The Evolution of the Gibson Logo

September 25, 2020 3 min read

The Evolution of the Gibson Logo

The other day, I was going through a box of old papers when I came across a high-school exercise. Emblazoned across the front cover was a lovingly recreated version of the iconic Gibson logo drawn in biro. Knowing my teenage self, that Gibson logo probably took most of a math lesson to render.  

The Gibson logo is iconic. It’s made its way from guitar headstocks to just about everything; t-shirts, coffee mugs, beanie hats and keychains.

But, the Gibson logo didn’t just magically appear. It originally looked very different, evolving over decades into the version we recognize today.

In this article, I’m taking a dive into the history of the Gibson logo and the many revisions it went through.

Part One: 1900s – 1940s

The inaugural version of the Gibson logo can be traced back to 1908, when Gibson first used a seal inside their instruments. This one is executed in a calligraphic type-face, with elegant italicized lettering; setting a trend that would continue until the 1940s. 

Notably, those early guitars weren’t just any old Gibson. They were “The” Gibson according to the headstock. While there’s something quite appealing about your instrument being the definitive article, it’s strange to see it presented that way in today’s context. 

“The Gibson” logo was originally slanted on the headstock, but by the late 1920s, inlaying it straight became the standard practice.

Then, in the mid-1930s, Gibson dropped the “The”, bringing us one step closer to the iconic logo we know today. 

The calligraphic type face remained thin until the late 1930s, when it was beefed up a bit. It was a combination that was bolder and stronger than its elegant predecessor. Then, by the mid-1940s, it was once again slanted, this time at an angle we’d recognize from the modern Gibson logo.

Part Two: 1940s – 1980s 

In 1947, the Gibson logo underwent its most radical change. The result was the birth of the classic emblem, which has served as the base for Gibson logo designs ever since.

The old-style calligraphy was gone. In its place was a modern block-style typeface for a brave new post-war world. While recognizably Gibson at this point, there are still some notable differences between this version and the ones that would follow. Notice the curvature on the G and the open “b” and “o.”

By 1951, a couple of significant revisions were made. The lettering became slightly slanted, while the dot of the “i” – which was previously linked to the “G” – became separated. A further revision came in 1967 with the implementation of a squared typeface on the wordmark. At this point, the “b” and the “o” were once again closed off, while the dot above the “i” disappeared.

Five years later, in 1972, the dot was reinstated. Then, finally, in 1981, the Gibson logo that we know today was introduced. The “b” and “o” were opened up again, and the letter “n” was now connected to the top of the “o.”

It took seventy-three years for the Gibson logo as we know it to materialise… I suspect that high school students will be emblazoning it across their exercise books for decades to come.

Are you a Gibson player? Do you remember getting your first Gibson instrument? And what’s your favourite iteration of the logo? Share your stories in the comments. 



Also in Fingerboard Stories

A Beginner’s Guide to Open D Tuning
A Beginner’s Guide to Open D Tuning

September 26, 2023 4 min read

As promised at the end of that post, we would dive next into the world of Open D tuning, another favourite among many guitar players. Open D (and its variants of Open C and Open E) have been used by the likes of Derek Trucks, Joey Landreth, Stone Gossard, Neil Young and a plethora of other players.
What To Do When You Get The Call
What To Do When You Get The Call

September 19, 2023 5 min read

One of the last times I did a hired-gun gig for a house band, I got a call at around 7:30 a.m. on a Friday in February 2023. It was Shawn Sasyniuk (drummer/multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire and all-around great dude), asking if I was busy the following weekend and if I happened to be available for a couple of days. The guitarist that he originally wanted for a house band at a gig backing up several artists was no longer available to do it and he needed someone to fill the spot.
When You Need A Reminder
When You Need A Reminder

September 12, 2023 5 min read

You can however argue that Tyler Childers is way more “country” than the majority of Country artists on Top 40 radio. Songs from his album Purgatory sound like they belong in the same set as Hank Williams and George Strait, rather than Florida Georgia Line and Jellyroll. To my ears, what Childers is doing is Country Music in its most traditional and identifiable forms.