Guitar
Maker
Gibson
Date1915
Place MadeKalamazoo, Michigan, United States, North America
ModelStyle O Artist
Serial No.22768
SignedPlain paper label printed with black oval outline and letters, visible through soundhole: Patented Feb. 1 ’98 / “ March 30, ’06 / Other Patents Pending / Gibson Guitar (handwritten) Style O (handwritten) / Number 22768 (handwritten) is hereby / GUARANTEED / against faulty workmanship or material. Should / this instrument, with proper care and usage, go wrong, / we agree to repair it free of charge at our factory, or . to replace it with another of same style or value. / GIBSON MANDOLIN– GUITAR CO. / (Manufacturer) / Kalamazoo, Mich., U. S. A.MarkingsStamped in black ink, inside guitar, near where neck is attached: 2416
Stamped on the pickguard: PAT. MAR, 30, ‘09
Stamped on the metal arm of the pickgaurd, on the side of guitar: PAT. JULY 4, 1911
Stamped on the tailpiece, near the bottom: PAT APPLIED FOR
DescriptionGibson’s Style O Artist introduced a scrolled upper rib, like those found on the company’s mandolins and harp-guitars. While this scrolled design allowed the guitar to fit into the cohesive look of the all “Gibson-ite” ensembles of the period, the cutaway was also a significant step toward facilitating the performance of more virtuosic music on the instrument. By the time that NMM 10051 was made, the guitar was a firm member of the Gibson mandolin orchestra, though still in the shadow of the mandolin itself, as a solo instrument.
DimensionsHeight: 990 mm (39 in)
Diameter of soundhole top to bottom: 73.5 mm (2.8 in)
Diameter of soundhole side to side: 107 mm (4.2 in)
Upper bout width: 298 mm (11.75 in)
Lower bout width: 400 mm (15.75 in)
Fingerboard length: 465 mm (18 3/8)
Vibrating string length: 622 (24.5 in)
ProvenancePurchased from Gruhn Guitars, Nashville, Tennessee, 2001.
Published References“Recent Acquisitions,” National Music Museum Newsletter 29, No. 1 (February 2002), p.
6.
Credit LineBoard of Trustees, 2001
Object number10051
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