Last week I had the opportunity to tour the Godin guitar factories in Princeville and Richmond, Quebec, Canada. Godin is the manufacturer of several well respected guitar brands including Seagull, Simon & Patrick, Norman, Art & Lutherie, La Patrie, and of course Godin.
The experience was both educational and inspiring. I learned that Godin is the largest manufacturer of guitars in North America. They are one of the only factories in the world that does every step of the building process from harvesting the fallen logs in the backwoods right through to completion of a quality instrument.
The sheer volume of guitars produced by this company is just crazy. They complete 4000 instruments a week. 4000! That’s 16, 000 a month. Their guitars are now sold in over 65 countries worldwide.
Norman B18 Lh Acoustic (used
They have several different factories and employ over 700 people across Quebec. About 20% of their wages are made from profit sharing and that has clearly encouraged them to take an interest in the quality of what they’re building. It’s also interesting to note that the factories are run by women making up about 80% of the companies employees.
The most impressive aspect of this experience was that Robert Godin himself was our tour guide. He is the man responsible for leading the company to such great heights, and with 45 years of experience in the guitar making business he holds a wealth of information.
I was thrilled to be able to ride shotgun with Robert in his Mercedes SUV. True to Robert’s character his vehicle had most of the latest luxury vehicle technology. Corrective steering, around view monitor which creates a virtual bird’s-eye view of the exterior, and of course massage capabilities. Nothing like a massage during a cruise through the beautiful Quebec countryside on our way to lunch at St. Hubert of course.
New Norman Expedition Folk Sg Acoustic Guitar Natural Floor Model W/factory Warranty
We learned that Robert is always researching the best techniques with his team of engineers and even collaborating with McGill University to learn as much as he can about tone! In the guitar world it’s all about tone. He’s an enthusiastic man and it was inspiring to see him get so excited about his business after all these years.
Side note: if you know three departments you can apply to be a manager. Even you don’t apply to be a manager you get paid more for knowing three. Learning is encouraged.
Popular is porous so it’s used for kerfing. It sucks up the glue best. Engineers really test every aspect for best methods.
Norman Rare Edition Special Natural W/original Case
Talking about neck angle steel string vs nylon. The neck gets sanded perfectly for the specific body so they are a perfect match. The correct neck gets matched with the the correct body for perfect resonance.
The two way truss rod that extends all the way to the end of the fretboard. Action adjustments can be more precise.
After learning all of this, I feel really happy that I am able to promote and sell the Norman brand of acoustic guitars here at Brickhouse. We always point out that they are made in Canada and the quality speaks for itself. Foreign built guitars in the same price range $350-$1200 have nothing comparable in terms of build quality and tone. The tour helped me understand how it’s possible for Godin to not only compete, but succeed in a world where the trend of outsourcing manufacturing is rampant.
Norman Guitars Introduces Refreshed Norman Line Of Acoustic Guitars
Talking about neck angle steel string vs nylon. The neck gets sanded perfectly for the specific body so they are a perfect match. The correct neck gets matched with the the correct body for perfect resonance.
The two way truss rod that extends all the way to the end of the fretboard. Action adjustments can be more precise.
After learning all of this, I feel really happy that I am able to promote and sell the Norman brand of acoustic guitars here at Brickhouse. We always point out that they are made in Canada and the quality speaks for itself. Foreign built guitars in the same price range $350-$1200 have nothing comparable in terms of build quality and tone. The tour helped me understand how it’s possible for Godin to not only compete, but succeed in a world where the trend of outsourcing manufacturing is rampant.
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