Gibson Custom Shop Tour - Meet The People Who Made YOUR Guitar

Join us on the Gibson Custom Shop Factory Tour and go behind the scenes to meet the people who build your Gibson Custom guitars in Nashville, TN.
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In this Gibson Custom Shop tour, go behind the scenes with Gibson Gear Guide host Dinesh Lekhraj and see every step of your Gibson Custom guitar’s journey and how we stay true to our rich heritage and history of building guitars.
Meet the team at the Gibson Custom Shop, the skilled luthiers and craftspeople who handcraft your Gibson Custom guitars, and discover the profound sense of responsibility they feel while building your dream guitar that will become part of your musical journey.
Learn about how we grade and weigh woods used on Gibson guitars, how Gibson Made To Measure enables you to choose specific woods, wood tops, and weights of your guitars, and understand the differences between Gibson Custom offerings including Core Collection, Modern Collection, Murphy Lab, and Made To Measure.
Watch as we go through each process of building your guitars at the Gibson Custom Shop, from the arrival and choosing of woods, to shaping and carving your guitar’s top. Join the master craftspeople at Gibson Custom who explain what they do, and the care they take when building your guitar. Learn how each guitar is hand-bound, how the necks are chosen and sculpted based on their historic specs, how your Gibson guitars are dyed, sprayed, the binding hand-scraped, and then Plek’d. Finally, we are shown how our dedicated team assembles the electronics of your guitar, rolls the fretboards for added comfort, and then gives your guitar a professional set-up and final inspection before being placed in its case for you, ready to become part of your musical journey.
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▶ Gibson Murphy Lab acoustics: • Gibson Custom Shop Aco...
0:00 Behind the scenes
0:53 What’s the Gibson Custom Shop? Core Collection, Modern Collection, Murphy Lab, Made To Measure
2:05 The Gibson Wood Library
6:14 Whitewood - Your guitar’s journey begins
12:01 Shaping and carving your guitar top
17:30 The binding process
21:25 Sculpting YOUR Gibson guitar necks & fingerboards
34:14 Dyeing your Gibson Custom guitar
38:41 Pickup routes
42:50 Spraying, binding scraping & finishing your Gibson Custom guitar
49:57 Gibson Murphy Lab room
50:22 Plek’ing process
53:22 Final assembly - rolling fretboards, installing hardware & electronics
59:42 Final inspection and QC at Gibson Custom Shop
1:02:49 Coolest Gibson Made To Measure custom orders!
1:06:19 What’s possible with Gibson Made To Measure?
1:10:48 Gibson Master Artisan Studio Tour
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Welcome to Gibson Gear Guide - the official KZbin channel made by gearheads, for gearheads. Get first access to our latest guitars, basses, amps, pedals, and pro-audio gear. Watch equipment reviews, exclusive artist interviews and performances, deep dives into the history of the world’s most iconic guitars, and more.
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[@_avia_]

You know what I liked the most in this video? The spotlight on the employees. Respect, Gibson. well done!

[@gibson]

It was an honor to meet and talk with them about their experience!

[@Masterfighterx]

Gibson, please have a gallery/photo archive where we can see the made to measures, one offs etc etc, would be cool to see what people come up with and what actually can be done from the Custom Shop.

[@scottjua]

Yes… inspiration… and I bet it would actually help sell the idea to more folks

[@oceantree5000]

Trogly’s Guitar Show here on KZbin would be a great place to see a lot of these.

[@nickl2883]

To Eric the neck guy , I’ll give props because the neck profiles coming out of the custom shop recently have been the best since the custom shop started IMO.

[@Richard_Lush]

Yep getting better and better 👍

[@MascarasMil]

Employee at 33 min Eric gets a bit emotional when talking about his responsibility to the instrument. Respect x 1000!!

[@DannyDKNYC]

It’s refreshing to see how much pride these guys have in what they do. A lot of aspects of guitar building is factory work. It can be very repetitive. I’ve worked with tools my whole life, and repetition can be maddening. But these guys seem to keep it in perspective and appreciate and respect the importance of each part of the process.

[@ivan_emege]

Nice to see happy people, long time workers at the Custom Shop.

[@doubledenimdude]

I had no idea how hand made these guitars are. And how small the team is. Incredible

[@gibson]

Absolutely!

[@MascarasMil]

Omg Rick Henrickson you are THE MAN! That Flying V is so beautiful!

[@user-gk2mr6vs7g]

My Gibson Les Paul is a family member. She is only a Standard premium plus top from 2005 but she is the best guitar I have ever played or heard in 30 years. Gibson makes the best guitars in my opinion and there is reason that they are the number choice for guitarists. Hey Gibson can I have a job so I can keep my LP? Thanks you.

[@timothyappling9172]

Great video showing Gibson employees and their skills at making guitars. I have been playing Gibson guitars since I was a teenager in the early 70's. When my uncle was drafted into the Vietnam war, he took his Gibson SG with him. When he came back home, my dad bought it from him for me. It was a little beat up but still played and sounded great. It was my first Gibson guitar and I have been playing them ever since. I recently purchased two of the new Gibson SG Supreme's in both the wine red and the ebony 3-pickup models because I couldn't make up my mind which to get. These are great playing and sounding guitars. Maybe one day a custom shop.

[@gibson]

Thanks for watching Timothy!

[@dcabinet]

Rick is quite the artist. Those guitars he produced are extraordinary.

[@thehoosiercraftsmanworksho1745]

I was so inspired by the employees and the quality of craftsmanship I just purchased A Gibson Les Paul 60 standard ! Total respect !

[@gibson]

I hope it serves you well! What color finish did you go for?

[@thehoosiercraftsmanworksho1745]

@@gibson Burgundy burst. It is in transit as we speak ! I never have owned a Gibson I just never cared for them. But in the last couple of years Gibson seems to have come a long way in quality and craftsmanship. I purchased an sg 61 heritage a week ago and I love that guitar. It's the best guitar I have ever played. 2 weeks ago I purchased a Les Paul 50 standard gold top used, I wished I had bought that one new ! Gibson is rockin it !

[@thehoosiercraftsmanworksho1745]

@@gibson Burgundy Burst. Got it and it plays awesome !

[@gibson]

That's so cool!

[@garyatkins4479]

I love my R8 , thank you custom shop team for your dedication to your craft

[@TommySG1]

I have a handful of Gibsons and I really can’t understand why I see so many negative posts about them. Everyone of mine play really beautifully, I don’t even own any custom shop models, they’re all standard Gibsons USA’s. Maybe one of these days I’ll own a CS one too, who knows :)

[@stevencurrie1540]

Their just jealous and that’s all it is

[@kostasbk741]

My experience hasn't been that good with Gibsons unfortunately. Quite a few defects here and there, some smaller some more important. I have owned two LP Classics and tried many in stores.

[@southernpanda33]

I’ll own a CS guitar one day. I also might one day own a Gibson.

[@ziggylayneable]

I'm 50 years old I've been playing guitar for 38 years. It's really nice to see younger guys, pick up the torch left by the older ones and to keep it going. The responsibility laid out their feet is very important and the fact that they understand that really is important

[@gibson]

Thanks for watching! And kudos for playing guitar for 38 years!

[@jamessator5564]

FANTASTIC VIDEO EVERYONE!! And to think my R8 was built by all you 2 years ago, makes me proud !!!!!!!

[@TrumpIsGoingToPrison]

To ALL the haters out there...NOW you know why a Gibson is worth every single cent you pay for them. The LOVE, the CARE, the DEVOTION, the HUMILITY these employees bring to their jobs every single day, year in and year out, makes them not only GIANTS but LEGENDS as well.

[@Sams911]

I just ordered my first custom shop Gibson ... 5A, 1 piece top Quilt Orange Twilight Fade that just came out this week. I own 3 PRS Private Stock, so I have not been loyal in doing this.. I hope the Gibson does not disappoint!

[@gibson]

I hope the guitar serves you well!

[@Oldmanhenderson12]

I have to say, I really appreciate how this tour was done. A lot of times when a company does this it feels like an ad, and sure it’s still an ad. But, the continuous spotlight on the employees who work tirelessly on these guitars and just letting them speak is in my mind what sets this one apart,

[@gibson]

Thanks so much, we appreciate that!

[@ericbitzer5247]

Whoever ordered that "white beauty" Les Paul with those split inlays and gold hardware has some damn good taste! Gibson should make a run of those, man that thing was beautiful.

[@gibson]

Such a nice design!

[@danielroumen760]

Awesome Film !!! What a dream factory !!

[@ashleyjackson8538]

Full credit to everyone involved . Amazing skills

[@fabienbourdier9847]

Amazing ! i've been watching all youtuber's factory tours and as much as i love hearing Jim master luthier explaining stuff i always wished we heard more directly from the workers doing the job and it fixes that, thank you guys

[@charleszaman7666]

Love this, great to see more of the employees. I’ve got 3 custom shops already. I love them but a big part of why I’m happy to buy them is knowing the guys and gals making it happen are happy, as long as we get to see that I’m happy.

[@litemetal]

If you’re a life long guitar player, music fan, and dreamer….how can someone possibly live and die without purchasing at least one of these custom shop dream machines. I only have 4 and I am salivating over which one is next, ‘59 dot 335 , Black Beauty LP , another burst 💥. Oh there’s more. I will leave this earth one day, but not before wearing out some amazing 🤩 Gibsons.🎉😅 Also you get what you pay for people, they make these things from raw trees that they sourced from around the planet 🌎 Thank you Gibson !

[@johnsmith-ug5tp]

Works of art, beautiful instruments, visually and tonally.

[@CyclopsGuitars8642]

I love these video Gibson puts out.Its a unbelievable time to be a guitar player woohoo Gibson Rocks!!!!

[@gibson]

YOU Rock!

[@jimjim7008]

This video came at the right time as I am half way through my life and finally just about to pull the trigger on my dream guitar the ebony Gibson Les Paul Custom.

[@gibson]

I hope the guitar serves you well! Great choice! -Lee

[@jimjim7008]

Thanks Lee​@@gibson

[@mathias_411]

It's really beautiful to look at. The people put their heart and soul into it. But I haven't just noticed this at Gibson, you can see it at many other brands too. It just seems to be the case in a large part of the industry. Really very cool!

[@Richard_Lush]

You must LOVE your job❤️ In the last years Gibson has so upped their game from options, Murphy Lab to marketing. I’m so impressed. Just keep an eye on the QC. It’s being mentioned. I’m Gibson loyal. Keep up the great work.

[@Mishkus29]

Cudos to Rick, the Master Artisan ! 🥂🎉 WOW ! What an artist 👍👍👍

[@gibson]

He's so cool!

[@ashleyjackson8538]

The carving is off the clock ! Incredible is an understatement

[@raymondrodriguez2409]

WHAT A VIDEO! WOW! TALK ABOUT GREAT EMPLOYEES! TRUE! TRUE ARTISANS! THAT LAST GENTLEMAN, THE SKILLS TO BLOW YOUR MIND! GREAT WORK! GREAT COMPANY! YOU SHOULD BE PROUD! WHAT A BLESSING!

[@joshmcsaucy]

Just picked up a custom shop sg. Very cool to see where it was made

[@hangtite87]

Great vid! Thanks.

[@TheSoulsandRevive]

Great footage, cheers for this!

[@gibson]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@b3pahunter546]

Love the Custom Shop. Great guitars!

[@VariusSep]

This is an incredible video and a great in depth look at the Gibson custom shop. What a real treat. Thank you everyone at Gibson for making great guitars 🎸 ❤

[@gibson]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@clntnsp]

These Gibson Gear Guide videos are awesome!

[@gibson]

Glad you like them!

[@alexwoolridge94aw]

One day ill get me a 59 Les Paul R9 reissue. Until then,my Usa Explorer, Les Paul Traditional and 1961 Les Paul jr will have to do. Cant complain about much i reckon. Love these factory tours.

[@stevehughes1510]

That was a eye opener, and seeing some the guys that worked on my M2M a couple of years ago was extra special. Rick in the design store was just amazing, such creations. Cheers !!

[@gibson]

Oooooh what guitar did you get?

[@stevehughes1510]

@@gibson It was an unbound fat necked '58 style ES 335 with what you guys call a triburst finish(the lovely burgundy surround on the perimeter of the body). A very special guitar, and thanks again to all who worked on her..........nicknamed Runaround Sue.

[@PaulR387]

Amazing video, great to see inside this dream factory

[@gibson]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Pickinbuddy]

Very impressive--I'm a Gibson guy since the late 60s, and I have a number of Gibson instruments: electric guitars, 5 string banjo and mandolin....and 2 Les Pauls among them!

[@Pickinbuddy]

Oh, and the Chet Atkins solid body classic that I bought brand new in 1983--what an impressive instrument--a real show stopper!

[@tonedpeter]

Nothing beats the Gibson Custom Shop! You guys seriously rock!

[@gibson]

YOU rock!

[@terrybyrne3890]

What a GREAT Job!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@admarhermans1]

Great to see such nice people.

[@gibson]

We have a great team! Thanks for watching!

[@19581998]

Got to meet Colin at the Garage earlier this year. Really nice guy. Learned a lot.

[@prospectnyc]

Definitely order that paint over burst 59! Those always look cool!

[@lexgarnier]

Custom Shop is where it’s at ❤

[@gibson]

Thanks for watching !

[@seanwoodburn2616]

Custom Shop built me one of the most unique Les Paul's you might encounter in 1996. Obviously different management, but I am sure that some of the faces are the same. I have owned a lot of guitars, both vintage and new. They got it very very right. Still my #1

[@chubbyoo7]

Studio is my forever

[@bldallas]

I’m still watching, but I can’t believe you skipped over the actual binding process. Those guys that wrap all that rope around the guitar body to “clamp” the binding are amazing.

[@gibson]

They sure are amazing! But we can't show everything ;) Thanks for watching!

[@scottyjordan3036]

This is how they can survive. All Custom,

[@SnIpErX07]

Picked up a preowned 1960 single cut LP special in TV Yellow. Lovely instrument and that neck is just gorgeous. Been able to see the team that gave birth to it makes me confident what I gotten. Though I do have Gibson USA too. Lovely instruments Though…I really do hope I can purchase them from a retailer in Singapore. Learned actually what happened and it’s really sad to know that it’s never possible any time soon. Hopefully something can be worked out in the near future.

[@Les537]

Rock on, boys.

[@jimwoodard64]

Great video. I've got a 'core' Gibson Les Paul Custom in Alpine White, and after seeing some of these, I feel like I went cheap! (just kidding) I can appreciate how much work it was to keep the guitar such a stellar white after watching how carefully the guitars have to be handled to make sure nothing gets into the finish. Thanks to the Custom Shop folks for all they do.

[@cheaneysaddles]

The wood burned guitar and straps really got my attention at 1:10:51 this is awesome!

[@paulkantor457]

Spraying Bengal Burts! Just got mine last week!!

[@ilovegreenock]

This master artist's work is truly unique! Wow !

[@gibson]

Thank you!

[@christiandude3149]

If i could live in USA this will be my Workplace Till my End... or Fender... but sure one of the two...😂❤

[@brentklein6143]

Im saving up for a r9 Murphy lab...I definitely need one

[@StevenAMckayAuthor]

Great video. Dinesh is a good host. 🤘🏻

[@WilliamHaisch]

Trogly sent me. 😊

[@gibson]

Welcome! Glad to have you here William!

[@jeffgolladay5813]

Dudes doing the electronics are awesome

[@ScreamingEagle.]

Looks like a really cool place to work...🎸👍💓

[@lueyteledeluxe7457]

These are the *_S a l t of the E a r t h !_* 😌🙏 Respect and salutations, Gentlemen !

[@NewPraetorianBlues]

Gibson Custom seems to be worth the money. It commands the price. I've seen the C.F. Martin factory in person, and the same level of attention to detail present there is present here too.

[@gibson]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@laurentblond6760]

Dream factory 😍😍

[@SukhvinderSingh-gc8hc]

Amazing testament to the dedication & passion that goes into the craft! Noob question, outside of the aged hardware / patina, do VOS reissues sport minor artificially induced swirl marks, light scratches on body as well as random light scratches along the neck binding?

[@Lord_Raptor]

Gibson needs a configurator on their site. So, we can play around with all the different finishes, hardware options, etc. and get an idea of what it'll look like.

[@philcorymusic]

Gibson Custom Shop truly delivers amazing Guitars ❤

[@T.R.R.Jolkien]

I have a 1983 Gibson explorer custom shop edition, black with gold hardware and pickups. The serial number is pressed in the back of the headstock

[@jakesmith4506]

Awesome video. I always wondered what happens to the wood chips and saw dust. Does it get recycled or used in a different application? rock on guys. I love the channel.

[@gibson]

Thanks for watching Jake!

[@surfabouy]

Vast volumes of wood chips and sawdust are produced every day. The air in the shop is always moving as the dust collectors at the various stations suck a lot of air. Gibson pays a company to empty the collectors and take away the sawdust. It eventually becomes particle board, press board, and countless of other materials. It doesn't go to waste.

[@AvyScottandFlower]

Does the made-to-measure program do LPs in scales other that 24.75"? Like 25.5, or even baritones?

[@sn1ck3rdoodles]

Got my first Gibson last week. A Translucent Teal ‘61 SG. It plays beautifully! Next one would be a 335. Maybe a Custom 😬

[@gibson]

Very nice!

[@epasternak4206]

Yeah well, I contacted Gibson, I asked to have an 80s style tribute to be painted gun metal like my old 85 flying V and basically was told no? Not sure where all these people put in for a custom guitar that probably will cost $10k, just for a color! I'll head to Jackson, thanks Gibson.

[@marcomancini1044]

Can I please ask whether you are still making the M2m Firebird III because I do not see that reissue model anywhere. Thanks

[@gibson]

Hi there, we can accommodate many M2M models, speak to us at Gibson.com or your local dealer and they can help you! Love a Firebird. Such a cool guitar!

[@1234Robur]

what's the picture behind the yellow guitar at the end.... explain please, thank you

[@fabienbourdier9847]

1:16:57 wow that headstock is bonkers cool !!

[@islandfocus2]

@40:38 - YES, you can do an EXPORTER neck on a. LES Paul Custom. Aldo Nova and Rick Nelson has a Gibson Les Paul with an Explorer neck.

[@pat5882]

Word working is a skill that is handed down through generations. There aren’t a good number of lifetime woodworkers around in the U.S. as there were 20 years ago. Hard to find a dud as skilled as Butch.

[@Les537]

That Purple Void guitar is hot.

[@theoryofthrash]

But can I order a 7 string explorer? How far does "spec" changes go?

[@mylogify]

0:31 wow this felt like he got caught off-guard right in the middle of shower😅😂.

[@brandonmcvey9511]

I wish my damaged Faulkner remake is done soon. Apparently it's been ready to ship for like 3 months.....

[@alexcox3943]

Does Gibson offer M2M 335’s? I love being able to see the process that goes into these guitars!

[@gibson]

Hi! Absolutely! Speak with your local Gibson dealer or contact Gibson.com

[@jacksonmarshallkramer5087]

45:40 Binding scrapers? Stew Mac

[@beastmode003]

I'd move to nashville immediately for a career with Gibson 😢

[@jaredpritchard4991]

I wish we could get made to measure for epiphones

[@alexwoolridge94aw]

Just snagged a Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop Silver Sparkle Custom from Carter Vintage. That guitar fuckin slaps

[@simonvanderheijden432]

@10:52 9-hole weight relief on a custom shop Les Paul?

[@quartertonality]

Sure thing.

[@lespaulranger]

nice a wood library? sounds familiar...

[@UnpleasantDog]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@clarkbabin9799]

I want a Firebird reverse with a non reversed headstock.any guitar I'd get has to have the rolled murpy lab fretboard . I found this video from Trogley's Guitar Show. I want a Les Paul with a staple at the neck . A P90 in the middle and a mini humbucker at the bridge.😢

[@gibson]

All good choices! And glad to have you here!

[@colinrobertson4569]

If they put the parts on the Murphy guitars, does that mean all they do in the lab is the aging? No assembly?

[@quartertonality]

Yes.

[@paulm1026]

Just had a 58 reissue VOS custom shipped to me with the bridge tone control 100% broken.

[@gibson]

Hi there, I’m sorry to hear that. If you email us at Gibson.com or speak to the dealer you purchased it from, we /they can help with this issue.

[@paulm1026]

@@gibson Yeah already reached out. Having a local repair man seeing if he can fix it. Hoping its just lose connection on it. I have to quote the work and Gibson will pay back. After paying this much for a VOS 58 reissue though. Not to happy with it not working.

[@chaos4316]

Do you go to the same salon as Gemma from Sons of Anarchy by chance?

[@dungdale]

My gibson studio was definitely made with feet.

[@TheAndrewmcnelis]

What can't we see the kilns and the rosewood?

[@yourselfbch]

They didn't show the chibson shop out back 😢