Watch the Chapter II of the Handcrafted in Nashville, TN, series from the Gibson Gear Guide to discover how traditional hand tooling, skilled craftsmanship, and modern technology connect your Gibson guitar to music history
Many of the same tools, methods, and machines used to build Gibson Golden Era electric guitars are still used today—and that Gibson DNA connects your guitar to those used by iconic music legends. In Chapter 2 of Handcrafted in Nashville, TN, Gibson Gear Guide host Dinesh Lekhraj returns to the Gibson electric guitar craftories in Nashville to discover how historic machinery, skilled handwork, and modern technology come together to create Gibson guitars, including the remarkable tooling that helped build the ES™ guitars played by The Beatles, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, and your guitar, too. Hit the play button above to watch now.
In the video, Dinesh meets Gibson Master Luthier Jim DeCola, Master Luthier and Senior R&D Leader Keith Medley, Gibson Custom Made to Measure Director Dustin Wainscott, and Gibson Pickup Shop Product Manager Jared Brandon. Together, they explore hand tooling processes, historic machines brought to Nashville from Kalamazoo, the equipment used to create historically accurate Gibson pickups, and reveal why preserving traditional manufacturing methods remains essential to building Gibson guitars today. In addition, Jim DeCola talks about being tasked with recreating the Epiphone Casino™ guitars played by The Beatles for use in the upcoming Beatles biopics.
The historic tooling that helped make The Beatles’ guitars… and yours, too
The journey begins with one of the most remarkable machines in Gibson history: the original press used to shape the laminated tops and backs of Gibson ES guitars and Epiphone Casino models. Purchased by Gibson in 1946, this century-old machine has a surprising past—it was previously used by the U.S. military to manufacture artillery shells during both World Wars before being repurposed to make guitars.
Today, the machine still presses the three-ply maple/poplar/maple tops and backs used in Gibson ES construction. And its musical history is just as extraordinary. “Every ES, Casino and those models, came out of this same machine,” Jim tells Dinesh, explaining its connection to instruments played by the likes of Keith Richards, Johnny Marr, Eric Clapton, and the Beatles.
Jim also discusses how the original press was used to help recreate the Epiphone Casino guitars played by John Lennon, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney for the upcoming Beatles movies. Recreating the instruments meant reproducing their original appearances and the changes made throughout their history, such as the stripped finishes on John and George’s guitars during the White Album era. Remarkably, the same laminate press that helped produce the original guitars was used to help create their modern recreations, connecting decades of music history through one extraordinary piece of equipment.
The historic ES press continues to shape the laminated tops and backs of Gibson ES guitars
Why does Gibson still use machinery from Kalamazoo?
Throughout the Nashville craftories, Dinesh discovers several machines that originated at the historic Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Many are instantly recognizable by their distinctive green paint, and despite their age, they continue to perform important tasks in guitar construction. At Gibson Custom, Dustin Wainscott introduces Dinesh to a rotating neck-clamping machine used to glue wing blocks onto guitar necks. Elsewhere, Dinesh watches an original Kalamazoo band saw being used to hand-cut the body shape of a Korina SG™.
Although the equipment has been operating for generations, the process still relies on the craftsperson’s skill guiding the wood through the blade. The tour also reveals how older machines work alongside newer technology, from drill presses dating back to the 1970s to modern five-axis CNC equipment. Each has a particular role, helping Gibson maintain consistency while preserving the handcrafting techniques associated with its most celebrated instruments.
How much of a Gibson guitar is still made by hand?
For Jim DeCola, machines are tools that support the people building the guitars, not replace their craftsmanship. Although modern manufacturing equipment can perform operations with remarkable precision, the individual attention required to shape, fit, and refine an instrument remains essential to how craftspeople build your guitars.
“A lot of people who don’t understand the factory think everything is done by CNC, and that’s far from the truth,” Jim explains. Modern machinery allows the team to maintain consistency across components while leaving important processes, including neck shaping, neck fitting, and binding, in the hands of skilled craftspeople. The combination of historic machinery and modern technology means that each instrument benefits from precise manufacturing methods while retaining the individual attention that comes from handwork. As Jim points out, the subtle variations introduced by that craftsmanship are part of what makes each Gibson guitar special.
How are historically accurate Gibson pickups made?
The story of historic machinery continues at the Gibson Pickup Shop, where Dinesh meets Jared Brandon to learn how some of the same manufacturing techniques used in the 1950s still play a role in Gibson pickup production today. Jared introduces Dinesh to the Meteor 301 winding machines, which Gibson began using in the late 1950s. “We’ve used them ever since,” Jared explains.
Today, the Pickup Shop operates six of these machines, each capable of winding 12 bobbins at once, helping the team meet modern production demands while maintaining traditional manufacturing methods. For Jared and the team, maintaining these historic processes is particularly important when recreating pickups based on vintage specifications. While production has expanded considerably since the 1950s, many of the fundamental manufacturing methods remain unchanged. You can read more about the different Gibson pickups here.
Historic Meteor 301 machines continue to wind pickups at the Gibson Pickup Shop
Why does Gibson build bespoke machines?
Not all the machines and tooling inside the Gibson craftories are historic; some are custom-built. Throughout the Gibson Craftory tour, we learn that many of the specialized tools and fixtures used to build Gibson guitars are designed and manufactured in-house, often because commercially available equipment cannot perform the precise tasks required.
One example is a custom-built pneumatic clamping system used during the construction of Gibson ES guitars. The equipment holds the laminated rims securely against the center block while the adhesive cures, using a series of clamps that apply pressure at carefully selected points. The video also explores a specialized press used to attach fingerboards to guitar necks. Designed to distribute pressure evenly along the fingerboard, the system incorporates components that accommodate the neck shape and fret positions. Rather than adapting the instrument to suit existing machinery, Gibson designs equipment around the specific requirements of the guitars it builds.
Combining Golden Era tradition with modern innovation
The machines used to build Gibson guitars have evolved over generations, but it’s the people operating them and the handcrafted approach that remain fundamental to crafting your Gibson guitar. From century-old presses and original Kalamazoo-era equipment to custom-built fixtures and modern CNC technology, every machine serves the same purpose: helping skilled craftspeople build the exceptional instruments you use to create music. As Jim DeCola says, “We have to respect and honor what Gibson was and then help bring it into the future. Gibson was always built on innovation.”
Shop Gibson electric guitars and discover more about the Handcrafted in Nashville, TN, series.
