| Feature Article A Brief History Of Gibson Guitars Gibson guitars have been around forever. It's funny, but although Gibson has produced some of the most amazing guitars in history, perhaps the company's largest contribution to music has been through their advancements in pickup technology. Gibson's first electric guitar the ES-150 was produced in 1936, and is still considered one of the best sounding electric jazz guitars in the world. In 1946 Gibson introduced the P-90 single coil pickup, which was eventually used on the first Les Paul model in 1952. The Les Paul was Gibson's first solid body electric guitar. In 1957 Gibson introduced the legendary Humbucker pickup on the Les Paul model, and an instant classic was born. The P-90 and the Humbucker quickly became the pickups of choice for Gibson's expanding line of solid body electric guitars. 1961 marked the introduction of one of Gibson's most successful models ever, the double cutaway SG. This was followed by the Firebird, and Flying V models, each a classic in its own right. In addition to electrics, Gibson produces some of the finest acoustic guitars available. Throughout the years, Gibson has continually sought to provide musicians with a wide range of choices concerning quality and price. Although this has proved to be one of the company's strongest assets, buying a Gibson can be a somewhat complex process. Buyers must arm themselves with a thorough knowledge of their desired model, as quality and construction techniques can vary wildly over the course of a model's production history. Much like fine wines, Gibson guitars also have their preferred vintages. Today, Gibson's commitment to excellence, and support of top musicians is demonstrated most deeply through its well known Custom Shop. The Custom Shop produces specialty instruments for artists, and discerning musicians. In addition, many well known historic classics have been faithfully reproduced by the Gibson Custom Shop, allowing a whole new generation of guitarists to experience Gibson's hallmark guitars.
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