American Guitar Makers
Trying to find out who manufactured the first guitars in America is no easy task. What is easy to find out is that there are dozens of guitar makers and they've all been around for quite some time. Everyone has their own preferences and artistic differences are what make each company successful. The list of guitar manufacturers is quiet long, though most people haven't heard of most manufacturers on the list. Some of the most popular and successful guitar manufactures have quite a story to tell and we will look at a few of the most famous guitar makers in the next few paragraphs.
One of the earliest versions of the guitar was made by Stradivarius, but even that version was a far cry from what we know to be the guitar today.
C.F. Martin and Company is believed to be the oldest guitar manufacturer in America, opening its doors around 1833 in Germany. But because violin makers thought that his guitars would run them out of business, Martin left Germany for America to open what would become one of the top manufacturers of all time. C. F. Martin and Co manufactures only acoustic guitars with the exception of their acoustic electric guitar. Their Dreadnought series is their best selling series and some guitarists like Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Beck and Jimmy Buffett have said that these are the best guitars on the market. Some of their models retail for thousands of dollars. In 2000, Martin was manufacturing over 24 thousand guitars a year, a huge improvement from the 182 that he manufactured in 1900. They built their one-millionth guitar in 2004. The guitar boasts more than 40 encrusted rubies and diamonds and is estimated to be worth one million dollars.
Gibson is probably the next oldest American guitar manufacturer. Gibson Guitar Corporation is located in Nashville, Tennessee and began manufacturing musical instruments in 1902. Their first instrument was the mandolin. Gibson was manufacturing flat top acoustic guitars and one of the first hollow body acoustic guitars in the early 1930s. They introduced their first solid body electric guitar in 1950's and signed award winning guitarist Les Paul to endorse the Gibson Les Paul guitars. Gibson Guitar Corporation has become the number one electric guitar manufacturer in the industry. All Gibson Guitars are made in the United States and they are the largest guitar manufacturer in the U.S. Gibson was the first guitar maker to build the "green guitar". One of their most recent guitars uses robotic technology designed by Gibson and can tune itself in less than 10 seconds.
Fender definitely wasn't the first company to manufacture the electric guitar; Fender's were the most successful electric guitars to be mass produced. Fender was also successful in manufacturing and selling amplifiers. Fender's amps are some of the most sought after amps on the market today. In 1965 Fender sold out all their companies to CBS for 13 million dollars. Because CBS made many money saving changes to their products, sales took a drastic turn and demand for Fender guitars dropped. Finally in 1985 the employees of Fender purchased CBS's stake in the company and renamed the company Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Today they are manufacturing Fender's old school and most beloved guitars with some modern updates and styles.
In conclusion, these three companies are at the forefront of guitar manufacturing in America today. They all have modernized the guitar in their own unique ways. Their changes to the instruments that they manufacture has revolutionized the way guitarists play and the way we hear music forever.
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