Book excerpt > Heritage beginnings

[FredZepp]

Excerpt from " The Gibson Guitar Book"- Walter Carter

 

The heart and soul of Gibson was still at 225 Parsons St. in Kalamazoo, where the core group of guitar builders had stayed, and in 1983 Mary Locke told Jim Deurloo that he planned to close the Nashville plant. Apparently that was a riskier option than closing the Kalamazoo plant and , according to Deurloo, within three weeks one of Locke's strongest supporters at the Norlin corporate level left the company and Locke reversed himself. He announced that the Kalamazoo plant would close and all prodution would move to Nashville.

In June 1984, the last Gibson guitars left the loading dock of 225 Parsons St. If there was still any magic or mystique about Gibson in Kalamazoo,

it remained there, as many Kalamazoo employees refused to uproot their families for an insecure future in Nashville. Among those were four key Gibson employees - Jim Deurloo, J.P. Moats, Bill Paige and Marv Lamb - who stayed not only in Kalamazoo but in the Parsons St. factory, where they formed the Heritage guitar company and found success as the company that, more than Gibson, continued the Gibson tradition.

 

 

>>>>>this is from a book about Gibson ...<<<<<<

 

"The heart and soul of Gibson was still at 225 Parsons St. in Kalamazoo, where the core group of guitar builders had stayed"

 

"they formed the Heritage guitar company and found success as the company that, more than Gibson, continued the Gibson tradition."

[tulk1]

Truth is Truth. And Mr. Carter is telling the Truth!

[FredZepp]

Excerpt from " The Gibson Guitar Book"- Walter Carter

 

After the Nashville plant opened, neither plant operated at full capacity, and the Kalamazoo plant began building wooden clock cases in an effort to stay afloat.

 

OK , Brent .. do you have one of the clock cases yet...?

[pro-fusion]

Facts is facts, as they say.

[Kuz]

Now someone anonymously go over to the Les Paul forum, post this from their history book, and tell them to kiss the ring of the REAL AUTHENTIC GUITAR COMPANY!

 

 

I LOVE IT!!!!

[FredZepp]

Now someone anonymously go over to the Les Paul forum, post this from their history book, and tell them to kiss the ring of the REAL AUTHENTIC GUITAR COMPANY!

 

 

I LOVE IT!!!!

It was interesting that a really nice Gibson book would go so far as to make these statements....

...abeit true, as we know...

[brentrocks]

Excerpt from " The Gibson Guitar Book"- Walter Carter

 

After the Nashville plant opened, neither plant operated at full capacity, and the Kalamazoo plant began building wooden clock cases in an effort to stay afloat.

 

OK , Brent .. do you have one of the clock cases yet...?

 

 

no, but i sure would like to have one....lol

[golferwave]

Walter Carter is a respected Gibson historian who in partnership with George Gruhn has researched the company from it's beginnings. If he says Heritage is more Gibson than Gibson you can take it to the bank.

[SofaPlayer]

I'm sure the Gibson CEO didn't read it before it was published. Plain mistake, but a very very nice one.

[DCA]

Ouch,

 

If any one was keeping score...

 

Heritage earned that ball on an ace. But that's why we buy Heritage guitars, right?

[JohnCovach]

I've also read that Gibson made some wooden toys to keep the K'zoo factory busy.

 

Back in the 80s, Gibson had some real reputation issues and Heritage was the custom shop that kept the quality high. Despite all the weird "innovations" and designs Gibson has produced in recent years (robot guitar, etc.), my view is that they have very successfully reclaimed the integrity of the brand. The Gibson Custom Shop guitars are fine instruments, though very expensive. As we all know, Heritage guitars are superb instruments at a reasonable price--a true bargain in most cases, especially used.

 

But the Gibson heritage is shared by a few companies today: Gibson, Heritage, Wechter, PRS, and probably a few more I haven't thought of.