Photo Credit: Sandy Campbell
Did you know that every single Epiphone instrument — be it electric or acoustic guitar, mandolin or banjo — that leaves the Epiphone factories in Asia undergoes a rigorous inspection process before hitting stores?
It’s true!
In 1969, Epiphone moved most of its stringed instrument production from the U.S. to Asia in an effort to meet the rising demand for superior instruments at affordable prices. Today, almost all Epiphones are made in Asia, with the bulk coming from the company’s very own state-of-the-art production facility in Qingdao, China.
After they’re finished, however, each instrument bound for U.S. retailers is first shipped to Epiphone’s Nashville, Tenn., headquarters, where it must successfully pass an exhaustive 15-point inspection process before being shipped to its final destination. It should be noted that all Epiphone instruments bound for E.U., U.K. and Japan customers are subjected to an identical inspection process at dedicated Epiphone facilities in the Netherlands (Gibson Europe) and Japan (Gibson Japan). All Epiphone disbributors that serve other markets are also required to conduct similar inspection processes on all Epiphone models.
This attention to detail — not only during but after the building process — has played a large role in Epiphone’s continued success.
“Every square inch of every guitar is visually inspected,” says Steve Hill, auditor and trainer for the Epiphone inspection team. “Basically, we look for any kind of flaw, and sometimes it can be very, very small. But if we think it’s going to affect the sale of that instrument then it doesn’t go.”
Hill oversees a team of inspectors that usually numbers about 10. Between them, the team is responsible for inspecting about 500 instruments per day. That may seem like a high number, but Hill says a trained eye can catch things quickly that a normal consumer wouldn’t even think twice about.
“Typically, many of the things we look for aren’t so obvious to a lot of people,” Hill says. “But it’s obvious to people like us who are trained to look for stuff like this.”
Finish & Hardware The first point of inspection is the instrument’s finish and hardware, and no blemish is overlooked.
“We look for any cosmetic flaw, like trash particles in the finish, dings, cracks, breaks, etc. Sometimes it can even be that a screw was drilled in the wrong place, or that the pickguard doesn’t sit right, or that the binding wasn’t scraped off just right. Black guitars are the most difficult because that color just lends itself to show anything and everything.”
Despite such a low tolerance for flaws, Hill’s team of inspectors only finds on average one, maybe two, guitars out of 10 that have something wrong. The rest continue on through the rigorous 15-point checklist.
Controls & ElectronicsNext up is a complete run-through of the instrument’s controls and electronics. Everything is checked, including the pickups, toggle switches, volume and tone controls, jacks, etc. If something is found not to be working properly, Hill’s team is allowed to spend up to five minutes fixing small issues, like re-soldering a wire connection on a pickup or fixing a loose jack. Anything else and the instrument is routed to Epiphone’s on-site repair center for a more detailed assessment.
The Crucial Details
From there, Hill’s team makes a complete inspection of the instrument’s strings, its intonation, neck angle and truss rod adjustment, neck action and fret condition, pickup height and tuners. Most crucial of all are the neck’s angle and the ability to make adjustments using the truss rod.
“We’re looking for every neck to be as straight as it can possibly be, with just the slightest bit of underbow, or relief,” Hill says. “Anything we deem to be overbowed is simply not acceptable. If it needs adjustment, we take off the truss rod cover and make the adjustment as needed using a truss rod wrench. And if the truss rod doesn’t work then the guitar is scrapped. Period.”
Exacting Measurements
Every stringed instrument also has exact measurements for adjusting the action of the strings to the neck — without any string or fret buzz, of course. And Hills says there are no plus-or-minus measurements. Each measurement must be spot-on for the instrument to move into the final phase of inspection.
“Everybody has their own ruler, and everyone looks at both the bass and treble measurements at the first and 12th fret of every instrument,” Hill says. “We have different measurements for every type of instrument, but each one has to be right on that measurement. There is no leeway in either direction. And if it’s not right we can adjust the action to make it right, whether it’s an electric or an acoustic.”
Even these types of adjustments, Hills said, are usually few and far between, which speaks volumes to the care and precision of the workers in Epiphone’s overseas production facilities.
“We play every single chromatic note on every fretboard of every instrument,” Hill said. “And typically we don’t have to make any adjustments at all. I’d say out of 20 guitars, maybe two or three will need to have the action adjusted. They’re excellent instruments, and also some of the most playable in the world.”
Checklists
Every step of the Epiphone inspection process is documented on the pre-pack and final-pack checklist found on each instrument’s warranty registration card, along with each inspector’s personal numbered sticker. Serial numbers are also checked and double-checked to ensure the product being shipped is the product expected at its final destination.
Of course, Epiphone also continues to back every instrument with a limited lifetime warranty, and Gibson’s 24/7/365 customer service. Combine this with the detailed and thorough inspection process and all guitarists can rest assured that every Epiphone they purchase is an investment in quality.
The next time you pick up an Epiphone stringed instrument, pay close attention to the details, and know that it’s the attention to those details that ensures the excellence and longevity of every Epiphone product.
Click here to check out the complete line-up of Epiphone stringed instruments.