Music to your Ears
Gibson, the world’s most iconic guitar brand, has shaped the sounds of generations of musicians and music lovers across genres since its inception in 1894. Here, RLI spends some time with President and CEO Cesar Gueikian to learn more about this unique company and how it continues to strike a chord with customers and budding musicians around the world.
It has been 130 years since Orville Gibson designed and built his earliest-known musical instrument in his workshop in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The innovative and forward-thinking carved top design that revolutionised the mandolin and guitar world and delivers a louder, more durable and more playable instrument, remains the DNA of every instrument made by Gibson.
Today the business operates two Gibson Garage sites, the ultimate guitar experience and destination for music lovers across the globe and the perfect place to explore Gibson’s music history. These sites are exactly how the company want their fans to experience the world of Gibson, an immersive dream space where fans walk in and do not want to leave.
“We currently operate the Gibson Garage Nashville which opened on 9 June 2021 and features over 8,000sq ft of retail space in the heart of downtown Nashville, as well as the Gibson Garage London which launched in February this year and includes 4,000sq ft of retail space just off Oxford Street in London,” explains Cesar Gueikian, President and CEO of Gibson.
The Gibson Garage is first and foremost about delivering the experience that is expected of Gibson, at the highest quality standards, making everyone that visits us feel special and providing a space where fans can play and shop. A stunning and ground-breaking space, everything in the Gibson Garage is available to pick-up, plug-in and play.
On-site, Gibson Garage experts know the history of the brand and have deep knowledge of all the products on offer. They pride themselves on providing welcoming, approachable and unpretentious customer service to help guests find their dream guitar, the absolute best fit for them and they’ll even teach them their first chord.
Beyond the retail experience, the newly-launched Gibson Garage London programs storytelling and connects with music fans through cultural programming including masterclasses, artist interactions, music lessons, unique exhibits including historical instruments, fine art installations, live performances and more.
“Nashville was a success from day one when we opened on Les Paul’s birthday and how our fans took to and embraced the Nashville site exceeded all our expectations and it has become a vital part of the Nashville music community. We are hoping we can mirror this success with our brand-new location in London,” Gueikian highlights.
Over the course of its history, Gibson has expanded from its humble Kalamazoo origins and today its company headquarters are anchored in Nashville, Tennessee by the world-renowned Gibson USA craftory, where the most popular electric guitar designs in history are still handcrafted, including the Les Paul, SG, Flying V, Explorer and the ES-335. Nearby, the artisans at Gibson Custom create the most desirable and collectible new instruments, including stunning recreations of vintage instruments, expertly aged in the Murphy Lab, signature models for Gibson artists and custom-built, made-to-measure pieces. At the state-of-the-art Gibson Acoustic craftory in Bozeman, Montana, the highly skilled team constructs by hand the celebrated models such as the J-45, SJ-200, Hummingbird and Dove, alongside artist signature acoustics, vintage reissues with Murphy Lab aging and more.
The company remains dedicated to developing and producing premium, original and modern electric and acoustic guitars, engaging new generations of musicians and music lovers and promoting music through their media platforms.
“Across all of our brands we engage with our more than 30 million fans on social media platforms to both keep them informed and it is part of our innovation strategy to really listen to our fans in order to stay in tune with new developments. We have created a Gibson Media vertical that goes across films, TV, records, publishing and more to deliver best-in-class content and storytelling to music lovers,” says Gueikian.
Their storytelling arm, Gibson Media, continues to expand and allows them to support both their artists and their fans with unique content and global exposure. The President and CEO tells us that Gibson Media is headlined by the award-winning Gibson TV – an online network of original cinematic programming exploring music’s biggest artists, recordings, destinations, guitar collections and more – that currently encompasses Gibson Films, Gibson Records, Gibson Publishing, the Gibson App and Gibson LIVE.
For a company with such a long history, Gueikian feels that it is many factors working together that have brought the brand success over the years. He explains that their leadership team ‘gets it’, they are guitarists, musicians and music lovers who understand the significance of history, the relevance of their brand and all of their decisions are made with these thoughts in mind.
“Regardless of all this though, we would be nothing without our artist community that inspires fans around the world to play music. We have an unmatched roster of global music superstars across every genre of music and programs designed to support both established and emerging artists.”
With a rich history of craftsmanship, artistry and innovation, Gibson has become synonymous with music culture. As the industry leader, they are committed to creating quality, innovative and inspiring products that resonate with musicians and across the globe.
“For me personally, I remain focused on our DNA and our core mission, which is to build the best guitars and amps in our history, to support our leadership team and our partners around the globe, to build meaningful connections with our artist community and to promote music, so that our best years are ahead of us,” Gueikian concludes.
