mandolin & banjo & how many of those mandolins are owned by people on the café.
what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
mandolin & banjo & how many of those mandolins are owned by people on the café.
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
2018...
Chuck
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
Mandolins are still being made, but I believe the number of mandolins being made is quite small.
The last banjos were made in either 2009 or 2010, depending on whose report you reference. Some say that the 2010 Nashville flood halted banjo production, others say that production had already ceased before the flood. It is unlikely that Gibson will resume banjo production in the foreseeable future.
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
From rcc56 - " It is unlikely that Gibson will resume banjo production in the foreseeable future.". Maybe for the better. The last 2 new Gibson banjos i saw & played over here were dire !. However - that Gibson should allow such a drop off in quality, & then cease production of one of it's 2 most iconic acoustic instruments, was about as short sighted as you can get IMHO. The Gibson name still has a lot of respect & a top quality 'old' Gibson banjo is still pretty much ''the'' banjo for a lot of players,
Ivan
Weber F-5 'Fern'.
Lebeda F-5 "Special".
Stelling Bellflower BANJO
Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
I'm sure there are a whole lot of us that own Gibson mandolins.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
Nah...Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
Likely not later than 1908.. perhaps a few years earlier:
"On the strength of Gibson's ideas, five Kalamazoo businessmen formed the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co., Ltd., in 1902. Within a short period after the company was started, the board passed a motion that "Orville H. Gibson be paid only for the actual time he works for the Company." After that time, there is no clear indication whether he worked there full-time, or as a consultant. Julius Bellson states in his 1973 publication, The Gibson Story, that "Orville Gibson had visions and dreams that were considered eccentric."
Starting in 1908, Gibson was paid a salary of $500 by Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Manufacturing Co., Limited (equivalent to $20,000 a year in modern terms). "
I believe he died around 1917
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
Plus those of us with 90's or so Flatirons, even if we weren't then aware that Flatiron had been bought by Gibson for the purpose of absorbing all mandolin production.
From my disinterested viewpoint, the whole history of Gibson seems to be continual waves of workers who really care being overruled by accountants and/or new owners anxiously awaiting the next quarterly statement. Partial evidence, that's crucial to some of us, is their serial-number schemes that change every handful of years. Hard to pin down age when the "year" digit, or digits, keeps shifting position, as each new wave would say: "Who cares what that last bunch of clowns did, we're doing it THIS way." (Whereas, every Martin guitar since 1890, when they estimated that they had previously built 8,000, falls into a strictly sequential numbering sequence. Separate sequence for mandolins, but still strictly sequential.)
- Ed
"Then one day we weren't as young as before
Our mistakes weren't quite so easy to undo
But by all those roads, my friend, we've travelled down
I'm a better man for just the knowin' of you."
- Ian Tyson
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
That's what a family owned business with obsessed management can do. Gibson hasn't been a family owned business since Orville signed over his patent back in '02 or so. You probably can't find many businesses that have the lineage of management that Martin has that have lasted half as long as Martin has. They are unique.
I should add that at least one of the Martin family members almost destroyed that company as well.
I own some Martin's too
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
thanks Jeff & Mike. that's a long time ago. 1908 I wonder how many mandolins are out there being played. Mike have you ever taken the Martin tour & seen their museum, it is a must do & you will enjoy the day.
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
Related to banjos, the last year Gibson made them was 2010. First, layoffs virtually stopped production, and then the 2010 Nashville flood destroyed the shop. If I've read it right, today, May 1, is the anniversary of the Nashville flood.
-- Don
"Music: A minor auditory irritation occasionally characterized as pleasant."
"It is a lot more fun to make music than it is to argue about it."
2002 Gibson F-9
2016 MK LFSTB
1975 Suzuki taterbug (plus many other noisemakers)
[About how I tune my mandolins]
[Our recent arrival]
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
I have pictures here someplace of all the mandolins in the museum at the time I was there. I live within driving distance and we attend a bluegrass festival nearby , or at least we used to. I haven't been to Windgap in a few years. It's an excellent tour although my tour guide wasn't real good at identifying the wood they were using but he always agreed when one of us on the tour corrected him
I was also fortunate enough to spend a whole lot of time in the old building. That was a real trip.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
I don`t know if Huber is making all of the banjo pots and Neat is making the necks but they sure are doing a lot the building for Gibson, all Gibson does is bolt all of the parts together rom what I hear...Now days I hear a lot of banjos, domestic and foreign that sound as good as todays Gibsons...Now if you are comparing them to what was being produced by Gibson between the 20`s and 70`s that's a different story.....The banjo player in my band has at least four old and I do mean old Gibson banjos and they all sound great...
At one time I heard that Gibson used Sullivan parts and they may have made the necks, I don`t know and really don`t care...Just adding what I have heard and maybe it helps the OP`s question, as I said I don`t know...
Willie
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
Gibson has not made a banjo for at least 8 years.
Considering today's news about Gibson filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy, we will just have to watch to see whether or not they will continue making mandolins.
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
"Gibson has not made a banjo for at least 8 years."
My understanding is that GIBSON has/had been assembling banjos, not making them.
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
That is my understanding also, although they may have been making the necks and applying the finish. I understand that the metal parts, rims, and perhaps the resonators were purchased from several vendors, including Sullivan.
A more accurate statement might be "Gibson has not shipped, assembled or assigned a serial number to a banjo with the Gibson name for at least eight years."
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
One of those Gibson made Gibson’s.
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
I bought a 2008 RB-250 from guitar center for $1,600.00 with the case. Eric Sullivan said they were making all the necks for Gibson for some time & I forget what other parts they said they supplied for them. I think he said at one point they did everything but put the banjos together for them. if I remember I will give him a call & maybe we can get him to chime in here about Gibson. I know towards the end Bill Sullivan had no use for them & did not talk kindly of them, God rest his soul.
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
If Sullivan was indeed making necks for Gibson banjos, it might lead one to believe that Sullivan was able to make necks for significantly less than it would have cost Gibson to make them in-house. And that would indicate that Gibson's production costs were out of control. The plot thickens . . .
Think about that-- Gibson had three plants and large numbers of workers, produced guitar necks every day; and a small operation like First Quality Music could make a profit selling banjo necks to them?? That indicates problems much deeper than unwise acquisitions, disgruntled dealers, and a decline in the market for electric guitars.
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
Much of the banjo hardware that Gibson used to use was sourced from Rosta Capek in the Czech.Republic. I don't know who made the necks & the wooden rims. Many other banjo builders sourced their hardware from First Quality,
Ivan
Weber F-5 'Fern'.
Lebeda F-5 "Special".
Stelling Bellflower BANJO
Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
At some point Bill Sullivan was making the necks as well. I had a "Gibson" banjo I bought from Mandolin Bros many years ago that had been assembled entirely from FQMS parts. They were finished at First Quality. The only thing they bought from Gibson was the case, It was identical to the real Gibson sitting next to it. The only thing it didn't have was the internal label. It was half the price. It's still in action with a banjo player in New Jersey.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
Aren`t we all saying about the same thing here...A Gibson banjo is not a Gibson any more, that's for sure...When Sullivan had a falling out with Gibson that is when the big G looked for other makers of parts and that is when Huber and Neat got involved, maybe not on all of the Gibson banjos but on the "up scale" models they did supply most if not all of the parts...I did not know they got any parts from The Czech Republic...I ran into a fellow at a festival that was playing a banjo with "Gibson" inlaid on the peg head. he told me he made it and I said isn`t that a no-no and he said he used the exact same parts that Gibson used so why not call it a Gibson...He got every thing from First Quality in those days, about 15 years ago...They talk about infringement on Gibson`s patents but if they don`t make any parts how can they have a patent?
I don`t play a banjo so what do I care anyway....
Willie
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
To be historically accurate, Gibson and most other builders have always farmed out the construction of certain parts. Joe Spann's book shows that for Gibson. They weren't casting their own metal parts. It's Gibson's design. It's Gibson offering the lifetime warranty. To me it really doesn't matter who is making the pieces. When it all comes down it's who is assembling those parts and who is providing the support. Gibson, Taylor, Martin and all aren't making their own tuning machines even though they all have their names on them. Gibson should be selling banjos. I would hope that OAI division rises from the ashes. I'm sure they will be selling Les Paul guitars.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
And we see the same things with mandolins every once in a while, although I'd opine that "fake" Gibson mandolins are more difficult to make than "fake" Gibson banjos are.
I have a "fake-pre-war" Gibson banjo that I built for myself back in '78 from StewMac parts that is a great player, sounds great, looks authentic from 20 feet away. Many of the parts on this particular banjo were the same parts that Gibson was using back in the day... But it was not assembled by Gibson or given an authentic Gibson warranty or serial number (or FON).
I think that's what we're really talking about here... Did an instrument come out of the Gibson factory with a valid warranty and in most cases, with a valid serial number (or FON).
Related to the earlier question about banjos, the last time that happened was before the layoffs and flood in 2010.
-- Don
"Music: A minor auditory irritation occasionally characterized as pleasant."
"It is a lot more fun to make music than it is to argue about it."
2002 Gibson F-9
2016 MK LFSTB
1975 Suzuki taterbug (plus many other noisemakers)
[About how I tune my mandolins]
[Our recent arrival]
Re: what was the last year Gibson made a Gibson,
The Sullivans were making all the wooden banjo parts as far back as the late 90's. Their first CNC shop was accessed by walking through Bill's garage to the back door that led to the CNC shop. Eric was in charge of all that.
If you wanted strings or other stuff you turned left into the kitchen, greeted Mrs. Sullivan, then went downstairs where everyone else was packing and shipping stuff. Bill engraved this truss rod cover for me shortly before they built the new facility on the south side of Louisville. I never lived in Louisville, but worked there a lot back in that period. I miss Bill and the group.
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