In October of 2008, we traveled to Memphis, Tennessee and one of the places we stopped was the Gibson Guitar Factory. While we were there, we took the tour of the factory.
We don't always just stop at just historical or haunted places, we try to take in as many interesting places as possible. When the opportunity comes up to take a tour of a guitar factory, well of course we are in for that experiences.
The factory was located at 145 Lt. George W Lee Ave, Memphis, TN 38103, but unfortunately is is now permanently closed, as Gibson has decided to relocate this factory to Nashville.
During the tour, we were shown each stage of how they make the guitars. It was quite fascinating seeing the craftsmanship that goes into make each guitar by hand from scratch. The tour guides explained each step of the process as we walked through the factory.
After the factory tour, there is a hallway that leads from the factory floor out to the main foyer and of course to the gift shop. In that hallway there are many former designs of the guitars hanging on the way where were quite interesting to see.
Of course, there is always a gift shop; however, this gift shop is not just for little souvenirs. You can actually purchase a guitar directly from the Gibson factory. I had no intention of making a purchase, some of these guitars can get quite expensive. There was one guitar that did catch my eye, and I had to just sit down and take it for a test drive... and wow, what an amazing instrument.
After some debate back and forth for about 30 minutes or so, and with a confirmation with our credit card company, we did purchase this guitar and it was shipped home via FedEx. This indeed was the most expensive souvenir we have ever invested in, and will treasure it for a very long time. (Gibson Les Paul GT 2006, Blue with Blue Flames).
