Orville Gibson started the Gibson Guitar Corporation by making specialized mandolins in 1894. From the beginning, Gibson established himself as a quality instrument builder who added his own innovations. His mandolins were modified in such a way that they had a richer sound. Eventually, Gibson mandolins became the instrument of choice for bluegrass musicians. In 1936, Gibson introduced the ES-150 "Electric Spanish" guitar, continuing its tradition of innovation. The ES-150 is now known to be the first commercially produced electric guitar to become popular in the marketplace.

In 1960, Gibson brought out its line of acoustic guitars, starting with the 16 inch, square shouldered dreadnought style. The J-160E was one of the first Gibson models made as a hybrid acoustic and electric guitars. These guitars eliminated the common problem of playing unamplified acoustic guitars in live settings. Playing into a microphone can often serve to amplify the sound, but it also lets distortion and interference seep in. The musician is also limited because he or she cannot stray too far from the microphone without losing sound.

This was actually Gibson's second acoustic-electric guitar, but the first model never really caught on with musicians. The new model used a single-pickup with electronics placed into a regular dreadnought style acoustic guitar. The first models were made of plywood, with ladder bracing for added rigidity. The later models were X-braced, which was thought to improve the tone and volume of the instrument. There were elaborate crown inlays in the fingerboard, along with an adjustable bridge and single-coil pickup. The pickup was located on top of the body near the fingerboard, making it similar to the floating type of pickup used on some acoustic guitars. Unfortunately, the J-160E's sound never became very popular, with many musicians saying it sounded like a hollowed out electric guitar more than an amplified acoustic guitar.

In 1962, Gibson introduced the Dove flat-top model, which was cosmetically very different than the earlier guitars. It had a slightly changed body style and stylistic features like a cherry finish, multi-layered binding, double parallelogram fingerboard inlays, and new style of pickguard that was engraved with a depiction of flowers and a dove. The Dove guitars had a maple back and sides, along with a spruce top that gave a rich, full sound. The neck was made of maple with rosewood for the fingerboard.

One major innovation on the Dove acoustic-electric guitars was the inclusion of electronic features powered by an onboard battery. The tune-o-matic metal bridge was another major design point of the Dove model, but it unfortunately affected the tone of the guitar in a negative way. The next model introduced in 1968 further worsened the sound by including a bracing bar through the middle of the guitar. Not only did this affect the tone and volume of the instrument, it also added extra weight and made it difficult to handle. Dove acoustic electric guitars are no longer being manufactured in bulk, but can still be found in special limited-edition runs.

Originally posted 2008-11-12 05:53:19. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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