As Gibson Brands Inc. targets an exit from chapter 11 protection later this year, the iconic guitar maker plans a return to traditional guitars after an ill-fated attempt at computerizing them and possibly a foray into ukuleles, CEO Henry Juszkiewicz told Reuters yesterday. Nashville-based Gibson, the maker of guitars played by the likes of B.B. King and Slash, filed for chapter 11 protection in May with roughly $500 million in debt and a plan to reorganize its musical instrument business under the new ownership of its lenders. Juszkiewicz said that he was examining ways Gibson could expand its appeal beyond its pricey guitar models, which include the Les Paul and SG, to entice younger players and female players. He is also considering capitalizing on an industry-wide boom in sales of ukuleles, the small-bodied Hawaiian instrument. While the company sells some so-called ukes under its lower-priced Epiphone brand, Gibson has not made one under its flagship brand since the 1930s, and Juszkiewicz said Gibson would “absolutely” consider a return to that business.
