How are electric guitars made?

markthemd · Post by **markthemd** » Wed Apr 03, 2002 5:51 am

First you start with saw dust from a pencil sharpener facility.

This powder is collected over the course of a week and then bagged and sent to Santa Ana Calif .

In a mold , this material is compressed for six to eight hours .This gives the distinctive 360 body shape .
After that , an expert in foux finishing is brought in and using a series of feathers and brushes ...the grain is applied .
The binding is then applied .This is in reality white tape .Everyone knows that!

The neck , is a series of reconstituted old railroad ties.This ties are being replaced by comcrete ties all over the North American coninent and the old wooden ones can be had for pennies on the dollar.The cool thing about them is that they are pre -stressed and the settling in process that used to take up to two years is now non existant! This is a vast improvement !

After the wood has been cut into the neck shape , a mold of reddish brown sawdust is swirled until the resin nearly is hard , and at that point a comb device is dragged through thte resin , giving the grain effect.

The whole thing is assembled and fretted .

Next the finish !

As the EPS Dept is really cracking down on spraying , a new type of powered roller is now being used .
The fireglo is now a two different sized nap roller that applies this fabulous finish in just moments , and all with out any nasty overspray ! The things that they think of !!! Wow !

After it is finished ...a series of large ex- floor polishers (these are no longer used in Department stores as Asbestos tile is no longer used) are employed to buff these guitars to a fine sheen .
The guitars go to an automated area of assembly where robotics have now taken over the fine tuning of the guitars.
This was necessary as it is a well know fact that guitar players are cronic smokers and can no longer work in an enclosed area ...This is a California State law.

As robots are totally consistant ...this gives a far better product than ever before .

The strings are now installed , and these are supplied by "Great Plains Fencing" they have been in th ewire business as long as there have been cattle on the plains .Their main product is barbed wire fencing , but as most of the plains is fenced in ...they branched out into guitar and bass strings ...What a sound and what a feel !

This is an inside look at how guitars are made ...hope you get something from this .

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Wed Apr 03, 2002 6:21 am

Excellent and very imformative.....I'm glad I bought that Stucco 12-string when I did, and it's NOT for sale!!!!! It has SUCH a sound....

rick12dr · Post by **rick12dr** » Wed Apr 03, 2002 6:21 am

If That doesn't settle this subject Once and For All, then what's it gonna take???You heard it here first....stay tuned for more cosmic enlightenment from the great northwest!!

ricnvolved · Post by **ricnvolved** » Wed Apr 03, 2002 5:30 pm

You mean I've been lied to this whole time???!!!!! How come it took almost 46 years for me to find this out??!!

ted_williams · Post by **ted_williams** » Wed Apr 03, 2002 5:45 pm

You left out the part about how book binding staples are used for frets...

rick12dr · Post by **rick12dr** » Wed Apr 03, 2002 8:14 pm

"You left out the part about how book binding staples are used for frets... "
More urban myths.The frets are from the dentists office---used braces from really bucktoothed 9 year olds...

markthemd · Post by **markthemd** » Thu Apr 04, 2002 3:21 am

That is a nice thought , but it is well know to those in the know that frets are actually molded solder ...see any Asian guitar as an example .

These frets are so soft that you can dent them with your finger nails !

I know that spools of solder have for years been sent to Korea to make this 'wire' .

They are really good at shaping this solder and this has turned into several other items ,

toys , TV sets and stereo gear ...amazing what one thing turns into .

I think that some cars are really solder bodies painted !

Soda cans are not ...the lead is not good for you

Some of the newer basses have tennis racket handles glued into the necks ! golf clubs have also been used , but McEnroe was famous for throwing his rackets for years ....you could see guitar makers in the stands catching these ! What a way to recycle unwanted product ...good old ingenuity!

rick37012 · Post by **rick37012** » Thu Apr 04, 2002 8:05 am

WOW! That really blew me out of the water!
When I bought mine many years ago, I was told that they came from a grove of Rickenbacker trees in California and were "picked" when they were ripe.

Thanks for the correct info.

Tony

dave_axt · Post by **dave_axt** » Thu Apr 04, 2002 9:51 am

Kids,

This is why you should not experiment with drugs! The harmful side effects last a lifetime. Remember: Just say no!

dA V id A Xxxxx t

rick12dr · Post by **rick12dr** » Thu Apr 04, 2002 10:15 am

Ahhh, the inscrutable Mr. Axt return! AhhhSo!

scoobster28 · Post by **scoobster28** » Mon Apr 08, 2002 9:26 am

Boy, at Samick they don't make guitars like that! If you want a quality guitar, I recommend them. Don't buy a Rickenbacker, they are too expensive for just sawdust. And robots? Please, support your local Asian imports instead of American machines.

dannyboy · Post by **dannyboy** » Mon Apr 08, 2002 10:52 am

And when you think that all this time I tought Americans were on drugs...Now...well...I'm sure of it !!!

LOL