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

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

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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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More cross cutting going on over here

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

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And here’s the gluing in action

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tops for semi-hollow instruments are also crafted here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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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 and Framus use 45 different types of wood for their instruments

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

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That’s right, forty-five!

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That’s right, forty-five!

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

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

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Next come the pickups and electronics

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Next come the pickups and electronics

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Finally, each instrument is tested for setup and function

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Finally, each instrument is tested for setup and function

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

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

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