PG's Shawn Hammond is in Rodgau, Germany where Nik Huber gives him a tour of his workshop where he makes some of the best guitars in the world.

PG's Charles Saufley is in Deidesheim, Germany where Jens Ritter gives him a tour of his winery that he's converted into a workshop where he makes some of the best bass guitars in the world.

Robert Godin gives us a tour of his acoustic guitar factory in Princeville, Quebec.

Robert Godin gives Premier Guitar a tour of the Electric Guitar Factory in Richmond, Quebec

Joe Coffey is On Location at the Schecter Guitar Research setup shop and custom shop. See how Schecter import guitars get set up, and what kind of things Schecter does in their USA Custom Shop. Also, check out the company's home offices.

PG's Joe Coffey is On Location at San Luis Obispo, CA, where he visits the Ernie Ball Music Man factory. In this segment, Scott Ball (grandson of Ernie Ball and son of Sterling) who specializes in sales and product development for EBMM, shows off new colors, configurations and pickguard options that EBMM are currently mulling over the 2011 production year.

PG's Joe Coffey is On Location in San Luis Obispo, CA, where he visits the Ernie Ball Music Man facilities (where they make the guitars and basses). In this video segment, Chief Gear Designer Dudley Gimpel shows off two rare guitars--the #2 Steve Morse Signature guitar and the original Reflex prototype. While the Reflex is currently in EBMM's production line, the Reflex shown in this video is different from those you'd find on the shelves of your local guitar store--but it is the current guitar's namesake!

PG's Joe Coffey is On Location in San Luis Obispo, CA, where he visits the Ernie Ball Music Man facilities (where they make the guitars and basses). In this video segment, Chief Gear Designer Dudley Gimpel opens the EBMM vault to show off some vintage basses. Here, Gimpel shows off a Leo Fender-built 1976 StingRay bass that preceded the EBMM company. In addition, we get to peek at the original EBMM StingRay bass, an original-run Sabre, a Classic Series StingRay 5 and an original Bongo 6-string.

PG's Joe Coffey is On Location in San Luis Obisbo, CA, where he gets a tour of the Ernie Ball Music Man facilities from EBMM's CEO Sterling Ball.

In this segment, Sterling takes us through the Ernie Ball Music Man factory that produces the company's guitars and basses. Here, we get to see specific processes on how the guitars are setup, how the necks are carved, shaped, and given EBMM's signature feel and playability, the patented chamber patterns of an Axis, how they do seamless binding, and Sterling talks about how it's hard being a CEO during these shaky economic times.

PG's Joe Coffey is On Location in San Luis Obispo, CA, where he tours the Ernie Ball Music Man factory. In San Luis Obispo, CA, EBMM designs and builds their guitars and basses, while their facility in Coachella, CA, handles manufacturing of strings and other guitar-related accessories.

In this segment, EBMM's Chief Designer Dudley Gimpel gives a personal tour of their historic guitar collection, including rare models and prototypes of the Eddie Van Halen guitar, Nigel Tufnel's (Spinal Tap) Signature Mr. Horsepower guitar, Steve Morse signature, one of the first Silhouettes, and a prototype of Albert Lee's signature guitar.

PG's Joe Coffey is On Location in Arroyo Grande, CA, at the Premier Builders Guild shop. In this video segment, we get the lowdown on what Premier Builders Guild is all about, what builders are affiliated with the guild (Gene Baker, Dennis Fano, Roger Giffin, Johan Gustavsson, Saul Koll, and Jason Z. Schroeder), and also how these US-made, handbuilt guitars differ from the custom-made instruments built by the guild's luthiers.

Here, we get to see how PBG enables players to choose from their portfolio of boutique, masterbuilt guitars without the uncertainty, long wait times, and lack of customer support often associated with boutique instruments. The PBG shop is run by master luthier and head engineer Gene Baker and production manager Gil Vasquez who have over 30 years of combined experience and expertise in the guitar-building world.

Over the past few years, Premier Guitar has traveled across America documenting some of the coolest places gear is made, played, and displayed in our On Location series of videos—we’ve even made a stop in Germany. Now that the summer travel season is upon us, we’ve compiled your guide to these gear destinations to help you plan a guitar-ific vacation.

PG's Joe Coffey is On Location in Memphis, TN, where he visits the Gibson Custom Memphis factory. The Gibson Custom Memphis factory builds all the ES hollow- and semi-hollow bodied guitars, the white Les Paul and the Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck. In this segment, we get to check out how the ES Series guitars are built. Here, we get to see how the wood is cut, pressed, sanded, bound and eventually put together.

PG's On Location in St. Wendel, Germany, where they visit the Hughes & Kettner factory. In this video segment, we get to check out the countless tests, trials and evaluations each amp must go through before receiving the final approval. Here, Hughes & Kettner show us several ways they test the amp, the chassis, the sound quality, the tubs, general functions and the "tone" test.

PG's On Location in St. Wendel, Germany, where they visit the Hughes & Kettner factory. In this segment, we get to check out how each amp is designed, constructed and eventually tested. In addition, we get to see how Hughes & Kettner tests their tubes before they are biased.

PG's On Location in St. Wendel, Germany, where they visit the Hughes & Kettner and HK Audio factories. In this segment, we get an up close and personal tour of the factories that builds both Hughes & Kettner cabs and HK Audio PAs and wedges. As shown through the video, both companies are diligent on quality, craftsmanship and making sure each product is ready to go with numerous trials and tests.

PG's Jordan Wagner is On Location in Spirit Lake, IA, where he sits down with Tom Bedell of Bedell Guitars within their compound appropriately titled "The Barn."

Bedell broke into the music industry in 1964 at the age of 14. By taking one of his father's (Berkley Bedell) contacts in Japan, he started importing guitars under the Bedell name. After a short, but successful run pursuing his first passion of music and guitars, Tom followed in his father's footsteps and conquered the fishing world with the line of various Berkley outdoor products and accessories. Now, Bedell is back in with his first love and has two new lines of guitars; Great Divide and Bedell. Oh, and don't forget about the new Bedell Guitars' Custom Shop that allows a guitarist to virtually browse and pick the woods for tops, back, sides, fingerboards and headstocks. You can literally see and pick the EXACT piece of wood for all the parts of your new acoustic.

The Great Divide line includes four series of guitars; the Solid Cedar, the Summit, the Independence and the Origin. The Solid Cedar has a solid Canadian red cedar top, sapele back and sides, mahogany neck with rosewood binding, fingerboard and bridge. Solid Ceder series offers three body styles, including dreadnought, orchestra and parlor.

The Summit series guitars have a solid sitka spruce top with sapele back and sides. Also, they come with a mahogany neck with rosewood binding and fingerboard. The Summit series offers four body styles, including dreadnought, jumbo, orchestra and parlor.

The Independence series guitars feature a laminated spruce top with sapele back and sides. Also, they come with a mahogany neck with maple binding and rosewood fingerboard. The Independence series offers four body styles, including dreadnought, jumbo, orchestra and parlor.

The Origin series features a linden top, back and sides. And is offered in several body styles and colors.

The line of Bedell acoustic guitars has two different series; the Performance and Inspiration. The Performance series can feature a solid Canadian cedar, solid Alaskan Sitka spruce or African sapele for a top. The sides and backs can be made of solid African sapele, solid Indian rosewood or solid Canadian flame maple. Also, they can feature an ebony fingerboard and bridge (along with other various wood options). The body styles offered are dreadnought, jumbo, orchestra and parlor.

The Inspiration series guitars can feature tops made with either solid Alaskan Sitka spruce or solid Canadian cedar. The woods for backs and sides can be solid African sapele, solid Canadian flame maple or solid Indian rosewood. The four body styles offered within the Inspiration series are dreadnought, jumbo, orchestra and parlor.

PG's On Location in Stevensville, MD, where they hang out at the Experience PRS event. In this video segment, we get to tour PRS' Private Stock wood pile. While there are all the usual suspects when it comes to high-grade tonewoods (quilted maple, flame maple, variations of rosewood and cocobolo) but there is a special, one-off piece. It is a piece that was combined by nature which is half quilted maple and half flame maple. Mother nature seems to be looking out for tone-hounds, too.