Factory tours

[cookieman15061]

I’m heading to Tennessee in a few weeks to visit family and was wondering if the Nashville Gibson factory still has tours?

Figure if I’m that close……..

[Whitefang]

That would be interesting.  I remember when I hired into Cadillac(in '71) they still had tours, but discontinued them a couple of years after I hired in.  But there'd likely be more safety issues with that in an auto factory, so I wouldn't be surprised if Gibson still had them.  I know they did when they were still in Kalamazoo.

Whitefang

[kelly campbell]

I toured that facility 9 years ago it is interesting.  I was just told yeasterday by a Gibson rep that a portion of the place is blocked off and shut down due to having to upgrade equipment for the  L models.  I would like to tour Bozeman.

 

[SteveFord]

What is an L model?

[sparquelito]

4 hours ago, SteveFord said:

What is an L model?

It's the new upgrade to the older K model. 

🤔

[sparquelito]

9 hours ago, cookieman15061 said:

I’m heading to Tennessee in a few weeks to visit family and was wondering if the Nashville Gibson factory still has tours?

Figure if I’m that close……..

There's always this:

https://www.gibson.com/en-US/garage

 

 

[fortyearspickn]

21 hours ago, Whitefang said:

That would be interesting.  I remember when I hired into Cadillac(in '71) they still had tours, but discontinued them a couple of years after I hired in.  But there'd likely be more safety issues with that in an auto factory, so I wouldn't be surprised if Gibson still had them.  I know they did when they were still in Kalamazoo.

Whitefang

".... just pretty, pretty Cadillacs with Tennessee plates"     A  John Hiatt classic !!

[fortyearspickn]

11 hours ago, sparquelito said:

There's always this:

https://www.gibson.com/en-US/garage

 

 

Hah !  The Gibson Garage !!       21st century answer to a factory tour  :  instead of seeing how they make the cars - they direct you to a car dealership.   Instead of kids going of a field trip to a farm - the teacher takes them down the street to a grocery store.  

[Whitefang]

I suppose one way that's a good idea is like taking the kids to a meat market instead of a slaughterhouse.    Although some kids might more enjoy the slaughterhouse.  

Whitefang

[fortyearspickn]

22 hours ago, Whitefang said:

I suppose one way that's a good idea is like taking the kids to a meat market instead of a slaughterhouse.    Although some kids might more enjoy the slaughterhouse.  

Whitefang

Yep.  I'm guessing if every kid was required by their school district to take a tour of a slaughterhouse -  half of them would be vegans before they got back on the bus.   Our youngest son saw some type of film clip in school of turkey processing - and wouldn't eat chicken or turkey for 20 years.   

But - factory tours of guitar making - I'd think that'd be big plus in terms of marketing.  Maybe just a well produced Video on Gibson's site here.  One for acoustics, one for electrics.  Equity, and all that ! 

[Whitefang]

An actual tour would also be educational.  Back in '82 or so Cadillac had it's first(and last) "Family celebration" day.  The day shift workers could bring their wives and kiddies in to see where Dad worked( or Mom, depending).  The afternoon shift  brought in theirs during the next day's day shift.  My younger daughter was astonished.  She didn't consider anything like the assembly line existed.  All she knew was I worked somewhere that they built cars.  She had a visual image of one huge room where one person would bring in one part of the car and all the others would also bring in one part and put one car together at a time.  I laughed when she told me that and I told her it sounded like how it all began for real.    Oh, and there were hot dogs and ice cream  on hand for the kids, and both my kids got the impression that what I did all day was eat hot dogs and ice cream and build one car at a time in one big room.  

Whitefang