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Orville Gibson Harp Guitar Orville Gibson designed this harp guitar. was also known as the father of archtop guitar, and his mandolin form guitars are still regarded by many as an unsurpassed standard. Even though Orville Gibson was a very influential designer, relatively little is known of him today. Gibson felt that the conventional way of bending sheets into shape dampened a guitar's sound and performance. Instead, he carved the back of his beautiful mandolins and guitars. Gibson later went on to start a partnership to produce guitars, and Gibson instruments grew to have more impact on American musicians more than any other famous names. This exotic and beautifully crafted guitar represents Orville Gibson's own work. Like all his creations, this guitar is completely unconventional and represents his pride and vision. Most harp guitar makers would place the harp strings off the body of the guitar, but Gibson decide to break away, putting all 18 strings on the body itself, and allowing all to pass over the sound hole. Instead of attaching to the central bridge, the 12 harp strings were fixed to a pedestal base on which the guitar can stand upright.