Craftsmen have been making guitars and stringed instruments in Kalamazoo for more than 100 years.
That is being celebrated Friday and Saturday, Sept. 8 and 9, at the epicenter of that work here, the 225 Parsons St. building.
The building, which is home to Heritage Guitar Inc., is also the original home of Gibson Guitars, which built guitars and mandolins that have been the preferred instruments of many famous musicians since the 1950s. Over the years, the factory has attracted lots of famous musicians, primarily to collect instruments that were made for them.
The historic, three-story portion of the Parsons Street structure, which was expanded over the years, was home to Gibson for 82 years before it stopped production here in 1984 and relocated to Nashville, Tenn.
Guitar-making continued at the factory, however, done by several of the skilled guitar-makers who opted not to relocate. They formed Heritage Guitar in 1985 and have continued to make hand-crafted instruments that are finding more customers as marketing and sales efforts grow.
For the full article, see Al Jones, “Heritage Guitar to celebrate 100 years of guitar-making in Kalamazoo“, MLive, September 7, 2017.