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Chicago Musical Instruments

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</style><table class="infobox ib-company vcard"><caption class="infobox-title fn org" style="font-size: 125%;">Chicago Musical Instruments Company</caption><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image ib-company-logo logo"></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Formerly</th><td class="infobox-data nickname">Martin Band Instrument of Chicago</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Industry</th><td class="infobox-data category"><a href="Musical_instruments" class="mw-redirect" title="Musical instruments">Musical instruments</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Founded</th><td class="infobox-data">April 1920 (1920-04) in <a href="Chicago%2C_Illinois" class="mw-redirect" title="Chicago, Illinois">Chicago, Illinois</a>, United States</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Founder</th><td class="infobox-data agent">Maurice H. Berlin</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Defunct</th><td class="infobox-data">1988 (1988)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Successor</th><td class="infobox-data">Norlin Corporation</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="Subsidiary" title="Subsidiary">Subsidiaries</a></th><td class="infobox-data">

<ul><li><a href="Gibson_Guitar_Corporation" class="mw-redirect" title="Gibson Guitar Corporation">Gibson Guitar Company</a> (1944–1986)</li>

<li><a href="Epiphone" title="Epiphone">Epiphone</a> (1957–1986)</li>

<li><a href="Lowrey_organ" title="Lowrey organ">Lowrey Organ Company</a> (1955-1984)</li>

<li>Cordovox electronic accordions</li>

<li>William Lewis & Son Co.</li>

<li>Krauth & Benninghofen</li>

<li><a href="Moog_Music" title="Moog Music">Moog Music</a> (1973-1983)</li>

<li><a href="Henri_Selmer_Paris#Selmer_UK" title="Henri Selmer Paris">Selmer UK</a></li></ul>

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Chicago Musical Instruments Co. (CMI), later known as Norlin Music, was a <a href="Manufacturing_company" class="mw-redirect" title="Manufacturing company">manufacturer</a> and distributor of <a href="Musical_instrument" title="Musical instrument">musical instruments</a>, accessories, and equipment, which at times had controlling interests in <a href="Gibson_Guitar_Corporation" class="mw-redirect" title="Gibson Guitar Corporation">Gibson</a> Guitars (1944 to 1969), <a href="Standel" title="Standel">Standel</a>, <a href="Lowrey_organ" title="Lowrey organ">Lowrey</a>, <a href="F._E._Olds" title="F. E. Olds">F. E. Olds & Son</a> (brass instruments), <a href="William_Lewis_%26_Son_Co." title="William Lewis & Son Co.">William Lewis & Son Co.</a> (stringed instruments), Krauth & Beninghoften, L.D. Heater Music Company,<a href="#cite_note-1">[1]</a> <a href="Epiphone_Guitars" class="mw-redirect" title="Epiphone Guitars">Epiphone</a> Guitars, Selmer UK, <a href="Moog_Music" title="Moog Music">Moog</a>, and other musical instrument brands. In the mid-1970s, the company was the largest manufacturer of musical instruments in the United States.<a href="#cite_note-Luxenberg-2">[2]</a>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2></div>

Originally founded by Maurice H. Berlin in April, 1920 as Martin Band Instrument Company of Chicago, the company changed its name to Chicago Musical Instrument Co. three years later.<a href="#cite_note-WienerL-3">[3]</a><a href="#cite_note-4">[4]</a>

In 1944, CMI took over controlling interests and marketing of the <a href="Gibson_(guitar_company)" title="Gibson (guitar company)">Gibson</a> Guitar Company,<a href="#cite_note-5">[5]</a><a href="#cite_note-6">[6]</a> then known as Gibson Inc. CMI expanded Gibson's Kalamazoo, MI, plant at 225 Parsons Street by 15,000 square feet in 1945, and changed the logo on Gibson headstocks in 1947. In 1949 CMI appointed as president of Gibson <a href="Ted_McCarty" title="Ted McCarty">Ted McCarty</a>, who would lead Gibson until 1966, overseeing many classic Gibson guitar designs, such as the <a href="Gibson_Les_Paul" title="Gibson Les Paul">Les Paul</a>, the <a href="Gibson_ES-335" title="Gibson ES-335">ES-335</a>, the <a href="Gibson_SG" title="Gibson SG">SG</a>, and others.

Shortly after World War II ended and U.S. restrictions on the manufacture of musical instruments were lifted, CMI acquired brasswind manufacturer F. E. Olds & Son.<a href="#cite_note-Edwards-7">[7]</a>

In 1955, CMI acquired <a href="Lowrey_organ" title="Lowrey organ">Lowrey Organ Company</a>.<a href="#cite_note-8">[8]</a>

CMI acquired <a href="Epiphone" title="Epiphone">Epiphone</a> Guitars, a former competitor of Gibson's, in 1957.<a href="#cite_note-9">[9]</a> The Epiphone name brand came to be used largely for marketing budget versions of classic Gibson designs, originally made in the Kalamazoo plant but since the 1970s in Asia.

<a href="Effects_unit" title="Effects unit">Guitar effects</a> were produced under the Maestro brand, beginning with the <a href="Maestro_FZ-1_Fuzz-Tone" title="Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone">FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone</a> in 1962,<a href="#cite_note-Dregni_(Fuzz-Tone)-10">[10]</a> and later including the <a href="Tom_Oberheim" title="Tom Oberheim">Tom Oberheim</a>-designed RM-1A Ring Modulator and PS-1 Phase Shifter.<a href="#cite_note-11">[11]</a>

In 1964, CMI purchased brass instrument manufacturer <a href="F.A._Reynolds" title="F.A. Reynolds">F.A. Reynolds Company</a> and merged the F.A. Reynolds and F.E. Olds production lines.<a href="#cite_note-Edwards-7">[7]</a>

In 1969 Ecuadorian Company Limited (ECL), a <a href="Panama" title="Panama">Panama</a>-based <a href="Holding_company" title="Holding company">holding company</a>, acquired a majority of CMI shares, and the two companies merged in July of that year.<a href="#cite_note-12">[12]</a> ECL was renamed Norlin Corporation (a <a href="Portmanteau" class="mw-redirect" title="Portmanteau">portmanteau</a> of the names Norton Stevens of ECL and Arnold Berlin of CMI;<a href="#cite_note-13">[13]</a> Stevens and Berlin were friends and classmates at the <a href="Harvard_Business_School" title="Harvard Business School">Harvard Business School</a>).<a href="#cite_note-14">[14]</a>

In 1973, Norlin purchased <a href="Moog_Music" title="Moog Music">Moog Music</a>.<a href="#cite_note-Luxenberg-2">[2]</a> That year, with annual sales of more than $120 million, Norlin was the largest seller of musical instruments in the US, with the Norlin Music division accounting for more than two-thirds of Norlin Corporation's total sales at the time.<a href="#cite_note-WienerL-3">[3]</a><a href="#cite_note-Luxenberg-2">[2]</a>

In January 1984, Norlin became the target of a hostile takeover, and sold off Lowrey Organ in October of that year, followed by Gibson in early 1986.<a href="#cite_note-15">[15]</a>

<ul><li><a href="Gibson_Kalamazoo_Electric_Guitar" class="mw-redirect" title="Gibson Kalamazoo Electric Guitar">Gibson Kalamazoo Electric Guitar</a></li></ul>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>

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</style><cite id="CITEREFWhite,_Forrest(1994)" class="citation book cs1">White, Forrest (1994). Fender: The Inside Story. Backbeat Books. p. 182.</cite> (White's book quotes a January 1990 issue of <a href="The_Music_Trades_(magazine)" class="mw-redirect" title="The Music Trades (magazine)">Music Trade</a> magazine, which lists "Lowrey, Gibson, Olds, William Lewis, Krauth & Beninghofen, L.D. Heater, and several other smaller divisions" as being operated by CMI.)

</li>

<li id="cite_note-Luxenberg-2">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Luxenberg_2-0">a</a> <a href="#cite_ref-Luxenberg_2-1">b</a> <a href="#cite_ref-Luxenberg_2-2">c</a> <cite id="CITEREFLuxenberg1978" class="citation news cs1">Luxenberg, Stan (23 April 1978). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/23/archives/norlin-seeks-to-scale-up-profits-a-blend-of-music-and-electronics.html">"Norlin Seeks to Scale Up Profits"</a>. The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2023.</cite>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-WienerL-3">^ <a href="#cite_ref-WienerL_3-0">a</a> <a href="#cite_ref-WienerL_3-1">b</a> <cite id="CITEREFWiener1974" class="citation news cs1">Wiener, Leonard (11 February 1974). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.newspapers.com/article/30798019/norlin_and_cmi/">"Norlin - organs to flugel horns"</a>. Retrieved 2023-07-20.</cite>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-4"><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a> <cite id="CITEREFDuchossoir,_A.R.(1998)" class="citation book cs1">Duchossoir, A.R. (1998). Gibson Electrics: The Classic Years: An Illustrated History from the Mid-30s to the Mid-60s. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 27.</cite>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-5"><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a> <a href="#CITEREFDuchossoir,_A.R.(1998)">Duchossoir, A.R. & (1998)</a>, p. 27

</li>

<li id="cite_note-6"><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a> <cite id="CITEREFAchard1999" class="citation book cs1">Achard, Ken (1999). The History and Development of the American Guitar. The Bold Strummer. p. 189.</cite>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-Edwards-7">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Edwards_7-0">a</a> <a href="#cite_ref-Edwards_7-1">b</a> <cite id="CITEREFEdwards" class="citation web cs1">Edwards, ElShaddai. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://contemporacorner.com/history/scherl-roth/">"The Scherl & Roth Years"</a>. Contempora Corner. Retrieved 20 July 2023.</cite>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-8"><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a> <cite id="CITEREFDorf1968" class="citation book cs1">Dorf, Richard (1968). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://crasno.ca/articles/doc/EMI_RHDorf_1968.pdf">Electronic Musical Instruments</a> (PDF). New York City: RADIOFILE. p. 225. Retrieved 20 July 2023.</cite>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-9"><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a> <cite id="CITEREFBonds,_Ray_(ed.)(2006)" class="citation book cs1">Bonds, Ray (2006). The Illustrated Directory of Guitars. Barnes & Noble/Salamander Books. p. 344.</cite>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-Dregni_(Fuzz-Tone)-10"><a href="#cite_ref-Dregni_(Fuzz-Tone)_10-0">^</a> <cite id="CITEREFDregni2013" class="citation web cs1">Dregni, Michael (December 2013). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.vintageguitar.com/17397/maestro-fuzz-tone/">"Maesto Fuzz-Tone"</a>. Vintage Guitar. PO Box 7301 Bismarck, ND 58507: Vintage Guitar, Inc. Retrieved November 30, 2015.</cite><code class="cs1-code">{{cite web}}</code>: CS1 maint: location (link)

</li>

<li id="cite_note-11"><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a> <cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/maestro-the-worlds-first-and-weirdest-pedal-company-returns/">"Maestro: The World's First and Weirdest Pedal Company Returns!"</a>. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2023.</cite>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-12"><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a> <a href="#CITEREFWhite,_Forrest(1994)">White, Forrest & (1994)</a>, pp. 180–181

</li>

<li id="cite_note-13"><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a> <a href="#CITEREFBonds,_Ray_(ed.)(2006)">Bonds, Ray (ed.) & (2006)</a>, p. 376

</li>

<li id="cite_note-14"><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a> <cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/arnold-berlin">"Arnold Berlin"</a> (video). <a href="NAMM_Oral_History_Program" title="NAMM Oral History Program">NAMM Oral History Interview</a>. NAMM Resource Center. July 9, 2002.</cite>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-15"><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a> <cite id="CITEREFGlinsky2022" class="citation book cs1">Glinsky, Albert (2022). Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution. New York City: Oxford University Press. p. 325. <a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <bdi>9780197642078</bdi>.</cite>

</li>

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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2></div>

<ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/category/cmi-chicago-musical-instruments">Chicago Musical Instruments Interviews</a> at <a href="NAMM_Oral_History_Program" title="NAMM Oral History Program">NAMM Oral History Program</a></li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/category/norlin-corporation">Norlin Corporation Interviews</a> at NAMM Oral History Program</li></ul>

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