John Bohlinger and the PG video crew head west to explore the two brands that helped spark hot-rodding instruments and tricking out "super strat" shredsters. Talented master builders Pasquale “Pat” Campolattano, "Metal" Joe Williams, and Dave Nichols (aka “Red Dave”) unlock the door to their twisted sanctuary and let the sawdust fly showing us their hands-on approach to building drag-racing guitars.
Join John Bohlinger as he goes inside the San Luis Obispo facility to see how these majestic machines are crafted with a mixture of delicate handwork and precise automation.
Led by Ernie Ball Music Man's Tomas von Engel, PG goes inside the SLO-based factory to see how this talented crew turns piles of wood into impeccable instruments.
The tour starts in the wood shop where Tomas explains EBMM process of grading and sorting tonewoods for opaque or translucent. He then discusses the struggles sourcing wood during the pandemic and how the company has been able to keep up with demand. After that we get introduced to Ernie Ball's first major machine "Big Bird" that takes the glued blanks and trims them down into bodies.
Following that scene we check out some of their beautiful quilted maple and buckeye burl tops. From there we check out how a neck-through Petrucci Majesty is cut into shape in less than 45 minutes. The next stop puts us into the neck carving location and fretboard area were frets are inserted and the radius is shaved down.
The final stops of the process breeze us through sanding, painting, buffing, setup, and final assembly. In under 20 minutes you'll witness the dedication, skill, and machines that make these impressive instruments.
Join John Bohlinger as he heads to Nazareth, Pennsylvania, to take an inside look at one of the oldest manufacturers in the acoustic guitar business.
With roots that date back to the early 19th century, the multi-generational Martin Guitars—which also employs a host of multi-generational builders—draws on their long history to combine the traditional handmade methods of their early days with modern 21st century computerized optimization, all of which are on display throughout this thorough, detailed factory tour that makes every stop along the assembly process.
Instrument design manager Rameen Shayegan leads Bohlinger through the factory, where they see workers, each specialized in various parts of the creation process, building the company’s instruments. Their first stop starts at the very beginning of the manufacturing process, at the raw wood acclimation department and the sawmill, and we get to see firsthand where guitars begin to take shape and necks are rough cut. Next, we see how backs are made and are introduced to the clamp carrier machine, where they’re glued up and set to dry. Braces are then carved and installed onto the guitars’ tops—which we see being laser cut to precision—and backs. Once the sides are bent, a rim is applied, glued, and a guitar body is made. Then, binding is installed, necks meet the bodies, frets meet fretboards, guitars are finished, and we meet the imposing and futuristic polishing robot, which makes that finish shine.
By the time the tour winds down in the setup department, we witness the final steps of the Martin creation process, where guitar get the Plek-machine treatment, get strung up for the very first time, and electronics are installed. Quality control doesn’t stop until after every instrument spends time in four-day hold and gets a thorough reinspection before shipping off to its next destination.
