In pictures: Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

We were beyond thrilled when the guys at Warwick & Framus invited us over to their headquarters in Markneukirchen, Germany, and we took the opportunity to get some undercover snaps of the company’s unique production process.

So, join us as we explore the journey from wood to instrument with our shots of the coolest parts of the process…

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

First, the slabs of wood are cut into smaller pieces, then sent to this rip-saw machine, which uses lasers to cut them into more precise sizes

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

The instrument-proportioned slabs of wood are then taken to the drying chamber, before being checked for moisture

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Now, the necks are cut using another of those cutting machines – we’ll see more of those later…

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

There are different ways of cutting depending on what the wood will be used for – the band saw is used for tops, for example

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

More cross cutting going on over here

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Slabs of wood are hand selected and glued together, based on their wood grain and colour

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

And here’s the gluing in action

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

There are those necks again, headstocks attached, and truss rods installed

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Each of those slabs of wood from earlier gets cut to form two necks, as you can see here

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Now, those necks head over to these CNC router machines, which follow a set program to precisely cut the neck and headstock to size…

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

…resulting in the lovely finished Warwick and Framus necks you see here

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

See that lil’ QR code? That tells the next machine exactly what scale and radius the neck has, and what size frets it needs

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Warwick's Fretboard Processing Unit is the only one in the world, and it handles fretboard radius, fret slotting, fret pressing, truss rod adjustment and drilling, and fret levelling. Phew!

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

And here are a few necks, ready to undergo the aforementioned process

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

In this shot, we’ve caught the machine in the middle of sanding a neck

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Here are some fretboards in the process of receiving some tasty-looking inlays

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Now, back to that CNC routing machine, where guitar and bass bodies are also routed

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

That leaves us with a big ol’ pile of bodies, ready for necks, hardware and electronics

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Tops for semi-hollow instruments are also crafted here

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Necks are then bolted on to bodies, or neck-through designs have their wood sides glued on

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Some Warwick basses looking good, even before they get their finishes

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

This fingerboard has a tasty fingerboard grain and yin-yang inlays

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

The bodies and necks are hand-sanded for a comfortable feel

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

After a quick spray with lacquer, each instrument heads to the UV drying chamber…

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

A guitar or bass is only up there for 10 seconds, after which the lacquer is completely dry – speedy!

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Here we have a few guitars, waiting for the next stage – note the awesome chrome finish at the back

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Here we have a few guitars, waiting for the next stage – note the awesome chrome finish at the back

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Some finishes require multiple sanding and lacquering stages – this is the sanding station

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Some finishes require multiple sanding and lacquering stages – this is the sanding station

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

And here’s where bodies are stored while they wait to be processed – it’s like IKEA for guitars!

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

And here’s where bodies are stored while they wait to be processed – it’s like IKEA for guitars!

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

That there display gives a rough idea of the different parts that go into a Framus semi-hollow guitar – it’s a lot more complicated than a solidbody

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

That there display gives a rough idea of the different parts that go into a Framus semi-hollow guitar – it’s a lot more complicated than a solidbody

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Warwick and Framus use 45 different types of wood for their instruments

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Warwick and Framus use 45 different types of wood for their instruments

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

That’s right, forty-five!

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

That’s right, forty-five!

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

After the lacquering stage, hardware parts, such as machineheads and bridges, are fitted

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

After the lacquering stage, hardware parts, such as machineheads and bridges, are fitted

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Next come the pickups and electronics

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Next come the pickups and electronics

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Finally, each instrument is tested for setup and function

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

Finally, each instrument is tested for setup and function

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

The factory produces around 10 to 15 instruments from start to finish each day

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Warwick & Framus Factory Tour

The factory produces around 10 to 15 instruments from start to finish each day

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Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.