Company founder Orville Gibson made mandolins in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in the late 1890s. He invented archtop guitars by using the same type of carved, arched tops found on violins. By the 1930s, the company was also making flattop acoustic guitars, as well as one of the first commercially available hollow-body electric guitars, which were used and popularized by Charlie Christian. In the early 1950s, Gibson introduced its first solid-body electric guitar and its most popular guitar to date—the Les Paul. After being purchased by the Norlin corporation in the late 1960s Gibson's quality and fortunes took a steep decline until early 1986, when the company was rescued by its present owners. Gibson Guitar is a privately held corporation (company stock is not publicly traded on a stock exchange), owned by chief executive officer Henry Juszkiewicz and president David H. (Dave) Berryman. Gibson has enjoyed a double digit growth rate since the acquisition in 1986, growing sales revenues and market share. It is now the number one company in the electric guitar market, and continues to expand both market share and revenues. It is one of a handful of musical instrument companies that has invested in a proprietary global distribution system selling directly to dealers in most major countries. Gibson is the largest manufacturer of guitars in the United States.

This set contains 4 pages of drawings as shown in the photos above: Flying V, Les Paul, Les Paul Signature ES, EB-2 Bass. Prints are 8.5" by 11.0" (21.6 by 27.9 cm) in size and are ready to frame for display. Please note that resoloution of these pictures has been optimized for fast picture loading here on Shopify. The actual files are as sharp as the original document permits. This is an excellent quality reproduction of the original drawings in high resolution taken directly from the US Patent Office archives. This reproduction was digitally restored and in some cases altered to remove defects or unwanted artifacts present in the original patent document. The artwork is printed in black and white on premium acid free, lignin-free archival 24lb/90g/m 8 1/2" by 11" Magna Carta parchment paper for that historical look and is ready to frame. This replicates the authentic and original feel of the patent document. Please note that the images shown are displayed on a white background for clarity instead of the natural color of the parchment paper. These patents make great conversational pieces and look fabulous framed in lobbies or waiting rooms as decorative wall art. Other great uses for these patents are: game rooms, dorm rooms, restaurants, bars, or cottages. They also make great gifts for those people who are difficult to buy for. Most people have an interest or hobby that can relate to a specific patent. Check out our other patent drawings in our Shopify Store. Disclaimer : Please note actual guitars shown below are not for sale and not offered with this patent drawing purchase.