Gibson was founded in 1902 in Tennessee, USA, and manufactures acoustic and electric guitars. Gibson has been acquired three times in its history, and in May 2018, Gibson officially filed for bankruptcy reorganization, but Gibson's main business will continue as usual, but the strategic direction has been adjusted, closing the previously formed electronic accessories division, which will focus on guitar manufacturing.
Gibson is a brand born and raised in the United States, compared with Martin of European origin, in terms of overall style, Gibson can better represent the grassroots people in the United States, free and romantic, with a touch of wild and uninhibited. In terms of sound performance, Gibson is not as rich in bass performance as Martin, but highlights the high midrange, strong grain, and sweeter timbre, which is suitable for some solo and monophonic playing, which is why rock bands mostly use Gibson instead of Martin. And Gibson also seems to have an innate charm, which is deeply loved by many singer-songwriters, such as Charlie Christian, Beatles, Elvis Presley Presley in foreign countries and Xu Wei, Pu Shu, Wang Feng, etc., all of whom are loyal users of Gibson.
The barrel shapes of Gibson guitars can be broadly divided into SJ, J, square-shouldered, and round-shouldered. Among them, the SJ barrel type is Super Jumbo, with a small waist and a huge body, which is 43 inches, and the J type is slightly smaller, 42 inches, both of which have thick bass and super resonance, and are mostly used for rhythm guitars in bands. The square-shouldered and round-shouldered models are more similar to the traditional D-shaped piano and are 41 inches in size, but the contour of the shoulders is slightly different.
In terms of product line, Gibson is mainly divided into two large series: Traditional Traditional and High Performance, which are represented by "T" and "HP" respectively.
The T series produces Gibson's classic models, of which the SJ-200 was born in 1938, and the price was as high as $200 at the time, this piano has the reputation of the king of modern steel-stringed guitars, it is probably the most rock-style acoustic instrument, the tone is balanced and explosive, and the price is about 30,000 yuan. The J-45 is one of the best-selling and cost-effective piano models in Gibson's history, with a price of around 20,000 yuan. The mahogany back side plate is selected, which highlights the mid-high frequencies and has a certain singing quality, and the overall timbre is warm, although it is not as rich as the Martin D-type, but the three frequencies are generally more balanced, and the shorter effective string length also makes the J-45 easier to drive.
The HP series has a relatively good cost performance, and the price is about 15,000 yuan. The overall use of crossed beveled sound beams, the cut sound beam due to the weight of the panel and the reduction of pinch, so that the volume is larger, the resonance is better, and at the same time, the timbre performance is clearer, the overtones are delicate, especially suitable for fingerstyle players. The HP415W and HP735R are recommended.
Gibson's piezoelectric LR Baggs pickups are like microphone pickups that deliver a full, warm sound, making them a great choice for live performances if you're a rock enthusiast and often perform live.
