Making of Gibson Les Paul

Gibson Les Paul guitars first start from a rough milled piece of maple and mahogany, which are cut down into body-sized billets. They are then tested for moisture, and placed in a slow drying kiln to reduce any unwanted moisture.  During this stage the wood is also check for any impurities; knots or divots in the wood.  Before being placed and stacked in the correct pile.

Next the billets are cut down the center and book matched to provide the center seam of the Gibson Les Paul standard.  A large farris wheel looking machine, where they will be glued to mahogany backs and put into a large press to make sure they are seemed perfectly.

During craftsmanship, all of the word is done by careful and steady hands.  Unlike other guitar manufactures, where guitars are mechanically stamped out, at Gibson everything is done with quality handmade craftsmanship.

Next a thin line is cut into long blocks of wood called the neck and a truss rod is installed into each one. Fingerboards are also cut here, made from Indian rosewood, ebony or preciosa.

Next the fingerboards take on their shape, and the appropriate holes are routed out of the fingerboards.  The necks are then banded to the fingerboards and allowed time to dry.

Nearby the headstocks are created and sanded down to a smooth finish, and placed in a press to dry.  Soon the necks will be united to the bodies at the neck fitting station.

Next the guitar is carefully sanded down by hand, to create a smooth finish to apply varnish onto. 

After the necks are fitted, the Gibson les paul guitars are sent to a stamping machine where their serial numbers will be embossed.

Routing the guitar's body for tailpiece holes, the bridge, pickups and other electronics was a painstaking process in Gibson's early years of solid body guitar making. But today a computer-controlled router using different software for different models of guitars does that work.

 Computer controlled Pleking comes next, which a far is more accurate way of insuring the best playability of a guitar's neck than the traditional method of using a file to plane down frets and a flat edge to be sure they're uniform. They are accurate within a thousandth of an inch. Each guitar model has its own software template the Plek machine follows.

The guitars get still more sanding before going off to get their resilient shine.  In the paint shop, guitars receive their first coatings of lacquer.  Which is all applied by hand, and the workers take great pride in each les paul guitar they produce. 

An important part of the visual charm of Les Paul's and many other Gibsons is the binding, which is sprayed over with paint and lacquer and then restored to its original look by an eagle-eyed crew of scrapers. The scrapers take the guitars in hand and employ sharp blades they make themselves. Those blades are wielded with the dexterity of sculptors as the scrapers peel the layers of paint off the bindings and the nuts..

Another post-lacquering step is scuff sanding. That's essentially a rubdown by hand for each guitar that takes place in a small space near the entrance to the paint shop, where Brad Brown and other scuff sanders man their stations with sandpaper and hand tools.

After a final coat of lacquer the guitars dry for four or five days. Then they're ready for the last few processes that will make them player-ready. Lacquer, paint or wood filler that may have gotten onto the frets or fingerboard is removed by delicate sanding. The frets are polished and the fingerboard oiled. And then it's time for buffing, where Gibsons get their distinctive, deep shine.

The guitars then get their electronics; here the guitar bodies and electronics are united again entirely by hand.   

Finally, the guitars go to the finishing station, where their feel and performance is carefully scrutinized before leaving the factory.  Only the Gibson Les Paul guitars that pass this final stage will ever make it to the customer.