I just showed this video to my son, who's a paint sprayer in a furniture factory. He was astonished to see people spraying with either no mask, or an inappropriate mask. Even with good extraction, the fumes will get them!
That's what I was thinking. What's the point of wearing masks if they're not even covering their noses? I guess with masks such as these there would be no protection from fumes even if they did wear them properly.
I sprayed automotive 2 part catalyzed finishes without a mask because I didn't know any better. I was new. So I did what I saw the painter do. I was his "helper" so I did primer and some small parts with color & clear. He never told me I needed a respirator so I did it without one. That lasted about 6 months and it got to the point where I was having pain in my ribs daily. I used to joke with my ex that she must have been kicking me while we were asleep. It wasn't real bad. It hurt but not enough to keep me from work or anything. Plus I had a gf, her 2 kids, and 1 of our own on the way plus bills so I went to work no matter what I felt like. So one night I wake up and I can't breathe. Literally almost can't inhale. I was having a HARD time. Like my lungs were spasming or something. So I went to the ER and the doctor treated me like I was faking and gave me Tylenol and sent me home. Like I was an addict seeking a fix. 2 weeks later, I got to a 2nd ER because now I have pain on the other side. They did 1 x ray and admitted me IMMEDIATELY for emergency surgery. It seems that I had over 2.5 LITERS of fluid in my chest. There was so much that it was crushing my heart to HALF OF ITS NORMAL SIZE! Because of that, my resting heart rate at the time was never below 100 bpm because my heart was beating twice as fast as usual in order to continue to supply the volume of blood my body needed. The cardio-thoracic surgeon told me I couldve died at literally any moment with how much my heart was being crushed by the fluid. At any time. And I had no idea. They cut my ribs open with a 12 inch incision going left to right, about 4 inches below my arm pit. The doc said when he went into my lungs, it looked like play-doh stuck in carpet from all of the junk I inhaled that caked up in my lungs. He said he cleaned out as much as he could but it was like picking play-doh out or carpet. I spent the next 8 days in ICU and the next 6 after that In the trauma ward, where they usually treat gunshot victims and stuff. One of the worst times of my life. I lost everything I had while I was there. Yea. My gf kicked me out while I was almost dead in ICU. Then when I got out, she wouldn't let me come get my stuff. Not my clothes. Not my furniture. Nothing. She tried to keep it all, saying "you have clothes and furniture at your parents. Go there." uh no. I took my clothes and furniture to our house. So I had zero support from her either. She kept complaining about me trying to get sympathy from people because I posted on Facebook that I got admitted to the hospital. Yea. That ain't all of it. After my daughter was born, she wouldn't let me see her. Then she moved and took my daughter and wouldn't tell me where they went. So I spent every day for the next 2 months looking for them and I found them... Only for my ex, my daughter's mother, to cause the death of my child a year later. She decided that texting was more important than actually paying attention to the road while she was driving. And she wrecked. And that wreck killed my child. My only child. That day was July 1, 2014. Today? Today is June 30, 2023. Just 1 day away.... Tomorrow will be 9 years that she's been gone and it's no easier today than it was on July 1, 2014. 😔
You'll find peace if you can forgive them. We all must die, we just don't get to pick when. Reincarnation exists, our souls live forever, so have no fears, it's all just a test maybe, or it's all just pointless. Peace be with you.
Over and again in these outstanding videos is the notion of pride and quality..attention to detail. Historic processes preserved. The quality and dedication of the organization is amazing. I definitely want to visit!
I was fortunate enough to purchase my dream guitar, goldtop with a bigsby in 2017 after 30 years of dreaming, and I'm here to tell you the fit and finish and playability is fantastic!!
Got a Flying V a couple of months ago, my second ever guitar, and I will never forget the nitro smell after picking it up. I just fell in love. Beautiful guitar, excelent quality, awesome sound.
2019, I got my Les Paul Classic, fantastic Guitar, sold eight Epiphones right after that, because none of them stood up to that Les Paul! And it’s a sweet Lefty 🥰🥰🥰
If it makes you feel any better I took the tour of the Gibson Memphis factory before they closed it down, and it was crap! If you want a really good guitar factory tour try the Martin place in Nazareth or the Huss & Dalton one in Staunton, I've done them both and they are really excellent. Huss & Dalton is free!
@@georgevanwin And you can tour the PRS factory in Setevensonville, MD right off the Bay Bridge, that is you could until the pandemic. When they resume them is anybody's guess, but probably not until there is a vaccine.
Bought a new 2020 Les Paul Classic in Honeyburst this year and could not be happier! Perfect fit and finish, plays and sounds amazing and a true visual work of art. Great job Gibson! Thank you for a guitar I will enjoy and treasure the rest of my playing life.
Another fun episode. My Standard '50s LP and my SG Standard 61 came out absolutely perfect. Everyone who touched these two guitars did an outstanding job. I had a jam session before the lockdown where during the post jam beers a fried of mine decided to joke about my Standard '50s not being a custom shop (we both have R9s). I had him play my Standard '50s and that shut him up in seconds. The problem then was prying my guitar back from his hands as he didn't want to put the guitar down. I don't think it is better or just as good as an R9, as it shouldn't be, but it can hold its own. Sounds beautiful, not a single cosmetic issue, looks good and it's extremely comfortable to play.
I've bought two Gibson guitars recently. The 60th Anniversary 59 and the 63 Les Paul SG. Both are really amazing. I've yet to detect any errors or things that I didn't find top notch. Unlike other ones I had purchased just a while back, like the Alex Lifeson Les Paul, it was not an outstanding instrument. I think they are doing great work right now.
@@gibsonguitar Why do Gibsons smell like vanilla cookies? I noticed the painters don't wear respirators when applying the finishes. Isn't lacquer harmful to breathe? Thanks.
Bought my first Gibson and first Les Paul just some days ago. Because of the - let's say "tinted" - past of Gibson I was quite sceptical and especially worried about quality. However with the money-back guarantee of the vendor I decided to give Gibson a chance as I always wanted to own a Les Paul. The last days I thoroughly checked the guitar over. There was no reason for me to worry: She is just perfect, a sparkling beauty (in Burgundy), excellent quality and ... boy.. she can sing!! From where Gibson is coming, I fully understand the sceptics - I was one as well. But hey, "Gibson, you did it"! Wish there will be factory tours in the future again to see the birthplace of my beauty. I missed the opportunity last time I was around :-(. In the meantime, hope there will be more episodes of "The Process"!
It really is a pleasant experience to see highly skilled people doing such fine, detailed work. That Gibson continues to make great guitars on such a large scale is a testament to their legacy and their commitment to maintain the highest standards possible. I do not know what the saturation rate from lacquer overspray in the factory air is, but I do know that OSHA oversees conditions there.
I can’t believe most of those individuals are spraying paint and nitro without wearing respirators of some sort😳😳😳 That can’t possibly be a good thing long term.
Thank you Gibson Guitar builders! You guys Rock! My '19 Traditional and Classic are two fine instruments. You guys and gals should be very proud for what you do. I am proud of you!
How can they spray without respirators? Do they just have a super effective ventilation system? When I spray nitro without a mask, it gives me a migraine.
All the heart passion and dedication for they're craft and still you can walk into any guitar shop and find only three good Gibson guitars out of a hundred
I liked this video before I even watched it! Because I’ve been waiting for this part. And now I finished watching, I want to like it a couple of times more! Love it!
Ever wonder why that new shiny Gibson guitar in the middle of winter is filled with all sorts of crackles of static? Gibson, saving the environment one guitar at a time.
B free de Rock I believe that Gibson’s booths would pass OSHA standards without requiring PPE. I can tell you from over 30 years of professional experience that OSHA and the EPA both stay on top of manufacturers that use Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) like nitro. I have a high air volume commercial spray booth for guitar finishing and never get so much as a whiff of nitrocellulose odor while it runs and I am spraying with an HVLP gun. It takes a lot of air volume to achieve this but is well worth the expense. A standard N95 mask will not protect the lungs from VOCs in lacquer and thinner. It can be helpful with dust. To trap VOC’s you need something like a 3M 7500 or 400 series mask with replaceable 6001 or similar cartridges. www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/All-3M-Products/Personal-Protective-Equipment/Reusable-Respirators/N=5002385+8711017+8720539+8720550+3294857497&rt=r3. www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Organic-Vapor-Cartridge-6001-60-EA-Case/?N=5002385+3294780292&preselect=8720539+8720550+8720746&rt=rud. If you don’t have decent enough airflow the cartridges may have to be replaced every day. They’re uncomfortable for use over 30-40 at a time too which is why more than adequate airflow is a better solution. I’ve had experience with Positive Air Pressure (PAP) respirators for finishing n environments where sufficient airflow couldn’t be achieved to eliminate operator exposure. We used something like this: www.envirosafetyproducts.com/respirators-safety-protection/powered-air-respirators-papr/3m-versaflo-papr-systems.html. Operators still didn’t like them but they were more comfortable and got the job done
Thanks a lot for this series of videos! It shows in detail why a Gibson guitar costs what it costs! And it is amazing to learn about the people and their faces BEHIND those instruments! Greetings from a proud owner of a Custom Shop Les Paul from Germany!
You can easily automate the painting that is done by hand too. I could personally have done that for you way back in 2002 and im pretty sure there are many others in the US that could have done it way before that! With a 100% result!
That's because of the electrical charge they apply during lacquering through the truss rod, as shown in the video. The lacquer stays electrical charged, and that's the crackling and popping you hear when touching the finish on new Gibsons.
Very cool, thank you Gibson. I'm a long time fan purchasing my first Gibson back in 1976. As a 14 year old boy it took me a year to save up $525 for a brand new Les Paul Deluxe, and it came with a HS case too!
It honestly isn’t nearly as bad as people make it out to be. I might have just gotten lucky but my Standard was literally perfect right out of the box besides a standard tune up of course.
krays I believe that Gibson’s booths would pass OSHA standards without requiring PPE. I can tell you from over 30 years of professional experience that OSHA and the EPA both stay on top of manufacturers that use Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) like nitro. I have a high air volume commercial spray booth for guitar finishing and never get so much as a whiff of nitrocellulose odor while it runs and I am spraying with an HVLP gun. It takes a lot of air volume to achieve this but is well worth the expense. A standard N95 mask will not protect the lungs from VOCs in lacquer and thinner. It can be helpful with dust. To trap VOC’s you need something like a 3M 7500 or 400 series mask with replaceable 6001 or similar cartridges. www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/All-3M-Products/Personal-Protective-Equipment/Reusable-Respirators/N=5002385+8711017+8720539+8720550+3294857497&rt=r3. www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Organic-Vapor-Cartridge-6001-60-EA-Case/?N=5002385+3294780292&preselect=8720539+8720550+8720746&rt=rud. If you don’t have decent enough airflow the cartridges may have to be replaced every day. They’re uncomfortable for use over 30-40 at a time too which is why more than adequate airflow is a better solution. I’ve had experience with Positive Air Pressure (PAP) respirators for finishing n environments where sufficient airflow couldn’t be achieved to eliminate operator exposure. We used something like this: www.envirosafetyproducts.com/respirators-safety-protection/powered-air-respirators-papr/3m-versaflo-papr-systems.html. Operators still didn’t like them but they were more comfortable and got the job done
The fact that none of the artisans in the spray booths applying the sunbursts and clearcoats ARE NOT wearing appropriate respirators PPE stands out like DOG BALLS. There is a reason the Automotive industry did away with Nitrocellulose in the 50's. JFC Gibson look after the health of your workers breathing that shit in.
That's exactly what I was thinking. I used to know a guy who was a professional spray painter and he had all sorts of respirators and face shields that he wore at work. In the video I saw one woman with a paper surgical mask and that was it. Of course I am no expert and these folks know a lot more about this than I do. And most folks tend to look out for themselves so I am assuming they are aware of the risks. But still it looks pretty dangerous to me.
Actually, if you look at 2:00 you'll see someone spraying a burst, and she's wearing a face mask, but I assume the booths they have will have sufficient enough extraction facing towards where the guitars are being sprayed, that way any excess spray and fumes are drawn away from the painter, so they don't breath in or ingest any particles of paint
@@widdlemeister Nah doesn't work that way! Surgical face masks etc are a waste of time. If you look at Automotive refinishing they work in professional spray booths and even with the extraction fans etc still wear the proper masking and PPE. That tells you something! Nitrocellulose is still the best finish for guitars, but the proper safety precautions need to be strictly adhered to, otherwise long term exposure will result in serious medical conditions and /or possibly death. There is no excuse for a company such is Gibson not providing 21st century proper safety equipment for these painters.
Totally agree! The lady doing the burst didn't even have the paper mask covering her nose! When looking at other factory tours, the people doing the finishes always have respirators etc. but it seems Gibson is cutting corners and putting the workers at risk.. Not impressed, not at all!
@@gibsonguitar I am looking at a Jimmy Page Telecaster. BTW, I have a cheapo Les Paul Tribute, which I love, in Satin Cherry Burst (2019 Model). Doesn't have the gloss finish, and no binding, but its still a LP to me. I also bought a PRS recently and it has a Nitro finish, and it took about two months for the smell to fade away in my office/studio. Smelled like Play Dough when I was a kid. I have a Fender, PRSs and a Gibson and guess what, I love them all. Play a different one each day. Best of all worlds I guess. God bless the American guitar manufactures. I am try to keep all of them in business.
Maybe like his number#3 Les Paul? The one that was a late 1969 Deluxe converted to full sized humbuckers and resprayed plum red. Later installed with the Parsons B-bender in the mid 80’s. He played this guitar as seen in the No Quarter unledded DVD and at Castle Donnington 1990 concert.
As others have said...where the shit are the masks! Just ordered a respirator to do a quick job, I considered it overkill but what the hell! Well done Gibson you just told the nation that their health isn't a concern when it comes to spray paint!
Their spray booths suck the fumes out IIRC, so they actually don’t require them. My friend owns a body shop and I was wondering the same thing, but he has the same type of setup.
@@darthjarjarbinks8953 even so, having a proper booth doesn't mean you shouldn't wear a respirator. Vapors and fumes can easily contact you when you're that close to them. Super bad for you.
Loved this series. Is this current process similar to what you did in the 70’s? I ‘m lucky to own an early 70’s SG so I’m interested in understanding it’s manufacturing steps
Just imagine if they had of been working to these principals last year... and the year before.. and the year before that... and the one before that, oh and that decade before that...
How do they keep the paint off the binding? I don't see it taped off and I see a few shots where the paint is definitely covering the binding or parts of the binding, is there a specific method for wiping the paint off or is there another method for keeping the paint off the binding?
I have a Les Paul Tribute. Great guitar for $1100 dollars. Bought it direct from the factory. Took it to a Luthier at my guitar shop, asked him to look it over, and he said there was nothing wrong and gave it his stamp of approval, for what its worth.
Hi Gibson!! I’m a huge fan of your brand and you make my favorite guitars. I do have a small request. Could you please do a reissue of “The Les Paul”? The model that Steve Howe played except offer it in more options than just natural or wine red. Also, PLEASE MAKE IT HAVE A LEFT HANDED OPTION!!!!
Perhaps somebody actually involved with Gibson can tell us why they are painting without respirators? That would help quell some of the speculation in the comments
Thanks for sharing this. I was curious about the nitro clear coat. I’ve heard y’all spray eight coats many times yet Ive noticed when removing a clear coat on a Gibson it is really thin. I’m refinishing a SG that I found in a pawn shop in Purcell, OK. It is stamped on the back of the headstock, ‘Not for resale Promotional use only’. It has 2 volume knobs & 1 tone knob. It’s a slim tapered neck. Serial #91231329. Whoever the artist was that rejected this guitar should have reconsidered. How it ends up in a pawn shop in OK is a shame but I’m not complaining. It plays, feels and sounds great with upgraded pickups. It will have a new look.
What happens if they mess up? Like they accidentally move the wrong way while spraying and it screws up the sunburst look. That's the kind of thing I'm curious about. How do you fix a mistake like that?
I wonder what brand lacquer Gibson uses. I would imagine it's something that's specially made for Gibson. I read some time ago that the "gold dust" for the goldtops is still made by the same company that made it in the 50s. It's actually brass or bronze dust, or something of that nature. You just can't beat lacquer in my opinion...A real French polish would be good too, but not for an instrument that is played aggressively like an electric guitar.
Anyone know what the most common reddish back color is called and how to match it? I have a few chips on the back of my trad that i want to match up as best as i can get it
I play my Martinez everyday as preparation for the day I get to play a Gibson. When that day comes I will officially become a rock god.. Wait for me Gibson.... I'm coming
Unfortunately the nitro finish discolours very easily. I just got a new Gibson LP with a white binding. The neck binding turned brown where the foam rubber of the guitar rack touches it. I've used that rack for many years and it's always full of guitars with no issues, but this was the first Gibson with a bright white binding I've ever put in it....even my Epiphones with white bindings were never harmed. This discolouration on my new LP only took one day to happen. Be advised. Apparently this is very common.
It is common, you have to make sure the material that touches your guitar is safe for nitro finishes. Usually manufacturers will indicate but best to ask if they don’t.
Hi guys, would anyone know to tell me what type and model of paint they use to pass on the guitar. IS IT TYPE A FOLDER THAT PASSES IN THE GUITAR SOMEONE KNOWS THE NAME ??
I find it hard to believe that they check even half of the guitars for qaulity control seeing all the Gibson guitars that came to Spokane guitar center 86% at least had finish drops and fret boards separating from the neck and maybe other not so noticable problems as well!??!
I watched this 3 times,this kind of stuff is so interesting to me.I have seen that lady in another video and she is a true artist.Rock on Gibson and i hope you reopen soon soon im waiting on a Bengal burst Axcess custom that i ordered.
I've got a nitro finish guitar (custom made, not Gibson) and it's the worst finish ever. It's soft and just being in the case has given it a rash from the floofy velour stuff. So my question is: is this normal for nitro or was mine not cured properly? I've spent hours trying to work out how to fix it but should I strip and poly it? It's an Alder solid body
