In 1944, Gibson was bought by Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI), which was acquired in 1969 by Panama-based conglomerate Ecuadorian Company Limited (ECL), that changed its name in the same year to Norlin Corporation.

In November 2018, the company was acquired by a group of investors led by private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR).

On May 1, 2018, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection,[12] and announced a restructuring plan to return to profitability by closing down unprofitable consumer electronics divisions such as Gibson Innovations.

[15][16] In January 2020, the company launched Gibson TV, an online television network focused on guitars and music culture.

Musician-writer Walter Carter called the next two decades "The Guy Hart Era" and spelled it out in his definitive history of the company:.

During the global economic depression of the 1930s Hart "kept the company in business and kept the paychecks coming for the workers," in part by introducing a line of high-quality wooden toys.

Then in the 1940s he led the company through World War II by converting the factory to wartime production, winning an Army-Navy "E" award for excellence.

"Women produced nearly 25,000 guitars during World War II yet Gibson denied ever building instruments over this period", according to a 2013 history of the company.

Similar in size to the hollow-body Thinlines, the ES-335 family had a solid center, giving the string tone a longer sustain.

In the 1950s, Gibson also produced the Tune-o-matic bridge system and its version of the humbucking pickup, the PAF ("Patent Applied For"), first released in 1957 and still sought after for its sound.

[citation needed] In 1958, Gibson produced two new designs: the eccentrically shaped Explorer and Flying V. These "modernistic" guitars did not sell well initially.

In the late 1950s, McCarty knew that Gibson was seen as a traditional company and began an effort to create more modern guitars.

"[29] On December 22, 1969, Gibson parent company Chicago Musical Instruments was taken over by the South American brewing conglomerate ECL.

[32] In mid-2009, Gibson reduced its work force to adjust for a decline in guitar industry sales in the United States.

Since its opening, the Gibson Memphis shop mostly focused on building hollow and semi-hollowbody guitars, such as the famed ES series.

[52][53] A second raid was conducted in August 2011,[52] during which the FWS seized wood imports from India that had been mislabeled on the US Customs declaration.

[54][55] Gibson Guitar Corp. filed a motion in January 2011 to recover seized materials and overturn the charges, which was denied by the court.

It filed a civil proceeding in June 2011,[55][58][59] the first such case under the amended Lacey Act, which requires importing companies to purchase legally harvested wood and follow the environmental laws of the producing countries regardless of corruption or lack of enforcement.

[54][60] Arguing against the federal regulations and claiming that the move threatened jobs, Republicans and Tea Party members spoke out against the raids and supported Juszkiewicz.

[61] The case was settled on August 6, 2012, with Gibson admitting to violating the Lacey Act and agreeing to pay a fine of $300,000 in addition to a $50,000 community payment.

[66] In the midst of the controversy, commentators stated that the raid was a politically motivated act of retaliation by the Obama administration, as Juszkiewicz had frequently donated to Republican politicians.

Though Martin featured several guitars in its catalog made with the same Indian wood as Gibson, but with correct documentation filed, the company was not subjected to a raid.

[67] Gibson filed a lawsuit November 18, 2010, in Federal court, the Central District of California, against WowWee USA and its Paper Jamz battery-operated guitar toys, charging trademark infringement.

On December 21, 2010, Gibson was granted a request for an injunction against WowWee and retailers in the United States which were selling Paper Jamz guitars: Walmart, Amazon, Big Lots stores, Kmart Corporation, Target Corporation, Toys "R" Us, Walgreens, Brookstone, Best Buy, eBay, Toywiz.com, and Home Shopping Network (HSN)[70][71][72] The case was dismissed with prejudice (dismissed permanently) January 11, 2011 by Federal Judge R. Gary Klausner.

[75] German manufacturer Warwick was sued by Gibson with the claim that one of the models sold under the 'Framus' brand imitated the Flying V and that customers were being misled due to this.

The artists collaborations for the relaunched Kramer Guitar includes Tracii Guns 'Gunstar Voyager,' the Charlie Parra 'Vanguard' and the Dave Sabo 'Snake-Baret.

[92] Gibson has long made authorized copies of its most successful guitar designs, under the Epiphone brand name.

[95][clarification needed] In 2003,[97] Gibson debuted its Ethernet-based[98] audio protocol, MaGIC, which it developed in partnership with 3Com, Advanced Micro Devices, and Xilinx.

[97] Replacing traditional analog hook-ups with a digital connection to "satisfy the unique requirements of live audio performances".

Until 2019, Semi-acoustic guitars, such as the Gibson ES Series, were made in Memphis, Tennessee, but that operation moved to Nashville during the company's restructuring as they emerged from bankruptcy protection.