gibson usa factory tour

Owning a Gibson

Visit the gibson factory in nashville.

If you are a music enthusiast and love guitars, visiting the Gibson Factory in Nashville is a must. Gibson is a company passionate about manufacturing guitars, amps, and effects pedals. The company has two factories, one in Bozeman, Montana, and the other in Memphis, Tennessee, producing acoustic- and hollow-body guitars.

The new Gibson Garage is situated within Nashville’s iconic Cummins Station. It boasts an impressive stage for live performances, a Custom Shop where players can build their guitars, memorabilia displays, and an expansive retail area.

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Is gibson still giving tours in the gibson factory in nashville.

As of October 2023, it has been confirmed that Gibson is not currently offering factory tours in Nashville. To our knowledge, Gibson has not resumed offering these tours. However, if you wish to immerse yourself in the world of Gibson, you can pay a visit to The Gibson Garage.

Experience the Guitars

Are you a guitar player looking to improve your skills? Gibson recently opened the Gibson Garage, an educational center for musicians and professional guitarists, inside Cummins Station in Nashville.

The 8,000-square-foot Gibson Garage offers the premier guitar experience for professional musicians, casual guitarists, and music fans. It includes a state-of-the-art stage for live concerts and virtual live-streaming performances; a public retail sector stocked with electric guitars from Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer KRK, and Mesa Boogie brands; a repair & restoration center; as well as historical memorabilia displays.

Experience one of the many attractions at Gibson Garage with a tour of their guitar production plant. On this guided tour, guests witness guitar construction from start to finish and even get an up-close view of the wood shop where imported and domestic lumber is used in crafting guitars.

One of the more fascinating aspects of this factory tour is witnessing the chambering process that goes into creating a guitar’s body. While highly automated, it can also take an immense amount of time. That is why most Gibson guitars have lifetime warranties and are built to last.

On this tour, visitors are treated to the surprise of a room filled with vintage guitars that have lain dormant for years. Not just any old guitars, though – these are some of Gibson’s most prized and sought-after models from its history!

Finally, there is the Artist Lounge, designed as an Artist Relations Center, content creation space, and Green Room for performing artists. Here, Gibson Brand Ambassadors like Jared James Nichols and Lzzy Hale can work and perform in a comfortable atmosphere.

The Collections

One year after relaunching with new leadership, relevant guitars, a compelling vision, and widespread industry support, Gibson, the all-American-made instrument brand, still exceeds expectations. This includes historical accuracy, contemporary updates, signature collections, customized creations, award-winning guitars, improved quality control, and more incredible artist and fan engagement than ever before.

At just a 10-minute walk away from Broadway’s neon glow and lively nightlife, Gibson Garage provides players and fans with more than just an everyday retail experience. Featuring lessons, historical exhibits, and frequent live performances, this venue has quickly become one of Nashville’s must-visits.

On Thursday night, Gibson hosted an opening night party at Wildhorse Saloon with live performances by Jason Isbell, Nathaniel Rateliff, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Chris Isaak, Lee Roy Parnell, Ray Wylie Hubbard Temecula Road Honey County Aaron Lee Tasjan Travis Denning Parmalee Cassadee Pope and Jayden Tatasciore Ben Goldsmith Reece Malone and Carter Wilkinson. With rocking sets alongside intimate performances of hits and fan favorites alike, everyone joined on stage for an electrifying finale that saw all guests join forces on stage for one last wild finale!

At the Gibson Factory, you can explore an expansive collection of electric and acoustic guitars from Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer, Mesa Boogie, and KRK, plus gain insight into their iconic 128-year history through captivating storytelling, interactive displays, and memorabilia. Plus, you can catch a taping of the award-winning Gibson TV network or explore more about its vibrant music culture at Murphy Lab.

At Gibson, we believe that artists are the cornerstone of our business. Through Gibson Gives, our philanthropic arm, we aim to empower artists and the global music community with youth-focused education, music in schools, health & wellness initiatives, and more. At Gibson, we want musicians everywhere to realize their aspirations by offering one-of-a-kind experiences, guitars, and chances to give back to the industry.

Experience Live Music in the Gibson Garage in Nashville

For an unforgettable music experience in Music City, don’t miss a visit to the iconic Gibson Factory in Nashville. This facility produces some of the world’s most legendary guitars.

Experience the Gibson Factory Tour for an up-close and personal look at how the legendary Les Paul Custom is made, plus gain insight into their history through exhibits of memorabilia. Additionally, you’ll have the chance to hear live performances and watch award-winning TV shows!

In addition to seeing how guitars are made, you’ll have the opportunity to shop for Gibson instruments, accessories, and apparel. Plus, you can try guitar playing or even build a guitar from scratch!

Experience an exclusive concert at the Gibson Garage featuring Warren Haynes, Margo Price, Kip Moore, James Bay (of Mana), Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Marcus King, Orianthi (Sam Fish), Morgan Wade Sadler Vaden Tak Matsumoto Celisse Emily Wolfe Meghan Lindsey Tyler Cain Striking Matches Matt Heafy from Trivium.

The Gibson Garage is the ultimate guitar experience in Nashville and a must-see for guitar enthusiasts of all levels. Here, you can explore collections of Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer, and Mesa Boogie guitars and KRK studio equipment, play and shop for new gear, take lessons, or hang out in the backstage artist lounge. Additionally to live music performances, The Gibson Garage will host tapings of award-winning Gibson TV series and celebrate generations of Music City history through captivating installations and programming.

Kirk Hammett Greeny 1959 Les Paul Standard 2023

The Murphy Lab

Tom Murphy is the Master Artisan at Gibson who has been recreating the aesthetic and character of vintage guitars on new instruments for over 25 years. With his expertise in authentic instruments and a deep understanding of guitar aging, he has developed innovative techniques for greater accuracy and meticulous attention to detail.

Tom Murphy and his artisans have designed a line of Gibson-branded guitars tailored to different levels of age and wear. From Ultra-Light to Ultra-Heavy, each Murphy Lab guitar is expertly crafted using only the most modern tools and technology.

Tom’s unique aging techniques on these guitars draw on his skill and deep understanding of vintage instruments, combined with his creative vision to add natural wear and cracking that replicate how a guitar ages. The result is an instrument that captures the timeless vibe of classic Gibsons with an authentic look.

The Best Les Paul For Every Budget

This guitar is highly playable and easy to tune. The minimal lacquer checking, combined with Vintage Original Sheen (VOS) hardware and hand-rolled fingerboard binding, simulate fifty years of average playing wear.

This classic semi-hollow body guitar, featuring its sustain-enhancing center block and sustain-enhancing, feedback-fighting design, is both beautiful and playable. Plus, with its unique Murphy Lab-aged finish, you get all the feel and performance of a genuine relic guitar at a fraction of the cost.

Welcome to the Murphy Lab, Gibson Custom Shop’s first-ever guitar aging department designed and managed by master artisan Tom Murphy. This initiative is an integral part of their mission to restore their brand to what players desire in a guitar.

Mastering Gibson Guitar Finishes: A Complete Guide

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Inside the Gibson Guitar Factory

Tennessee is mostly known for its whisky, the country music hall of fame, and the Gibson Guitar factory. For any guitarist, the prospect of seeing how one of the oldest electric guitar manufacturers builds its instruments is probably pretty exciting. For a luthier, it could fuel your contempt for the company or give you some reaffirmation about your own position. It’s easy to think that a massive company like Gibson would just be a series of CNC machines, auto-sprayers, and a chain of underpaid peons whose knowledge of guitars does not extend beyond their tasks.

In reality, the construction and assembly line is a group of extremely knowledgeable and passionate people working hard to keep up with the demand – the Gibson Guitar Factory Tour gives you a chance to see how they manage to consistently create quality instruments with a human touch.

When I say “the Gibson Guitar Factory”, I’m actually referring to two separate factories – both in Tennessee. There seems to be a lot of confusion as to which factory does what – it’s pretty simple: the Gibson Memphis factory is where their hollow and semi-hollow bodied models are made (ES-XXX, Lucille, anything with a Bigsby). The Gibson USA factory in Nashville takes care of the solid-body builds (Les Paul, SG, Explorer, Firebird, etc).

Each offer a tour that’ll allow you to see their luthiers at work while giving you an interesting history lesson and some insight into their processes.

The Nashville Factory

The Gibson Showcase tour in Nashville includes a visit to the rough factory, which is where all of the raw wood is ripped down, book-matched, rough-cut, glued, and sanded.

Of particular interest here is the chambering process – this is a sort of controversial subject in the world of Gibson Guitars due to the company previously having made adjustments to their original boring pattern to achieve a lightweight body. Many enthusiasts complained about a significant decrease in sustain and tonal changes – if you ever sell a vintage Gibson, don’t be surprised if you have a stream of buyers questioning and obsessing over the weight of the guitar.

The rough factory tour shows that even in Gibson’s most mechanized manufacturing process, the care and innovation is still there – they listened to their players and made suitable compromises to the chambering pattern to keep the center of the body solid and retain its tonal qualities.

All of the wood for the necks is kiln-dried and thoroughly inspected, and there seems to be no oversight in the whole process – the entire factory’s climate is controlled by a monitoring system that uses water sprayers on the ceiling to keep the air-moisture at a constant.

Gibson also includes an RFID tag on each of their fretboards coming from the rough factory – this allows them to keep tabs on their inventory as well as verify authenticity (in newer models, at least).

Gibson’s Critics on the Factory Tour

Gibson is one of the earliest electric guitar companies and is responsible for a lot of the innovation that has made this instrument popular and playable (ex.; truss rods). While Gibson’s guitar factory tour is impressive, it’s also an example of what many critics of the company and of larger manufacturers in general despise.

“Not a single guitar passed through the hands of a luthier”

That’s a comment I found on a YouTube video about the factory that I found intriguing. I don’t know of the critics are just an extremely vocal minority or if the quality of the company’s manufacturing process has truly declined, but I have to assume that the shear volume of instruments being built there to fulfill orders worldwide is going to let a percentage of inferior ones slip through.

While the manufacturing process begins with a more mechanized approach, the human touch becomes more prominent as the guitars move along the assembly line – each guitar that’s built here has had many hands on it, but the number of people who are qualified to give it a passing grade before being shipped out is very few. Of course there’s human error that comes along with human touch, but that error has to get by some people who have been with the company for a long time and know what to look for.

Some of the rage against the company is very specific, focusing on pickup or bridge placement being off by millimeters, and virtually everyone with something negative to say is going to tell you that the company’s prices are not justified. I agree with the price points being quite high, but I have no criticism of the way they’re building them. I especially liked that they created a machine to analyze and level the frets.

See more about the Gibson Factory Tour this video from Premier Guitar

Joel Bennett

Joel is the owner and main contributor for Electric Herald. Originally from England, currently residing in Southern Mexico.

Gibson Garage

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The Gibson Garage is the ultimate guitar experience and a new must-see destination in the heart of Music City. Explore Gibson, Epiphone, and Kramer guitars, Mesa/Boogie amplifiers, and KRK studio equipment. Try an acoustic or electric guitar, shop for new accessories or lifestyle gear, take a lesson, learn about Gibson's history, or see a live show on our stage. There’s something at the Gibson Garage for every music lover.

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The Ultimate Gibson Experience in Nashville TN

• June 9, 2021

As if you didn’t already have enough great places to visit when you come to Music City; from the Grand Ole Opry to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Music Row, Broadway, the Ryman Auditorium and who could forget the Bluebird Cafe? The Gibson Garage is set for its Grand Opening on Wednesday June 9th with a ribbon cutting and live music performances all day long. The schedule includes Maggie Rose, Celisse, Filmore, Meghan Lindsey & Tyler Cain, Striking Matches and a ‘Gibson Gives’ benefit in the evening.

Fortunately, Maverick Country was able to achieve the full tour of the Gibson Garage long before the opening. Located in historic Cummins Station, near the Union Station in Nashville TN, the Gibson Garage is within walking distance of most Downtown hotels. Director of Gibson Brand Experience, Mark Agnesi, provided me a personal tour throughout the expansive garage. When you walk in through the front doors the first thing, you’ll notice are almost 200 guitars rotating over your head and around the room. This is to give you the feeling of how guitars are dried in the actual Gibson Guitar factory on the other side of Nashville. Each brand of the Gibson banner is on display and available for you to play in the Gibson Garage. What I mean is this is not a museum it is an interactive space where the public is encouraged to play, plug in and engage with musical products first hand. Essentially it is like a giant toy store for musicians and artists where you are allowed to touch and play with the merchandise.

Agnesi, who is also the host of Gibson TV, took me through the Murphy Lab section where you can have the guitar of your dreams built to your specifications. There is also a Repair and Restoration space, a Kramer guitars corner, KRK workstation, Mesa Boogie amplifiers area and a large Gibson Acoustic Guitars room. At the center of the room is a Live Performance stage where Gibson artists, singers and songwriters will be featured on a regular basis.

I spoke with JC Curleigh, Chief Executive Officer of Gibson, in the backstage area of the Gibson Garage. Curleigh said,” When I arrived in Nashville two and a half years ago, I soaked in the Country Music Hall of Fame, Johnny Cash Museum, the Ryman, concerts at the Bridgestone and the Bluebird Café. And I’m like where is the best Gibson guitar experience here? The vision was to have the Ultimate Gibson Experience here in Nashville. A place where you can explore Gibson, a place where you can play guitars, a place where you can shop and go home with a piece of Gibson!” As mentioned by JC not only can you play the music gear at the Gibson Garage you can also purchase instruments and Gibson merchandise in the facility. There will be clothing that is offered at the Garage that can only be purchased in Nashville with the city name printed on it.

I caught up with the Brand President of Gibson, Cesar Gueikan to listen to his thoughts on the Gibson experience. “This will be our launch platform to show what is coming and a test platform. We also want to showcase emerging artists.” The screens that you see around the Gibson Garage aren’t designed to play videos, but as Mark Agnesi told me they are interactive touch screens. By engaging in these screens you’ll be able to take a guitar lesson, watch Gibson TV or view the instrument catalog to see what is currently in production and available. Plus launches of new instruments as they release.

Jared James Nichols, a Gibson endorsed artist, told me “The biggest thing I get from the Gibson Garage is inspired. I’m like a kid in a Candy Store. This is the kind of place where a musician, guitarist or music lover could just feel it in the air.” Nichols signature model Gibson and Epiphone guitars are also on display at the Garage and his new Epiphone model has proven hard to keep in stock due to public demand. Also, as Jared mentioned, being a guitarist or musician isn’t a requirement to enter the Gibson Garage. Even if you just enjoy guitars as visual artwork you are certain to be impressed with this new Gibson experience.

Entry to the Gibson Garage is free to the public. Just check hours of operation before you make the trek to the garage. Also allow yourself plenty of time to wander the rooms and experience everything that is Gibson. I will be making several trips back myself and probably leaving with one more guitar and some Gibson merchandise too. Something like this was truly needed in Nashville TN to represent an international music brand such as Gibson since the guitars are made in Music City!

www.gibson.com/Garage

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THE GIBSON GARAGE

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A look inside: gibson garage.

Music enthusiasts can soon step inside the ultimate guitar experience, the Gibson Garage , on Wednesday, June 9, 2021 . Located inside Nashville’s historic Cummins Station, the Gibson Garage is a destination to explore the brand’s iconic electric and acoustic guitars, shop for accessories and apparel, see live music, and even build a custom guitar.

The Gibson Garage grand opening to the public is on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, from noon to 5:00pm. That evening, “Gibson Live: A Celebration of Artists to Benefit Gibson Gives,” a virtual concert featuring Warren Haynes, Margo Price, Kip Moore, James Bay, and more, airs at 6:30pm on Gibson TV . Following the grand opening day, the Gibson Garage will be open Monday through Saturday from 11:00am to 6:00pm and Sundays from noon to 6:00pm.

Nashville Guru stopped by to get a look inside the new space.

Gibson Garage

At the Gibson Garage, fans can explore Gibson’s range of brands and collections, including Gibson Acoustic, Gibson Custom Shop, Epiphone, Kramer, Mesa/Boogie, and KRK. Highlights from the new space include a live performance stage, a Custom Shop where players can build a custom guitar, memorabilia displays, and a sizable retail section featuring everything from hats to strings to apparel.

Scroll down to get a glimpse inside each section of the Gibson Garage in Nashville.

Gibson Acoustic

Mesa/Boogie

Epiphone + Kramer

Gibson Custom Shop

Gibson Apparel + Accessories

The Details

Whether you want to build your own Gibson guitar, buy a t-shirt, or simply learn a bit of guitar history, the Gibson Garage is a go-to spot for music lovers and guitarists.

• Address : Cummins Station (street level), 209 10th Avenue South, Suite 205, Nashville, TN 37203 ( map )
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2 Comments on "A Look Inside: Gibson Garage"

Just bought another Les Paul and love it. It is the Blueberry burst. I would love to check out the factory next time I am in Nashville. The wife and I love Nashville.

I purchased a new 335 custom Gibson from the Garage about a month or so, the experience was wonderful and was treated so kind. I’ve always wanted a 335 and Mat was so helpful and made my purchase so easy. He even had a technician Paul to come put my favorite gauge of strings on and set the guitar up so wonderful. I can’t wait to return and I will soon. Thank you so much Gibson Garage. Benny Voiles

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Gibson Factory Tours – Nashville and Memphis

On April 25th 2010, I flew to Nashville along with 13 other Canadians to visit Gibson Guitars. Our group was assembled and led by Jeff Cowling and Jeremy Berger of Yorkville Sound; the Canadian distributor for Gibson. Over the next 4 days, our group would visit Gibson USA, Epiphone USA, Gibson Custom in Nashville, and Gibson Custom in Memphis. We were treated to in-depth tours of the guitar building facilities, as well as some hands-on time with new prototypes and upcoming models. We also got to spend some time in two of the most important cities in music history.

Monday morning is when the real fun began. Our super cool driver Don picked us up in the super cool Gibson Bus. Inside, the bus was outfitted with padded leather seats, full screen TV and stereo system, mini fridge, and about a half dozen guitars and amplifiers plugged in and ready to go. We tried to convince Don to move to Canada and bring the bus with him. I’ll let you all know how that works out. A short drive later, we arrived at the Gibson USA headquarters.

Gibson USA is the main production facility for Gibson guitars. This is the factory that builds the majority of the Gibson product line: Les Paul Studios, Standards, Robots, Traditionals, Supremes, as well as several models of SG, Flying V’s, Explorers, Limited Editions, etc. Over 300 employees build 425 guitars per day in this facility. Our group was split up unto small teams of 4 or 5, then assigned to a Gibson employee who would act as our guide. My group’s guide Carlton has worked at Gibson USA for almost 25 years.

Over the next hour or so, Carlton walked us around the entire factory, stopping at every step in the process to explain what was being done. The first thing that really jumped out at me was just how much of the work on these guitars is done by hand. Once a body shape has been carved by the C&C machine, flesh and blood human beings take over. From pressing inlays, to rolling and setting the necks, binding the bodies, spray finishing, buffing, wiring and installing pickups, final assembly and quality control… every single guitar is held in someone’s hands at every step along the way. The first time Carlton pointed out one of his colleagues scraping finish off the body binding by hand with an exact-o blade, I almost fell over. Despite the high production, there is an incredible amount of old fashioned craftsmanship that goes into every single Gibson guitar.

The one big exception to Gibson’s rule of hand craftsmanship is the Plek machine. Picture a giant brushed chrome refrigerator with plexiglass doors attached to a super-computer, and you’ll have an idea of what it’s like to stand in front of a Plek machine. Better yet, just look at the picture below. Once a guitar is placed inside, the Plek puts tension on the neck equal to the amount of tension created by guitar strings when tuned to pitch. This pulls the neck to the angle it will hold once it has been strung and tuned up. Then a robotic sander glides up and down the fingerboard, sanding and crowning the frets. The Plek also measures and cuts the nut slots to ensure perfect string spacing. This means the frets and nut slots on each guitar are set up as consistently as physically possible. The entire process takes about 20 minutes. Gibson USA has 6 Plek machines running full time. Each machine cost roughly $250,000.

After our tour, we gathered in the meeting room above the factory floor. Our group was met by several people from various departments of Gibson USA, including their Lifestyle department, their woods and materials specialist, as well as the heads of product development and design. We were given a sneak peak of several very exciting new models. I can’t give away much detail yet, but I’ll give you a hint: what’s handmade in the US and will sell for less than $1000? You’ll find out next month! ***Note: The guitars I am reffering to here were in fact the Les Paul Studio 50’s Tribute model, now replaced by the 60’s Tribute model ***

With our time at Gibson USA at an end, we made our way down the road to Epiphone’s office and distribution center. There we were treated to a demonstration by Dr. Will Jones. Along with his impressively entertaining instructional video, Dr. Jones handed out samples of Epiphone’s proprietary hardware used across their product line. It was a pleasant surprise to find such high end components being used on such affordable guitars. We were then given a tour of Epiphone’s distribution center, where every single guitar is unpacked and thoroughly inspected before being repackaged and shipped out to stores across America. In Canada, Yorkville Sound duplicates this process exactly for each Epiphone guitar that comes through their doors.

Nashville Custom Shop

Tuesday morning. With a solid 3 hours of sleep under my belt, I packed my things and checked out of my hotel room in Nashville. We had more yet to do in town, but we would be in Memphis by dinner time. We loaded everything (except for my extra pair of shoes that I left in my room) onto the Gibson Bus and hit the road. Don quickly got us to the Gibson’s Nashville Custom Shop facility. Our host and guide for our time at Nashville Custom would be Thom Fowle. Thom got us settled in a small conference room so we could relax and look at a few display models hanging around the room. Jeremy had a rather strange staring contest with a poster of Jimi Hendrix. Seriously, how could he expect to win that stair down?

Nashville Custom is where Gibson builds all of their historical reissue solid body models (the VOS series, for example), carved arch top guitars, and of course the Les Paul Custom. While every Les Paul built in Gibson USA is chambered for weight relief, the Nashville Custom shop builds exclusively true solid body Les Paul guitars. Although smaller in size than the Gibson USA factory, much of the guitar building process in the Custom shop is fairly similar. There are of course some key design differences in the guitars themselves. Gibson USA places a focus on new and innovative designs, while the Nashville Custom Shop stays truer to history. Thom explained to us the constant struggle he and his facility face to maintain a balance between building guitars that are desirable to players and historically accurate. He picked up a stunning piece of raw flame maple as an example. To paraphrase: “You wouldn’t find many Les Paul guitars built in 1959 with a top that looked this good, but we do it today because it’s what people want”.

As I mentioned earlier, Nashville Custom is also where Gibson produces their solid carved wood Jazz Guitars, such as the L5, Super 400, and CS-336 models. Thom pointed out the original molded presses, some of which are more than 50 years old, still used to build these historic guitars. It was truly amazing to see these guitars being built by hand with the same tools used to create their predecessors. Yet more proof of Gibson’s awareness of their own historical significance, and their commitment to maintain the same standards of quality as time moves on.

One significant difference between Gibson USA and the Nashville Custom Shop slowly dawned on me as our tour continued. I became increasingly aware of a few Gibson employees in particular. More to the point, I realized I was seeing the same individuals at different stations as we moved around the factory. There was absolutely as system of assigned specialization: one team working the buffing wheels, another group rounding necks, etc. But every now and then I would spot a particular builder with the same guitar in his or her hands as they personally performed multiple steps of the building process. I watched one gentleman press an L5 body together, then install the binding himself, then walk across the facility with the guitar in his hands to the wrapping station and wrap the guitar. This is the kind of personal follow through that creates a truly wonderful handmade instrument.

At the end of our tour, Thom led us to the final assembly room where we found rows and rows of finished guitars on stands. Some were spoken for, others were not. Feeling particularly happy about memorizing Grant’s credit card number, I found a couple beautiful pieces for the shop: a VOS Les Paul Special in ebony and a charcoal Les Paul Axis with a stop tail bridge.

Memphis Custom Shop

Our final day of the trip was spent in Gibson’s Memphis Custom Shop facility; a beautiful building right in the middle of downtown. The Memphis Custom Shop has a very impressive public lobby with a full retail store. Greeting us at the front of the building was David Winters. David brought us up through the main offices which overlook the entire factory floor before handing us over to Randi Young for our tour.

Randi was an excellent guide; detailing every step of the process for us. The Memphis Custom Shop builds all of Gibson’s laminate semi hollow bodies, like the ES 335, ES 339, and ES 359. Randi showed us how the laminate boards were traced, pressed into shape, cut and assembled, then bound and wrapped. Just like the Nashville Custom Shop, the factory here in Memphis was using the same presses to form their body shapes that Gibson has used for the past 50 years.

We watched one of the builders carving a neck joint by hand and testing the fit. Similar to Nashville Custom and Gibson USA, the Memphis Custom Shop has recently been outfitted with a Plek machine of their own, allowing the same consistency of fret work and string spacing. Watching the final assembly teams install the pots through the pickup cavity was especially impressive… they made it look easy (trust me, it isn’t). Walking through the racks of finished guitars waiting for final inspection, I spotted a guitar on one particular rack and got very excited. “Is that what I think it is?” I mumbled to Jeremy. “Yes, it is.” He said. “It’s an ES 335 in Pelham Blue”. That’s right, the best looking guitar ever made is on the way!

At the end of our tour, Jeremy and Jeff presented us with a guitar rack covered by a large white bed sheet. Removing the sheet unveiled a row of roughly 15 of the nicest semi hollow bodies I’ve ever seen. Despite the wall of eye candy, 3 guitars jumped out at me instantly. 2 were ES 335s; one in a deep wine red, the other in a dark translucent blue. Both finishes were transparent, revealing incredible figured maple underneath. The 3rd guitar was the ever illusive ES 330L with a vintage sunburst finish. I bought them for the store on the spot.

At the entrance to the Memphis International Airport, we gathered our bags and said goodbye as a group. Thom was still with us, whom we thanked profusely for everything he had done for us over the past 4 days. We said a very heartfelt thanks to Don as well. We then made our way into the airport, and off to our respective homes. There were a few bumps along the way in the form of some canceled flights, but everyone got where they were going eventually. Except for James from Medicine Hat… from what I hear, he’s still at the airport.

Thanks again to everyone from Yorkville and Gibson for this incredible trip. You all put a lot of work into making this happen, and we appreciate it greatly. We’ll have to do it all again next year!

– Nevin Douglas

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