The Gibson Guitar Company

 By Bruce Shawkey

Found this catalog, circa 1919, from the Gibson Guitar Company, of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Gibson Guitar Corporation, founded by Orville Gibson, has a rich history rooted in innovation and craftsmanship, evolving from a mandolin-focused company to a dominant force in the guitar industry. From its early days in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to its current headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, Gibson has consistently shaped the sounds of music across genres.

Most curious, at least to me, is their manufacture of mandolins. Here is a plate from that catalog:



The catalog advertises a wide selection of mandolins, mandolas, msndo-cellos, mando-basses guitars, and harp-guitars, instruments virtually unknown today, with the exception of the mandolin.

A mandolin orchestra, quite popular in the early 1900s, was an orchestra consisting primarily of instruments from the mandolin family of instruments, such as the mandolin, mandola, mandocello and mandobass or mandolone. Some mandolin orchestras use guitars and double-basses instead of, or as well as, the lower mandolin-family instruments.

Here is a photo of such an orchestra:

The Mandolin "Estudiantina" of Mayenne, France around 1900 when Mandolin orchestras were at the height of their popularity.



Here are some pages from the catalog:








There are few original recordings of mandolin orchestras,  but here is one from YouTube:









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