How Gibson ‘Les Paul’ Electric Guitars Are Made
The National Geographic series Made in a Day visited Gibson Guitars in Nashville to learn how they make their renowned “Les Paul” electric guitars, highlighting how products from around the world contribute to the inimitable sound of this iconic instrument.
The neck, top face of the guitar body and strings originate in the USA and Canada. The back of the body is mahogany from Ghana, Africa or South and Central America. The neck veneer is rosewood from India. And some of the electrical components come from Taiwan.
They further explain the many steps involved in getting the guitar into playable shape until each unique instrument is shipped to its fortunate recipient.
Here at Gibson, the guitars that we make, there’s a lot of handcrafted elements to it. And it makes the difference between something coming off of an assembly line versus one of a kind item. …At the end of the day [music] shift, over 320 guitars pass final inspection. All that’s left to do is box and ship them to their customers in every corner of the globe.
