The sound of American music has passed through Kalamazoo in ways most people never realize. Along Parsons Street, the old Gibson factory at 225 Parsons Street once helped shape the future of electric guitars, with instruments crafted by hand inside a building now steeped in rock, blues, and jazz history.
Today, Heritage Guitars keeps that legacy alive in the same historic space, carrying forward the kind of craftsmanship that still feels personal, precise, and deeply connected to the music it serves. Walking through these doors is not just a factory visit.
It is a step into a living piece of Michigan music history, where wood, wire, skill, and sound still come together every day.
The Building That Started It All
Long before Heritage Guitars occupied this address, the factory at 225 Parsons Street in Kalamazoo was the beating heart of Gibson’s electric guitar production. Gibson moved operations to Nashville in 1984, but a group of dedicated craftsmen refused to walk away from the building or the trade they had spent their careers mastering…