How a custom guitar is made
Discover the intricate process behind bringing your dream guitar to life, from initial 3D design to the final crafted instrument.
The design phase starts. It encompasses measurements, design choices, ergonomics, weight, feel, stylistic factors, hardware, electronics, inlays, color, finish, scale length, etc. and can span months before a prototype is produced. Customer preferences play a role, possibly resulting in modifications to the guitar model. Each guitar is crafted, developed, and evaluated internally.
Upon completion of the prototype machining, material selection is crucial. The body, neck, fretboard, and top all play vital roles in stability, durability, tonal qualities, and aesthetic appeal.
Once all design and material considerations are made the computer aided manufacturing process begins. Each prototype goes through a tool pathing design phase and is meticulously created for each type of material and operation. Considerations for each type of endmill, depth of cut, feedrate, material and surface finish are taken into account and simulated to ensure accuracy and many other things. Once all operations are up to my standards I can then begin machining. Each blank of material is then placed on the machine, measured and held down. The program is sent to the machine controller and the cutting begins.
After each component is machined, inspected, measured and has passed quality control i can begin rough assembling the guitar. In this stage it is crucial to take accurate measurements and compare them to the computer design to ensure the guitar is exactly as I have designed it and that it will be playable, accurate and comfortable. At this stage I will also evaluate the weight, ergonomics, feel and overall design. I will make any alterations by hand and then incorporate them back into the design for the next prototype. This is a long and arduous process to make sure that everything is as expected and passes my standards.
Once a valid prototype exists I then move on to the full assembly of the guitar. All components are installed including the truss rod, frets, inlays, tuners, pickups, bridge, wiring, control knobs, strap buttons, etc. Once this is complete the guitar is thoroughly tested. This includes playability up and down the neck, pickups, electronics and overall feel in the hand. Once I am satisfied, the prototype is complete and a new production model is formed.
If you have any questions at all about my process please contact me.