Gibson Brands, Inc. is an American manufacturer of musical instruments based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was found in 1902 by Orville Gibson.
Gibson created the archtop guitar, modelled on the,arched tops used on violins. By the 1930s, the company was also making flattop acoustic guitars and hollow-body electric guitars. Chicago Musical Instruments bought the company in 1944, which was then acquired by the E.C.L. conglomerate that changed its name to Norlin Inc. In 1986, the company's present owners, Henry Juszkiewicz and its president David H. Berryman acquired it and it is now a thriving and successful brand, building one of the world's most iconic guitars, the Gibson Les Paul, among many other highly collectible instruments.