--- product_id: 5351379 title: "Kalamazoo Gals: A Story of Extraordinary Women & Gibson's \"Banner\" Guitars of WWII" price: "50888CFA" currency: XOF in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/5351379-kalamazoo-gals-a-story-of-extraordinary-women-and-gibsons-banner store_origin: SN region: Senegal --- # Kalamazoo Gals: A Story of Extraordinary Women & Gibson's "Banner" Guitars of WWII **Price:** 50888CFA **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Kalamazoo Gals: A Story of Extraordinary Women & Gibson's "Banner" Guitars of WWII - **How much does it cost?** 50888CFA with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sn](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/5351379-kalamazoo-gals-a-story-of-extraordinary-women-and-gibsons-banner) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Kalamazoo Gals: A Story of Extraordinary Women & Gibson's Banner Guitars of WWII [John Thomas, Jonathan Kellerman] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Kalamazoo Gals: A Story of Extraordinary Women & Gibson's Banner Guitars of WWII Review: Fun Vintage Guitar + American History, The Women Behind Gibson’s WWII Banner Guitars - Kalamazoo Gals by John Thomas is a great book for vintage guitar enthusiasts, anyone curious about why folks are so crazy about vintage guitars, anyone generally interested in the Gibson guitar company and its founding, and anyone interested in the culture and society of the U.S. home front during World War II. The author weaves the stories of the 1942 – 1945 Gibson “banner guitars,” the personal stories of the largely female workforce of the time, and the context of the wartime manufacturing regulations. Check out my in-depth YouTube video review ("Guitar Books Review #21: Kalamazoo Gals by John Thomas" by Joe McMurray) in which I objectively go through the book section by section. You can also hear the full review on "Guitar Books the Podcast" - Review #21. For context, I’m a professional player, teacher, author, and recording artist. This book does NOT teach you how to play the guitar - it is non-fiction novel. John Thomas put a tremendous amount of research into this book, making multiple trips to Kalamazoo, MI (where the Gibson factory was located). He presents his findings with a sense of humor, making for an enjoyable read. When many of the male employees at Gibson were sent off to fight in World War II, local women (the “Kalamazoo Gals”) stepped in to fill their shoes at the factory. Despite heavy wartime regulations and an inexperienced, largely female workforce, Gibson built some of its most revered guitars – the “Banner Gibsons.” Mysteriously, the Gibson company denies ever building these guitars! John Thomas sought out the Kalamazoo Gals for their first-hand accounts of working at the Gibson factory during WWII, and along the way he discovered their personal stories. He poured through old shipping ledgers to decode Gibson’s strange serial numbers system (or lack there-of) so that we can more accurately date these vintage guitars. He X-rays a bunch of Banner Gibsons to discover exactly what made these guitars special. Finally, he produced a musical album to capture the sounds of the Banner Gibsons. The early chapters of the book present the history of Orville Gibson and his founding of Gibson guitars in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As a guitar player, I was intrigued by the history of the company and how it is intertwined with American history. I had no idea that Orville Gibson was fond of gaudy pinstriped suits and built interesting instruments like harp guitars and lutes. I have a new respect for the company’s history having learned about how it scraped by during the depression, building both guitars and children’s toys, and how it aided the WWII effort by taking a bunch of contracts to build military weapons. You will gain a much deeper understanding of Gibson’s flattop guitar models and their histories. You will read the stories of several specific guitars that were owned by famous musicians including Buddy Holly and Woodie Guthrie. You may develop an itch to acquire a vintage guitar - the massive, resonant sounds of these guitars and the stories they carry are truly special. However, most importantly, you will hear the personal stories of some 15 or so Kalamazoo Gals. It is touching to follow along as John Thomas clearly develops meaningful relationships with these women throughout the course of his research and interviews. Be sure to check out the album, The Light Still Burns, by Lauren Sheehan and produced by John Thomas, to hear some of the Banner Gibsons in action! Review: Who Knew? - Extremely interesting book. Turns out those "pre-war" banjos and wartime guitars that are so prized were pretty much made by women. During WWII, the work force at Gibson in Kalamazoo, MI became almost entirely female -- the author works with what information there is (turns out Gibson kept very poor records for that period -- almost as if they didn't want the women to get any credit!) to make his case for that conclusion. Makes terrific sense to me, and there's no evidence at all that I can find to contradict it. One note: I am drawing the conclusion about banjos myself --it makes sense to me, and my own interest is in banjos rather than guitars. Mr. Thomas addresses only the famous "banner Gibson" guitars -- those were truly made *during* the war. "Pre-war" banjos generally were made from 38-39 through about '48 -- I've no idea why they are all called "pre-war". One of the things that struck me the most was that the author convinced folks at MI State University to run some tests on the instruments that he could find -- he wanted to find out if there was any basis in reality for a musician's perception that these instruments **really** are different than the instruments made just before and immediately after the war. And, lo and behold, it turns out there is! Frets filed a micro-meter finer, something just a bit thinner, more finely done. Since these instruments were tested by those that were verifiably made by an all-male crew, I found this quite interesting. A good deal of the book is given over to interviews of those women Mr. Thomas could still find to talk with. This makes the women, and what they contributed to the music industry, really come alive. I'm really glad he helped preserve this part of our history, as without a book like this, it would be lost (note above that the Gibson company itself kept very poor records). Before purchasing this book, I read some of the other reviews -- there are some who are critical that Mr. Thomas didn't find more women to interview -- I am not sure how that is his fault though! 50 years after the war, there were only so many left, and only so many who could be located! So he did what he could. There are also some who criticize him for thinking that the Banner Gibsons are/were such a prized instrument -- well that's not something he invented either. Certainly in the banjo world, a banjo made in that era is worth a lot of money -- and I've heard from guitarists that indeed these wartime instruments are quite special. When one of these guitars or banjos can sell for something in the 100's of thousands -- well Mr. Thomas isn't fantasizing. Personally, I would recommend this book. It's an important piece of our history, and the women should be given credit. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #850,841 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,564 in Guitars (Books) #1,711 in Music History & Criticism (Books) #2,044 in Women in History | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 181 Reviews | ## Images ![Kalamazoo Gals: A Story of Extraordinary Women & Gibson's "Banner" Guitars of WWII - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71nnrdKUhCL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fun Vintage Guitar + American History, The Women Behind Gibson’s WWII Banner Guitars *by J***Y on October 22, 2025* Kalamazoo Gals by John Thomas is a great book for vintage guitar enthusiasts, anyone curious about why folks are so crazy about vintage guitars, anyone generally interested in the Gibson guitar company and its founding, and anyone interested in the culture and society of the U.S. home front during World War II. The author weaves the stories of the 1942 – 1945 Gibson “banner guitars,” the personal stories of the largely female workforce of the time, and the context of the wartime manufacturing regulations. Check out my in-depth YouTube video review ("Guitar Books Review #21: Kalamazoo Gals by John Thomas" by Joe McMurray) in which I objectively go through the book section by section. You can also hear the full review on "Guitar Books the Podcast" - Review #21. For context, I’m a professional player, teacher, author, and recording artist. This book does NOT teach you how to play the guitar - it is non-fiction novel. John Thomas put a tremendous amount of research into this book, making multiple trips to Kalamazoo, MI (where the Gibson factory was located). He presents his findings with a sense of humor, making for an enjoyable read. When many of the male employees at Gibson were sent off to fight in World War II, local women (the “Kalamazoo Gals”) stepped in to fill their shoes at the factory. Despite heavy wartime regulations and an inexperienced, largely female workforce, Gibson built some of its most revered guitars – the “Banner Gibsons.” Mysteriously, the Gibson company denies ever building these guitars! John Thomas sought out the Kalamazoo Gals for their first-hand accounts of working at the Gibson factory during WWII, and along the way he discovered their personal stories. He poured through old shipping ledgers to decode Gibson’s strange serial numbers system (or lack there-of) so that we can more accurately date these vintage guitars. He X-rays a bunch of Banner Gibsons to discover exactly what made these guitars special. Finally, he produced a musical album to capture the sounds of the Banner Gibsons. The early chapters of the book present the history of Orville Gibson and his founding of Gibson guitars in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As a guitar player, I was intrigued by the history of the company and how it is intertwined with American history. I had no idea that Orville Gibson was fond of gaudy pinstriped suits and built interesting instruments like harp guitars and lutes. I have a new respect for the company’s history having learned about how it scraped by during the depression, building both guitars and children’s toys, and how it aided the WWII effort by taking a bunch of contracts to build military weapons. You will gain a much deeper understanding of Gibson’s flattop guitar models and their histories. You will read the stories of several specific guitars that were owned by famous musicians including Buddy Holly and Woodie Guthrie. You may develop an itch to acquire a vintage guitar - the massive, resonant sounds of these guitars and the stories they carry are truly special. However, most importantly, you will hear the personal stories of some 15 or so Kalamazoo Gals. It is touching to follow along as John Thomas clearly develops meaningful relationships with these women throughout the course of his research and interviews. Be sure to check out the album, The Light Still Burns, by Lauren Sheehan and produced by John Thomas, to hear some of the Banner Gibsons in action! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Who Knew? *by L***K on February 21, 2014* Extremely interesting book. Turns out those "pre-war" banjos and wartime guitars that are so prized were pretty much made by women. During WWII, the work force at Gibson in Kalamazoo, MI became almost entirely female -- the author works with what information there is (turns out Gibson kept very poor records for that period -- almost as if they didn't want the women to get any credit!) to make his case for that conclusion. Makes terrific sense to me, and there's no evidence at all that I can find to contradict it. One note: I am drawing the conclusion about banjos myself --it makes sense to me, and my own interest is in banjos rather than guitars. Mr. Thomas addresses only the famous "banner Gibson" guitars -- those were truly made *during* the war. "Pre-war" banjos generally were made from 38-39 through about '48 -- I've no idea why they are all called "pre-war". One of the things that struck me the most was that the author convinced folks at MI State University to run some tests on the instruments that he could find -- he wanted to find out if there was any basis in reality for a musician's perception that these instruments **really** are different than the instruments made just before and immediately after the war. And, lo and behold, it turns out there is! Frets filed a micro-meter finer, something just a bit thinner, more finely done. Since these instruments were tested by those that were verifiably made by an all-male crew, I found this quite interesting. A good deal of the book is given over to interviews of those women Mr. Thomas could still find to talk with. This makes the women, and what they contributed to the music industry, really come alive. I'm really glad he helped preserve this part of our history, as without a book like this, it would be lost (note above that the Gibson company itself kept very poor records). Before purchasing this book, I read some of the other reviews -- there are some who are critical that Mr. Thomas didn't find more women to interview -- I am not sure how that is his fault though! 50 years after the war, there were only so many left, and only so many who could be located! So he did what he could. There are also some who criticize him for thinking that the Banner Gibsons are/were such a prized instrument -- well that's not something he invented either. Certainly in the banjo world, a banjo made in that era is worth a lot of money -- and I've heard from guitarists that indeed these wartime instruments are quite special. When one of these guitars or banjos can sell for something in the 100's of thousands -- well Mr. Thomas isn't fantasizing. Personally, I would recommend this book. It's an important piece of our history, and the women should be given credit. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Golden book on the makers of some of the best Gibson acoustic guitars ever made *by P***L on January 23, 2025* One of those GOLDEN BOOKS - a must-read for Gibson acoustic guitar lovers! The amazing story of these Kalamazoo Gals in building some of the best of Gibson acoustic guitars during the WWII years. As an empirical social scientist I am also impressed with the qualitative empirical methods skills of lawyer-researcher-author John Thomas. Good social science research! I used it as an example for my doctoral students on qualitative empirical research methods. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sn/products/5351379-kalamazoo-gals-a-story-of-extraordinary-women-and-gibsons-banner](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/5351379-kalamazoo-gals-a-story-of-extraordinary-women-and-gibsons-banner) --- *Product available on Desertcart Senegal* *Store origin: SN* *Last updated: 2026-09-15*