Electric guitar body styles: how to gain a competitive edge

To be competitive in the world of electric guitar manufacturing, two main aspects are crucial:

• offering different electric guitar body styles and possibilities of customization
• making sure that wooden components arrive without delays or problems

You need an experienced wood manufacturer that can offer consistent support and ensure the highest quality.

Let’s discuss this subject in the following article!

How to create unique and innovative electric guitar body styles

Offering different top-quality electric guitar body styles is the only way to stand out in an increasingly complex market.

For many customers, in fact, an electric guitar is not just a musical instrument. It represents the medium through which they express their style and personality—an object they will have with them forever.

Therefore, in addition to functionality and the quality of sound produced, the aesthetic aspect is essential for players.

That is why offering many customization possibilities in your catalogue is necessary.

When a client decides to create a custom electric guitar, two important factors come into play:

• a client’s sensations and feelings
• the manufacturer’s expertise

The first has to do with emotions, imagination, and creativity, which can be summed up as the feelings one has with the guitar.

A real relationship is created between the guitarist and his instrument, and it is important that he feels completely comfortable.

This is also where the design of the guitar comes in, which must be tailored to fit the needs, including physical requirements, of the person who will play it.

Expertise, on the other hand, has to do with practice and rationality; it means that the wood maker must be able to shape the emotions and feelings expressed by the customer when creating the electric guitar body and neck.

Close collaboration with your partner is required to achieve your goals. Your supplier must be willing to listen to your customers’ needs and have the skills and willingness to experiment and put them into practice.

The steps to create an electric guitar that fits your clients’ needs

From selecting the raw materials to actual production, the manufacturing process of an electric guitar is quite complicated, and each step is important for a perfect result. Let’s look at these in detail.

Raw material selection

Selecting the best logs determines the quality of the final product. The manufacturer must ensure strict quality control over the raw material and individually check each piece for imperfections. Flawed logs must be discarded but may be reused to create other wooden objects or fuel heating systems.

Wood preparation

Once selected, the wood logs must be prepared. They must be exposed to the air for two to three months to follow the wood’s natural drying process. This stage is essential to maintain the density of the wood and prevent breakage.

An experienced wood manufacturing company has specific indoor drying chambers with heating, misting, dehumidification, and air circulation systems. Managing the drying process in-house rather than outsourcing is a fundamental advantage in terms of quality and longevity of the final product.

With a proper drying process, the ratio of volume to weight can be stable, which is critical to avoid discrepancies and damage.

Wood must be prepared with the right technologies and tools to ensure durability and maximum performance of the final product.

Codesign

Codesign means leveraging your partner’s skills and knowledge to develop unique electric guitar body styles. The right supplier is ready to listen to your and your customers’ requirements as they give advice and try to solve any problems. Sometimes this means creating difficult and unconventional shapes and designs and finding solutions to meet the most demanding requirements.

Finding a manufacturer in your own country can be a great advantage to avoid communication problems and possible delays.

Customization

During the design phase, it is also necessary to consider the available finishing options and the possibility of branding the guitar, which is important for any player. Laser technology allows customers to put their own logo (white label) and some decoration and grip on the wooden surface.

Many companies still use pyrography or hot stamping on wood, while more innovative companies have anthropomorphic laser robots to create even the most complex designs.

Production

Being extremely complex, as mentioned above, the production process of electric guitars requires dedicated production lines to ensure maximum precision, adherence to the highest standards, and flexibility.

Being flexible means producing electric guitar bodies and necks in small batches and applying the desired finish on demand, depending on market trends and customer preferences, with a greater chance of success.

Considering the global mobility issues, distances, and long lead times we are facing due to the long tail of the Covid-19 emergency, finding a manufacturer that can provide flexible, on-demand solutions is critical.

Receiving wooden guitars on time allows customers to start selling them as planned and recoup their investment.

By relying on a competent and professional wood manufacturer, it will be possible to create an item that 100% represents the personality, style, and needs (including physical) of the owner, combining the highest quality of raw materials and workmanship.

It is essential that the chosen manufacturer can customize the body and neck of the electric guitar according to the customer’s requirements, needs, and preferences in terms of shape, design, and wood used.

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The Minelli Group and its subsidiary Minelli USA have been producing wood components for the OEM market for more than 80 years.

We have manufacturing companies in both Europe and the U.S., where we can produce the highest quality wooden guitar bodies and necks, customizing them on demand according to your and your customers’ needs.

Thanks to our in-house research and development department, sophisticated software, and state-of-the-art machinery, we can produce innovative and inimitable electric guitar body styles whose quality is recognized worldwide.

If you need more information, contact us right now!