Gibson has made great guitars, dabbled with sustainability, fallen foul of environmental trade rules and was often poorly managed.
Posts
Tall trees, tunnels and train robberies: recycling Redwood
Redwoods were extensively logged for structural timber and remaining stands are precious but vulnerable. Recycled redwood has stories to tell and music to make.
Admiring imperfection: enjoying “ordinary” treasures
Cheap Stella guitars from the 1920s-30s were made from local woods, were played by many well-known blues artists, and show the value of ordinary things.
A violin needs a bow
The best violin bows come from Pernambuco, an endangered Brazilian tree, bringing together musicians, instrument makers and conservationists.
Stradivari, Cremona and violin mystique
What makes classic violins made by Stradivari and others so good, and how is climate change relevant to this?
The house of a thousand guitars: on being obsessed
Guitars come in all shapes and forms, and enthusiastic obsession happens. This can be fun but can also result in too many guitars.
Trees that nobody loves: weedy guitars
Non-native plants can cause big problems everywhere, but are not always bad and can be put to use – guitars made from problem weeds.
And . . . what are we going to do about it?
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the issues facing humanity and the planet, but it’s important to find positive things that can be done.
Wheatbelt woodlands in Western Australia: loss, hope and a guitar
I worked in the woodlands in Western Australia for over 30 years and grew to love them. Despite past losses, much remains, and there is hope!
Re-use, recycle, repair, restore
Restoring things is fun and important. But deciding how – and how much – to restore is not always straightforward.