You are viewing our old site. Click here to visit our new site!

Gibson Factory Tours

On April 25th 2010, I flew to Nashville along with 13 other Canadians to visit Gibson Guitars. Our group was assembled and led by Jeff Cowling and Jeremy Berger of Yorkville Sound; the Canadian distributor for Gibson. Over the next 4 days, our group would visit Gibson USA, Epiphone USA, Gibson Custom in Nashville, and Gibson Custom in Memphis. We were treated to in-depth tours of the guitar building facilities, as well as some hands-on time with new prototypes and upcoming models. We also got to spend some time in two of the most important cities in music history. All in all there is a lot of ground to cover, so I'm going to break things up a little. For those who want to read about the factories without my adventures between tours, use the links below. If you want to read the entire thing, just grab a coffee, get comfortable, and continue reading from here.

Gibson USA and Epiphone USA

Gibson Custom Shop Nashville

Gibson Custom Shop Memphis

Photo Gallery

Before I get into the trip, I would like to take one last opportunity to thank Jeff and Jeremy for all their time and hard work. Your patience, dedication, and professionalism made this trip what it was. You are without a doubt the Batman and Robin of the guitar world (sorry Jeremy, but Jeff is definitely Batman). I would also like to thank everyone at Gibson for their hospitality, opening their doors to us and being such gracious hosts. We learned a lot, and were made comfortable every step of the way.

Jeremy Berger and Jeff Cowling of Yorkville Sound

Day 1: Arrival

"Welcome to Music City". The pre-recorded announcement rang out across the PA system of Nashville International Airport as I stepped off the plane. As I made my way to baggage claim, I began to realize how appropriate a nickname this was. There were guitars on display all the way through the airport. I knew I was going to see my share of guitars on this trip; that was after all the reason I was in Nashville. What I wasn't prepared for is the degree to which music saturates every fiber of the city's culture and identity. If you pick 10 strangers out of a crowd in Nashville, chances are they all play guitar, and are all much better than I am. With a minimal amount of "cat herding", Jeff and Jeremy got us to our hotel safe and sound. After dinner, the smart people in our group went back to their rooms for some R & R.... the rest of us went downtown!

Nashville International Airport featured many displays like this.

Making our way through the airport.

Running west from the bank of the Cumberland river, Broadway in downtown Nashville is a strip absolutely packed with bars and concert clubs. Even on a Sunday night, the sidewalks were full of people going from one bar to another. The few of us who had decided to brave a night out started things off at the Hard Rock Cafe, and slowly made our way up the strip. I'm afraid some of these photos came out a little blurry, but hey, things were looking a little blurry for me too.

The Hard Rock Cafe... obviously.

The Stevie Ray Vaughan Double Trouble
Fe$de^ Str@+0c@ster

Broadway in downtown Nashville

Every bar we could find had a fantastic band playing to a full and energetic crowd. Musical styles and genres varied, but one thing was common between each group we saw: every single musician on stage was a true professional in every sense of the word. It was crystal clear that getting on stage in Nashville takes a commitment and dedication to your instrument that you simply don't find in most places (until the next night, but I'll get to that later).

Everything was going just fine until we entered a club called "Tootsie's". A particularly great band was crammed onto a particularly small stage. They had the crowd in the palm of their hands. At one point, the singer even asked if anyone from the crowd would get up on stage for the next song and dance with the band.... good thing I would never do something like that...

Damn.

After the song, the band decided to take a break. I then made my second mistake, leaving my co traveler Matt from Saskatoon alone with the band's singer Eva while I went to the bar. I apparently missed a rather important conversation. From what I've been able to uncover, the conversation went something like this:

Eva: So, where y'all from?

Matt: Canada. We're here to see Gibson Guitars.

Eva: Wow, do you play?

Matt: Sure...

Eva (pointing at me): What about him? Does he play?

Matt: You mean you don't know who he is? He's HUGE in Canada!

Eva: Really? We're playing across the street tomorrow night... Y'all should come by and play!

Matt: We'll be there.

Eva and me.

Ugh....Thanks Matt. I owe you one.

Day 2: Gibson USA

Monday morning is when the real fun began. Our super cool driver Don picked us up in the super cool Gibson Bus. Inside, the bus was outfitted with padded leather seats, full screen TV and stereo system, mini fridge, and about a half dozen guitars and amplifiers plugged in and ready to go. We tried to convince Don to move to Canada and bring the bus with him. I'll let you all know how that works out. A short drive later, we arrived at the Gibson USA headquarters.

Riding in style!

Ocean's 14?

From left: Jon Treichel, Andrew Deadder, James Evangelos, Remy Bazinet, Tim Ryan, Jonathan Graves, Matt Strawson, Dave Skinner,
Jeff Cowling, Domenic Flibotte, Joe Fernandes, Chris Ghidoni, Jeremy Berger

Gibson USA is the main production facility for Gibson guitars. This is the factory that builds the majority of the Gibson product line: Les Paul Studios, Standards, Robots, Traditionals, Supremes, as well as several models of SG, Flying V's, Explorers, Limited Editions, etc. Over 300 employees build 425 guitars per day in this facility. Our group was split up unto small teams of 4 or 5, then assigned to a Gibson employee who would act as our guide. My group's guide Carlton has worked at Gibson USA for almost 25 years.

The entrance.

Carlton leads Jon, Matt, Jeff and me through the factory.

Over the next hour or so, Carlton walked us around the entire factory, stopping at every step in the process to explain what was being done. The first thing that really jumped out at me was just how much of the work on these guitars is done by hand. Once a body shape has been carved by the C&C machine, flesh and blood human beings take over. From pressing inlays, to rolling and setting the necks, binding the bodies, spray finishing, buffing, wiring and installing pickups, final assembly and quality control... every single guitar is held in someone's hands at every step along the way. The first time Carlton pointed out one of his colleagues scraping finish off the body binding by hand with an exact-o blade, I almost fell over. Despite the high production, there is an incredible amount of old fashioned craftsmanship that goes into every single Gibson guitar.

Sanding the neck profile.

Press fitting the neck joint.

Fun in the spray booth.

Buffing stations.

Final setup and quality control.

The one big exception to Gibson's rule of hand craftsmanship is the Plek machine. Picture a giant brushed chrome refrigerator with plexiglass doors attached to a super computer, and you'll have an idea of what it's like to stand in front of a Plek machine. Better yet, just look at the picture below. Once a guitar is placed inside, the Plek puts tension on the neck equal to the amount of tension created by guitar strings when tuned to pitch. This pulls the neck to the angle it will hold once it has been strung and tuned up. Then a robotic sander glides up and down the fingerboard, sanding and crowning the frets. The Plek also measures and cuts the nut slots to ensure perfect string spacing. This means the frets and nut slots on each guitar are set up as consistently as physically possible. The entire process takes about 20 minutes. Gibson USA has 6 Plek machines running full time. Each machine cost roughly $250,000.

The Plek machine at work.

After our tour, we gathered in the meeting room above the factory floor. Our group was met by several people from various departments of Gibson USA, including their Lifestyle department, their woods and materials specialist, as well as the heads of product development and design. We were given a sneak peak of several very exciting new models. I can't give away much detail yet, but I'll give you a hint: what's handmade in the US and will sell for less than $1000? You'll find out next month!

Be excited. Be very excited.

"I call it..... Golden Boy!"

With our time at Gibson USA at an end, we made our way down the road to Epiphone's office and distribution center. There we were treated to a demonstration by Dr. Will Jones. Along with his impressively entertaining instructional video, Dr. Jones handed out samples of Epiphone's proprietary hardware used across their product line. It was a pleasant surprise to find such high end components being used on such affordable guitars. We were then given a tour of Epiphone's distribution center, where every single guitar is unpacked and thoroughly inspected before being repackaged and shipped out to stores across America. In Canada, Yorkville Sound duplicates this process exactly for each Epiphone guitar that comes through their doors.

Dave Berryman, President and co-owner of Gibson guitars addresses the group while Dr. Will Jones prepares for his presentation.

Epiphone's warehouse and distribution center.

After a short break, our driver Don took us on a quick tour of Music Row in downtown Nashville: home to dozens of legendary music publishers, studios, and record labels. We were finally dropped off at BB King's restaurant where Dr. Jones and the rest of the Epiphone crew were waiting to take us for a night on the town. We had a fantastic dinner at BB King's, followed by.... you guessed it... Karaoke! Dr. Jones put on the performance of a lifetime. I think he makes a better Billy Idol than Billy Idol does. One by one we began to make our way on stage and embarrass ourselves. Actually, most of us did fairly well. That is until I went up and asked the hostess if they had London Calling by the Clash. "Y'all are asking for some obscure bands tonight!" was her response. Oh boy... I thought. I am in the wrong town for this song! Turns out they had the song after all, so I had no choice but to go on up.

Out on the town with the Epiphone Crew.

Karaoke, Nashville style.

Dr. Will Jones in
THE GREATEST PHOTO OF ALL TIME

About an hour later, the Karaoke had begun to wind down. I guess it's difficult to top a group of 7 Canadians piling on stage to perform "Journey" together. I was just about ready to head back to the hotel when Matt reminded me: "You've got a gig tonight buddy!". I guess there really was no getting out of it. Some of our group called it quits for the night and headed off to bed, while Dr. Will Jones led a few of us back to Broadway, stopping along the way to point out the the Ryman Auditorium; legendary concert hall and former home of the Grand Ole Opry (the world's longest running live radio program). We ended up back at Tootsie's, where Dr. Jones led us to a back room I hadn't even noticed the night before. A second band was playing on a second stage. We watched the band for a while, enjoying ourselves. Finally Matt and I decided it was time to go meet our destiny. With most of the group leaving Tootsie's to go back to the hotel, Matt and I, along with Jon from Kamloops marched across the street to a bar called Rippy's. We found Eva and her band on stage exactly where she said they would be.

The band in full swing.

The band finished their set, at which point Eva announced to the crowd that she was going to invite some friends from Canada up onto the stage. To my horror, Eva and her entire band set their instruments down and left. Matt and I were on our own. The guitar player handed me his acoustic on the way past and smiled.... not in a comforting way, more in a sarcastic "good luck" kind of way. Matt picked up a bass and quickly realized it was left handed. Ok, just me on guitar then, I thought to myself. I blurted out "Tom Petty? Last Dance...?". Lucky for me Matt knew what I was talking about. He also knew the words, so off we went. Jon was sitting near the front of the stage snapping a few photos when he spotted another guitar leaning in the corner of the stage. Sensing our desperation he jumped on up and joined in. I guess we still needed saving, because about half way through the song the rhythm section of Eva's band climbed back up and started playing with us. We made it through a second song and still hadn't been chased out of the room, so we decided to quit while we were marginally ahead. I was probably the least talented guitar player to get on that stage in a long time, by hey I played in Nashville!

That's 2 I owe you, Matt... but who's counting.

Matt and I receive some encouragement.

Jon, myself, and Matt emerge victorious from under the stage lights.

Day 3: Nashville Custom

Tuesday morning. With a solid 3 hours of sleep under my belt, I packed my things and checked out of my hotel room in Nashville. We had more yet to do in town, but we would be in Memphis by dinner time. We loaded everything (except for my extra pair of shoes that I left in my room) onto the Gibson Bus and hit the road. Don quickly got us to the Gibson's Nashville Custom Shop facility. Our host and guide for our time at Nashville Custom would be Thom Fowle. Thom got us settled in a small conference room so we could relax and look at a few display models hanging around the room. Jeremy had a rather strange staring contest with a poster of Jimi Hendrix. Seriously, how could he expect to win that stair down?

The Stair Down.

Neither participant moved an inch for over 20 minutes.

Nashville Custom is where Gibson builds all of their historical reissue solid body models (the VOS series, for example), carved arch top guitars, and of course the Les Paul Custom. While every Les Paul built in Gibson USA is chambered for weight relief, the Nashville Custom shop builds exclusively true solid body Les Paul guitars. Although smaller in size than the Gibson USA factory, much of the guitar building process in the Custom shop is fairly similar. There are of course some key design differences in the guitars themselves. Gibson USA places a focus on new and innovative designs, while the Nashville Custom Shop stays truer to history. Thom explained to us the constant struggle he and his facility face to maintain a balance between building guitars that are desirable to players and historically accurate. He picked up a stunning piece of raw flame maple as an example. To paraphrase: "You wouldn't find many Les Paul guitars built in 1959 with a top that looked this good, but we do it today because it's what people want".

Graded bookmatched tops.

A 59 VOS Les Paul in the making.

As I mentioned earlier, Nashville Custom is also where Gibson produces their solid carved wood Jazz Guitars, such as the L5, Super 400, and CS-336 models. Thom pointed out the original molded presses, some of which are more than 50 years old, still used to build these historic guitars. It was truly amazing to see these guitars being built by hand with the same tools used to create their predecessors. Yet more proof of Gibson's awareness of their own historical significance, and their commitment to maintain the same standards of quality as time moves on.

Press at work.

Thom holding a custom byrdland.

....... I think he likes it!

In a couple of weeks, this is going to be one beautiful mandolin!

One significant difference between Gibson USA and the Nashville Custom Shop slowly dawned on me as our tour continued. I became increasingly aware of a few Gibson employees in particular. More to the point, I realized I was seeing the same individuals at different stations as we moved around the factory. There was absolutely as system of assigned specialization: one team working the buffing wheels, another group rounding necks, etc. But every now and then I would spot a particular builder with the same guitar in his or her hands as they personally performed multiple steps of the building process. I watched one gentleman press an L5 body together, then install the binding himself, then walk across the facility with the guitar in his hands to the wrapping station and wrap the guitar. This is the kind of personal follow through that creates a truly wonderful handmade instrument.

Neck joints drying.

"Nice!"

More freehand scraping.

The birth of a Custom Shop Flying V!

The faded stain is brushed on by hand.

Soon to be Johnny A's personal guitar!

At the end of our tour, Thom led us to the final assembly room where we found rows and rows of finished guitars on stands. Some were spoken for, others were not. Feeling particularly happy about memorizing Grant's credit card number, I found a couple beautiful pieces for the shop: a VOS Les Paul Special in ebony and a charcoal Les Paul Axis with a stop tail bridge. They're on the way now, so keep watching our What's New page!

Look at that top!

Tom Murphy aged Gold Top.

With our tour of the Nashville Custom Shop complete, we said goodbye to Nashville and began our drive to Memphis. With the drive clocking in at around 3 1/2 hours, we had time to get some rest and try to absorb everything we had seen and learned. Unfortunately we spent most of that time trying to figure out the onboard stereo system and the satellite TV . We never did quite get the hang of it. By the end of the trip, Jeff was convinced the washroom door had to be open in order to get audio signal from the Sportsnet channel. Little did we know that while we were making complete technological fools of ourselves, our driver Don was planning something special.

The Gibson Bus eased to a stop on a quiet street. Don leaned around towards us and quietly said "Here you go... we're at Sun Studios". It took a split second for this to register, and then it became a rush to the door. We made our way towards the entrance, stopping only to take some photos of the face of the building. Inside Sun is a storefront/cafe that sells memorabilia and displays various articles from the studio's unrivaled history. Being a huge U2 fan, I was particularly thrilled to find the console used to record 5 songs for the Rattle and Hum album mounted to the back wall. We spent a few minutes looking at photos and buying t shirts when Don surprised us yet again. "Okay guys, I've arranged to get you into the actual studio for a minute".

The legendary Sun Studio

Biggest ES 295 I've ever seen!

This time we were in legitimate shock. Don and a representative from Sun led us through a side door that opened into a small waiting room with a large glass window. Through the window was the studio itself. We moved through another small door into the main recording room. You could hear a pin drop. It was like we had all been slammed by the full force of the room's history, and none of us could quite handle it. A photo of the Million Dollar Quartet hangs front and center on the studio wall; the only time Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash were in the same room at the same time was here at Sun in 1955. Instruments, amplifiers, and microphones are scattered around the room. In the middle of the floor is a microphone stand holding a mic that has been in use at the studio for almost 60 years. I can't begin to imagine how many music legends have recorder some of the greatest songs of all time through that microphone.

The Million Dollar Quartet: Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash

I found a small photo in the corner of a 27 year old Bono (that's B-ON-O, not BOW-NOE) standing in Sun studios with the photo of the million dollar quartet behind him, while I was standing with my camera at the age of 27 in the same spot. I couldn't help but compare the course of my life to Bono's for a moment...... I've got some catching up to do.

Bono records "Rattle and Hum".

Leaving Sun Studios behind us, Don took us to our hotel in downtown Memphis. Thom, who had accompanied us from Nashville, brought us to the Rendezvous Rib House where we were met by David Winters of Gibson Memphis Custom Shop. A couple hours and a lot of ribs later we made our way to Beale Street: a pedestrian only strip, home to many of Memphis' bars and concert venues. Jeff promptly got into character (see below) as we bought a couple drinks from an outdoor vendor, then and wandered down Beale exploring the many shops still open.

Downtown Memphis: Beale Street in full swing.

The resemblance is uncanny!

We paid a visit to BB King's Blues Club (if anyone deserves to have 2 clubs named after them, it's BB King), then settled down at "Flying Saucers", where we could try over 200 kinds of beer from all over the world. With so much selection, there's bound to be a few surprises. I had fairly good luck, but Joe from BC is still convinced the waitress was trying to poison him. We also got to know a different side of Remy from St-Hyacinthe. A scary side. With chest hair.

I haven't been able to sleep since taking this photo.

The stage at BB King's Blues Club.

I don't think that's a fair stereotype...

....Well, maybe it is.

Day 4: Memphis Custom Shop

Our final day of the trip was spent in Gibson's Memphis Custom Shop facility; a beautiful building right in the middle of downtown. The Memphis Custom Shop has a very impressive public lobby with a full retail store. Greeting us at the front of the building was David Winters. David brought us up through the main offices which overlook the entire factory floor before handing us over to Randi Young for our tour.

The Memphis Custom Shop lobby.

The factory floor.

Randi was an excellent guide; detailing every step of the process for us. The Memphis Custom Shop builds all of Gibson's laminate semi hollow bodies, like the ES 335, ES 339, and ES 359. Randi showed us how the laminate boards were traced, pressed into shape, cut and assembled, then bound and wrapped. Just like the Nashville Custom Shop, the factory here in Memphis was using the same presses to form their body shapes that Gibson has used for the past 50 years.

A center block being installed.

Randi shows us a pressed top ready to be cut.

An ES-339 ready for the spray booth.

Fingerboards on their way to the neck press.

Binding strips are glued into place, then the guitar is wrapped until the glue sets.

We watched one of the builders carving a neck joint by hand and testing the fit. Similar to Nashville Custom and Gibson USA, the Memphis Custom Shop has recently been outfitted with a Plek machine of their own, allowing the same consistency of fret work and string spacing. Watching the final assembly teams install the pots through the pickup cavity was especially impressive... they made it look easy (trust me, it isn't). Walking through the racks of finished guitars waiting for final inspection, I spotted a guitar on one particular rack and got very excited. "Is that what I think it is?" I mumbled to Jeremy. "Yes, it is." He said. "It's an ES 335 in Pelham Blue". That's right, the best looking guitar ever made is on the way!

Inverness Green and Pelham Blue ES 335s!

Final assembly.

At the end of our tour, Jeremy and Jeff presented us with a guitar rack covered by a large white bed sheet. Removing the sheet unveiled a row of roughly 15 of the nicest semi hollow bodies I've ever seen. Despite the wall of eye candy, 3 guitars jumped out at me instantly. 2 were ES 335s; one in a deep wine red, the other in a dark translucent blue. Both finishes were transparent, revealing incredible figured maple underneath. The 3rd guitar was the ever illusive ES 330L with a vintage sunburst finish. I bought them for the store on the spot. Again, keep an eye on our What's New page!

*** UPDATE: They've arrived! Click here to see our feature.***

ES 330L.

Custom ES 335 figured top.

Another Custom ES 335 figured top!

Back on the Gibson Bus, Don had one last surprise for us before dropping us off at the airport. We pulled up along side Graceland just as the sun broke out, giving us a great view of the rolling grass and trees around the mansion. The stone wall surrounding the property was plastered with the signatures of thousands of fans who had come to pay their respects to the King.

Graceland gates.

The outer wall.

At the entrance to the Memphis International Airport, we gathered our bags and said goodbye as a group. Thom was still with us, whom we thanked profusely for everything he had done for us over the past 4 days. We said a very heartfelt thanks to Don as well. We then made our way into the airport, and off to our respective homes. There were a few bumps along the way in the form of some canceled flights, but everyone got where they were going eventually. Except for James from Medicine Hat... from what I hear, he's still at the airport.

Sunset over the Mississippi.

Thanks again to everyone from Yorkville and Gibson for this incredible trip. You all put a lot of work into making this happen, and we appreciate it greatly. We'll have to do it all again next year!

- Nevin Douglas

Photo Gallery