the time - the Les Paul Custom and Les Paul Deluxe- along with various other solid models.

 

In the 1970s, some US dealers who specialized in older instruments began to order from Gibson's Kalamazoo plant selected Les Pauls with "vintage correct" appointments. Since the onset of Gibson's new Nashville factory in 1975 the original Kalamazoo plant had leaned more heavily toward shorter, specialized runs of guitars. Jim Deurloo, by the early 1980s plant manager at Kalamazoo, remembers dealers such as Leo's of California, Jimmy Wallace of Texas, and Guitar Trader of New Jersey ordering special vintage-style Les Paul Standards. These dealers and their customers were looking for features such as an exact old-style carving shape and a particular neck feel, as well as a number of small visual details - and Kalamazoo provided an approximation.

 

A typical ad for these dealer specials came in Guitar Traders May 1982 newsletter, " Guitar Trader and Gibson announce the ultimate Les Paul reissue" , claimed the blurb, alongside a repro of the original Standard entry from Gibsons 1960 catalog. A list of features followed: "Dimensions as per 1959 model shown".... These instruments will be produced in strictly limited quantities at the original Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, MI and represent a special investment value. Guitar Trader added that if you ordered your "59 Flametop" immediately for summer '82 delivery they would install original 1950's Patent Applied For pickups, subject to availability.

 

Jim Deurloo recalled that dealer specials like the Guitar Trader instruments were selected from the production line at Gibson, but were custom built to some degree. " I remember that Guitar Trader selected each top, and they were very picky about the color."

 

Meanwhile, the head of R&D managed to persuade Norlin to put a vintage-flavored Les Paul into production, the Heritage series Les Pauls. But not as a standard Les Paul, however, but rather as separate, premium items, touted as "limited editions" and not included on the company's general pricelist. In 1982 , Kalamazoo put out the limited-run Les Paul Standard 82, distinguished from the Heritage Standard 80 primarily by its one-piece neck and the fact that it was made in Kalamazoo.

 

In July 1983 Gibson president Marty Locke informed Jim Deurloo that the Kalamazoo plant would close. The last production at Kalamazoo was in June 1984, and the plant closed three months later, after more than 65 years of worthy service since the original building had been erected by Gibson.

 

Tim Shaw recalls, "Jim Deurloo, to his credit, fought a hard battle to keep Kalamazoo open, and he lost. When the announcement came down, he got the entire factory together and said look , they've made the decision to close this place. You people have been with the company for a long time and I'm very sorry that it worked out this way. But you're all professionals, you've worked here a long time, you have a heritage to be proud of, and as we downsize and close I want you to remain professionals.

Some of the key people were offered positions at Nashville. But Deurloo, together with Marv Lamb, who'd been with Gibson since 1956, and J P Moats, a Gibson employee of equally long standing, decided to leave. They rented part of the Kalamazoo plant and started the Heritage guitar company in April 1985. As Marv Lamb puts it, " we all grew up building guitars and we didn't know too different. We could have searched for another job, but we wanted to do what we know how to do best..."

 

I've probably read that 20 times . . . . and it seems that it never bores me to read it again.

[blueox]

And 26 years later, they're still doing it!

[Doug]

I thought that this was interesting enough to repost.. Heritage beginnings.

Excerpts from "50 years of the Gibson Les Paul: Tony Bacon" ( with some editing to remain on-topic)

 

We could have searched for another job, but we wanted to do what we know how to do best..."

 

 

And do they did!

[bebove64]

Thanks Fred,

It's a beautiful,new to me, amazing story. I do appreciate it!

Thanks again

[pegleg32]

That's great history you post from time to time Fred. Thanks.

[DetroitBlues]

For some reason, I thought Heritage began production in June of 1984... Guess not! My '85 Heritage really is a rare item indeed!

 

But much to the shame of that vintage year....

 

 

[FredZepp]

For some reason, I thought Heritage began production in June of 1984... Guess not! My '85 Heritage really is a rare item indeed!

Heritage Guitar incorporated in April 1985, but they made some instruments ( a handful ) before that..

[Steiner]

That was fun FredZepp. Thanks!

[skydog52]

That's a beauty DB

Do live in Detroit?

 

[skydog52]

Thanks Fred. Never get tired of hearing that story.

 

Made in Michigan and proud they are here!