Gibson walking from Memphis as hollowbody production moves to Nashville

(Image credit: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)

Following plans to sell its iconic Memphis factory last year, Gibson has announced it will relocate Memphis guitar production to Nashville.

“After thorough evaluation and amid the previously disclosed April 2019 expiration of our Memphis lease, we have determined that integrating the company’s Memphis operations with our Gibson USA and Gibson Custom facilities in Nashville, where Gibson is headquartered, is the right next step for our business,” the company said in a statement posted on Commercial Appeal.

That’s in contrast to the company’s statements last year, which indicated Gibson was seeking to “move nearby to a more appropriate location for our manufacturing based business”.

Gibson’s Memphis factory produces the company’s hollowbody and semi-hollow ES guitars, and employs 65 staff, some of whom will be offered the opportunity to relocate to Nashville.

This marks one of the first major business moves since former Levi’s CEO James ‘JC’ Curleigh took over the embattled guitar co, which filed for bankruptcy back in May.

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.