Now, 55 years after it was shot, Gibson has finally released the footage to the public via its YouTube channel. You can see it for yourself above.
Over the course of 20 minutes, the film shows viewers just about every step of the guitar build process – from its beginning as a nondescript piece of wood to the final quality checks the finished instrument endured before leaving the factory.
Toward its end, the film also touches on Gibson’s guitar amp and pickup divisions, and shows how the company made its acoustic and electric guitar strings at the time.
Interestingly, because it was shot in 1967, Instrument of the People doesn’t feature a single Les Paul. It would be another year before the legendary model returned to the Gibson catalog, after its iconic single-cut design was axed in favor of the SG in 1961 and discontinued.
The band rocking out at near the end of the video in matching sports jackets are a hoot: