Weber fine acoustic instruments are manufactured by Sound to Earth in Logan, Montana. The company has steadily grown, moving from Bozeman recently to accommodate its expansion. The 25 employees make mandolins by hand in an old Logan schoolhouse. The move was necessary because Weber plans to expand their product line to include guitars in the near future. Currently, about 15 mandolins are produced every week at the Logan location. Each instrument is handworked by over a dozen people before it leaves the shop.
The initial move to Montana occurred in 1996, after the Gibson guitar company decided to relocate its Flatiron mandolin division from Belgrade to Tennessee. Bruce Weber, president of Sound to Earth was the manager of the Flatiron division at the time and did not wish to move to Nashville with the rest of his division. He went back home to Montana, along with five other Gibson employees and opened up their own mandolin shop. Because of Weber's burgeoning reputation as a master craftsman, and desire to promote business growth locally in Montana, he was able to easily find bank financing to launch the company. Now Weber has a booming company in a gorgeous location, with his wife working right alongside as a detailer. Weber instruments have become known in the music industry for their handcrafting and top quality.
Because they are a smaller company, the personal touches are important to Weber. Every Weber stringed instrument is covered by a lifetime customer service warranty. Almost all of the work is still performed by hand, except for one machine that carves the Weber logos and other decorative markings. Each employee is responsible only for a certain part of the instrument, allowing them to specialize and to ensure that there is expertise behind the fabrication of each aspect of the mandolin. Even the lowest-priced model is made with the same level of care and individual attention. The lower-end mandolins may not be as intricate and ornate as the top of the line models, but each one carries the same assurance of quality.
Maple, mahogany, and spruce arrive directly to the shop, where employees place it on the shelf to age until it is ready to be used in manufacture. The wood must have exactly the right moisture content so that it will not be too pliable or brittle. Being a smaller, independent company also allows Weber to experiment with modifications that would never have been permitted by a large company like Gibson. The innovative ebony bridge invented by Weber engineer Vern Brekke is a great example of the benefits of this freedom. The Brekke Bridge uses ebony wedges instead of screws, which makes it easier to adjust the string tension and improves the overall tone of the instrument. A new type of tailpiece is now being developed by Weber and it is expected to revolutionize the world of acoustic musical instruments in much the same way as the Brekke Bridge. If the growth continues as expected, Weber will most likely be expanding again and hiring additional employees to keep up with the workload.
No items matching your keywords were found.
Originally posted 2008-11-20 05:18:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Guide to Left Handed Acoustic Guitars One distinctive as well as important group of guitars is the group of left handed guitars. The left handed acoustic guitar is held with the fret board positioned in the right hand, and the guitar player uses his or her left hand to do the picking. The strings of the...... -
Brief History of Concertinas A concertina is a free reed acoustic musical instrument, falling in the same family as the accordion and the harmonica. The concertina musical instrument has buttons and bellows much in the same was as an accordion does, however the buttons typically exist on both ends rather than just on a...... -
A Cello Buying Guide Shopping for a cello can be a difficult and costly decision. This guide will give you some pointers on what to look for and how to avoid wasting money on the wrong instrument for your needs. If you are buying a cello for your child, you may want to consider...... -
Manufacturers: Gibson Orville Gibson started the Gibson Guitar Corporation by making specialized mandolins in 1894. From the beginning, Gibson established himself as a quality instrument builder who added his own innovations. His mandolins were modified in such a way that they had a richer sound. Eventually, Gibson mandolins became the instrument of...... - Manufacturers: Recording King In the 1930's, Recording King was known for their quality banjos and guitars at reasonable prices. This was especially important at the time because the United States was stuck in the middle of the Great Depression. The instruments were included in the Montgomery Ward catalog and delivered right to people's......
Related Websites - Is IKEA Office Furniture Worth The Low Price? Every day, more consumers are experiencing this exceptional furniture brand name. IKEA is an international manufacturer that slowly built up an international reputation the hard way; by being affordable and reliable. IKEA is a brand name that has continually presented the consumer with a vast range of good looking and......
-
7 ways companies are cutting back this year My mother in-law received word the other day that more than 10% of the people in her medium sized law firm were being laid off. Fortunately, she wasn't one of them but it did get me thinking about companies and they types of things I see them doing to...... - Holby Marine Review The Holby Marine Company is a leading edge manufacturer of composite boats. The Holby Marine Company utilizes the resin infusion method of boat construction, which they believe is capable of providing the highest possible quality of composite boat construction in the entire industry. The Holby Marine Company has many years......
-
Review of Bass Guitars In regards to instruments, the bass guitar is the new kid on the block as it hasn't even celebrated its 100 year mark yet. An interesting fact is that although it is called a bass guitar it is not even derived from the guitar. Acoustic guitars brought forth the electric...... - Management Span of Control and The Power of Models There isn’t a steadfast rule in determining a proper Management to Staff ratio. However, there are some guidelines that can assist in establishing a ratio that allows Upper Management to efficiently assess and evaluate a department, department managers to efficiently assess and evaluate employees. And a company to create......
- Tanglewood Right-Handed Acoustic Guitar Musical Instruments
- Takamine Right-Handed Acoustic Guitar Musical Instruments
- Line Terminal Tackle Fishing
- Deals Big Sky Montana Skiing Vacation
- Ibanez Acoustic Electric Guitar Musical Instruments
Categories:
Acoustic Musical Instruments, Brand Review, Guitars, Mandolin, Manufacturers
Tags:
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment