Monday September 8th, 2003

Chat with Erik Sullivan of Gibson's Original Acoustic Instruments this Wednesday

Erik Sullivan from Gibson's Original Acoustic Instruments (OAI) division will be online this Wednesday, Sept. 10 at noon CT to answer questions about everything from the new Doyle Lawson and Phil Leadbetter Signature instruments to what's new at Gibson's Bluegrass Showcase in Nashville where visitors can watch skilled craftsmen at work handmaking Gibson mandolins, banjos and Dobros. The 30,000-square-foot facility, located in the Opry Mills Mall near the Grand Ole Opry, houses a live performance venue, a retail store with instruments and Gibson wear, a restaurant and the headquarters of Gibson's OAI division.

Sullivan is production manager for OAI and oversees the entire operation. He has hand-crafted banjos for Gibson and performed quality control and final assembly. The Northern California native cut his teeth on bluegrass in his father's band, the Dusty Road Boys, playing the festival circuit from the ages of 8-19. As a guitarist, he played with several bluegrass bands and has released three solo instrumental albums for Karma King

Visit www.gibson.com on Wednesday, Sept. 10, to access the chat.