Tag archive: Gibson

In what may initially seem like an unlikely pairing, American guitar maker Gibson has outlined a strategic partnership that , if approved, will have it making serious investments in consumer electronics giant Onkyo. According to a recent statement, Gibson intends to  purchase majority stake in Onkyo USA and become the second largest shareholder of Onkyo Japan. Gibson says the relationship will be mutually beneficial as it lends its marketing… Read More

In rock music, innovations take a long time. The first electric guitars that actually stayed in tune and worked well for stage performance were produced in the 1950s, and the basic design – fretboard, pick-ups, tuning knobs, a quarter-inch jack – has not changed much in the last 60 years. The Gibson Firebird X is the latest “digital guitar” that attempts to change some of the basic mechanics of a guitar. While you can play the instrument… Read More

Way back in 2007 Gibson rolled out its first “robot” guitar, featuring motorized tuners that could quickly tune up the instrument without much player intervention—and even switch between common tunings on the fly. Now, Gibson is on the verge of launching the Firebird X, the latest in its series of high tech instruments. And the guiltar-maker has thrown everything and the kitchen sink into this one: three mini-humbuckers, a… Read More

Monster and Gibson are known for their innovative musical accessories and instruments and this year at CES the two companies are busting out a ton of new gear for 2010. Monster and Gibson said their comprehensive lines of new products will be brought together by a shared corporate philosophy that can be summed up in the phrase: “Because the Music Matters.”

The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has issued a ruling that Activision's Guitar Hero franchise does not infringe on a 1999 Gibson patent covering simulating a musical performance using a 3D headset display and stereo speakers. As, it seems, with any legal action regarding guitar maker Gibson, the procedural path of the case has been rife with hiccups, mis-steps, and obstinacy, but the court has finally… Read More

Games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band might be planting the seeds for a whole new generation of musicians…and venerable guitar maker Gibson wants to be out there with technology that will appeal to the digital generation. To that end, the company has just introduced Dark Fire, a second-generation of its Robot Guitar product line—introduced a year ago and updated last April—that features a motorized tuner setup that can both… Read More

Gibson Guitar Corp.—the same company that makes the iconic Les Pau electric guitar—holds a patent that describes a concert simulation system whereby a user would wear a 3D, virtual-reality headset and pretend to participate in a music concert while playing their own musical instrument. The company filed for the patent in 1998 (it was granted in late 1999), and apparently filed in a drawer when the whole "VR" craze got… Read More

Guitar Hero franchise-holder Activision has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles seeking to establish that its popular game doesn't infringe on a 1999 patent held by Gibson Musical Instruments, the maker of classic electric guitar models like the Les Paul. Gibson's patent describes a system where a user would wear a 3D virtual reality headset and play along to a pre-recorded concert on a musical… Read More

From the Cirrus Logic press release: Two of the world's leading names in audio, chipmaker Cirrus Logic Inc. and music instrument pioneer Gibson Guitar Corp., have announced that they are teaming to pioneer a new age of digital networking products for use in musical instrument, professional audio and consumer electronics markets. Gibson announced that they intend to use Cirrus Logic chips and technology for the development of… Read More