FedEx considered taking over … Great articles of music and audio without ads. to stop all non-essential Nashville business, Iconic guitar brand Gibson vows to 'stay true' to historic roots after bankruptcy, Gibson is donating guitars to musicians who lost instruments in Tennessee tornadoes. Oh those pesky conglomerates: a big tangle of brands with each one on the chopping block if they don’t perform. Additionally, Gibson executives will work remotely, and the company has closed its Bozeman, Montana, facility as a preventative measure, though neither Bozeman nor Montana government officials have called on non-essential businesses to close down. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. As one who lived in Memphis for 25 years, I can vouch for the longstanding, bitter rivalry between the two cities. Speaking of the decision to halt U.S. operations and support employees, Gibson CEO James “JC” Curleigh said, “I am proud of the way our teams have responded, and we now shift our focus to supporting each other to get through this together.”. Hell, maybe this is all just me getting old. For people who are not aware the Gibson Memphis factory is now closed and is going to be part of the fedex group, Gibson guitars are now built in Nashville with no tours available Regular readers of Copper, and especially of Industry News, have no doubt noticed that Ye Increasingly-Olde Editor has an obsessive streak big enough to be seen from space. Doctors have diagnosed approximately 340,000 worldwide COVID-19 cases. An employee works at the Gibson factory in Nashville, Tenn. on Thursday Dec. 19, 2019. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a pandemic. He does not intend to go quietly. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a pandemic. Gibson plans to pay factory employees a $1,000 stipend for the two week closure. I can’t imagine that Memphians will view Gibson’s departure as anything but the latest insult from the more-affluent city. It’s not as though there’s a playbook. It now appears that Memphis production of semi-hollowbody guitars will be shut down completely, moved to the main factory four hours east on I-40, in Nashville. Last week, the Recording Academy and MusiCares donated $2 million to COVID-19 relief, and over the weekend, Rihanna and her charity, the Clara Lionel Foundation, pledged $5 million to help medical professionals and coronavirus sufferers. How to License Your Music Directly From Your Website & Win, This Is the Real Difference Between Rap and Hip Hop, “My Whole Source of Income Just Disappeared” — How Two Musicians Are Dealing With Cancelled Concerts, What Does It Take to Succeed In Songwriting? The Journal of Music and Audio is a free online magazine delivered every other week. Several employees will have the opportunity to relocate to Nashville to continue to work for Gibson, the company said. At this point, what remains to be said about this whole tangled mess? You can also subscribe without commenting. There were no known coronavirus, or COVID-19, cases among employees at the time of closure, said J.C. Curleigh, Gibson CEO and president. The Les Paul and SG model guitar maker operates facilities in Nashville and Bozeman, Montana. Gibson still retains Cerwin-Vega, Stanton, and KRK monitors, but most of its other holdings in consumer audio companies are gone. to stop all non-essential Nashville business, Iconic guitar brand Gibson vows to 'stay true' to historic roots after bankruptcy, Gibson is donating guitars to musicians who lost instruments in Tennessee tornadoes, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. A complete list of "essential" businesses can be found at asafenashville.org/safer-at-home-order. Gibson Set to Sell Memphis Guitar Factory. Start the day smarter. The Nashville health order, called "Safer At Home Order," attempts to curb spreading of the coronavirus. Workers plug away on the production line at the Gibson Guitar Factory in Downtown Memphis Thursday, Nov. 29. Gibson CEO JC Curleigh poses at the Gibson factory showroom in Nashville, Tenn. on Thursday Dec. 19, 2019. There were no known coronavirus, or COVID-19, cases among employees at the time of closure, said J.C. Curleigh, Gibson CEO and president. The Montana-based Gibson facility, which manufactures acoustic guitars, also closed Friday. He has been in and out of the audio business for over 40 years, and each time he returns to it, he becomes more cynical. Due to COVID-19, Gibson closed international showrooms in the U.K., Japan, Europe and domestic stores in Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin, Texas, and Nashville. Call your doctor and stay home if you are sick.
If you continue surfing the site, you agree to the. More: Gibson is donating guitars to musicians who lost instruments in Tennessee tornadoes. Tennessean reporter Jamie McGee contributed to this story. Agencies anticipate widespread transmission will occur in the U.S. in coming months and recommend social distancing among other measures to slow the spread. Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. Get more information at CDC.gov/coronavirus or contact the Tennessee Department of Health coronavirus information line at 877-857-2945 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT daily. News and Reviews; Gibson brands is set to relocate its Memphis operations to a smaller location and plans to sell the massive facility that it currently calls home. Discover The Old Gibson Guitar Factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan: The Kalamazoo factory has 100 years of instrument-making, and one big wartime secret. In addition to the Nashville factory, which makes solid electric guitars, Gibson also has a factory in Bozeman, Montana, where its acoustic guitars are produced. Get more information at CDC.gov/coronavirus or contact the Tennessee Department of Health coronavirus information line at 877-857-2945 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT daily. Gibson’s factories had been operating until last Friday, per the press release, during which time employees implemented a number of sanitization measures. The Montana-based Gibson facility, which manufactures acoustic guitars, also closed Friday.

The Memphis factory employs about 65 people. In the late 1970s, a band named Stillwater came out with a song named -Mindbender "My Daddy was a Gibson.My Mama was a Fender That's why they call me Mindbender" about a guitar that could talk.
Wood that will be used to make guitars is stacked up at the Gibson factory in Nashville, Tenn. on Thursday, Dec.19, 2019. Coordinates. Gibson sold the Gibson Guitar Factory building in Downtown Memphis last December to Somera Road, a New York-based investment company. Gibson Brands Inc. announced Friday it is moving its Memphis guitar production to Nashville by April. Your email address will not be published. Desiree Stennett can be reached at desiree.stennett@commercialappeal.com, 901-529-2738 or on Twitter: @desi_stennett.

Gibson confirmed a temporary closure … It Starts With the Winning Pitch, Want Your Music In a Major Gaming Series? This song may have started the SuperStrat battle, but in the … In Nashville, Gibson employs about 350 to 400 factory workers and about another 120 in a Nashville-based custom guitar shop. © 2020 PS Audio - Boulder, Colorado, USA, Keith Richards Will Still Be Here When You Are Gone, Tom Fine: New Mercury Living Presence Analog Releases Part 2. Gibson will move its Memphis guitar production to its Nashville factory by April, the company confirmed Monday.