FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2023-4 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (January 6, 2023) – In this edition of Steve Kovacs Fun with Maps, we learn a little guitar history, and no, I, Chuck Gibson, am not related to the founding family.             

FLYING V

Guitars are integral to modern music.  And the premier brand of guitars is Gibson.

Orville Gibson founded the Gibson Company in Michigan in 1894.  After a series of owners over the years, Gibson moved where much of the music action is – Nashville, Tennessee. 

The marquee sub-brand of the Gibson line is Les Paul, introduced in 1952, and bears the name of a then popular musician.

On January 6, 1958, 65 years ago, Gibson introduced a radical new electric guitar, the Flying V.  It is V-shaped, hence the name.  It was not a success initially.  Its production was on, then off until 1967, when continuous production started to this day.  Many rock musicians play or played the Flying V, including famously Jimmy Hendrix (left handed configuration). 

This map of Nashville is by Cram, issued 4 years prior to the founding of Gibson Guitars.  The map is presented orienting south towards the top as the title is upside down versus the rest of the lettering on the map.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.