1996: A Year in Guitar History

Built at Gibson's Bozeman, Montana acoustic factory. Master luthier Ren Ferguson, hired from Flatiron Mandolin, oversaw the design of some of the most elaborate flattops Gibson has ever produced.

Fender Japan, built by FujiGen Gakki. The JV (Japanese Vintage) series (1982–1984) were painstaking recreations of pre-CBS Fenders, so good they embarrassed the US-made Fenders of the same era. Japanese Fenders from this period are now highly collectible.

Built at Fender's Corona, California facility. The Custom Shop was established here in 1987 by master builders John Page and Michael Stevens, and grew to include legendary builders Fred Stuart, J.W. Black, John Suhr, and Gene Baker.

Built at Fender's Ensenada, Mexico facility — the world's highest-volume Fender factory. Mexican-made Fenders share many components and processes with their US-made siblings at a more accessible price point.

Korean-era Squier, built by Samick and later Cort. The woodwork remained solid though electronics and hardware were cheaper than Japanese models. Korean serial numbers weren't consistently documented until mid-1993.

Korean Ibanez production across Cort, Samick, and World Musical Instruments factories. From 2009 onward, all Prestige production returned exclusively to Japan.

Built at PRS's Stevensville, Maryland facility on Kent Island. A 90,000-square-foot expansion in 2008 significantly increased production capacity.

Taylor became one of the first acoustic guitar makers to embrace CNC manufacturing in 1989, establishing their reputation for exceptional neck consistency and setup quality.

Built at Yamaha's Kaohsiung, Taiwan factory, which produced millions of acoustics over 35 years. These "Green Label" guitars were workhorses — affordable, consistent, and used by countless beginners and professionals. The factory closed in early 2007.

Built at Yamaha's Hamamatsu custom workshop, which has operated continuously since 1966. These are individually handmade by master luthiers — the same shop that produced the original Red Labels.

An ESP Standard — the Japan-made professional series built at ESP's Tokyo facility. Positioned between the import LTD line and the hand-built ESP Originals, the Standard series was retired in 2014 and relaunched as E-II for export markets.

A Korean-built LTD. The 1000-series LTDs from Korea are widely regarded as the sweet spot for quality vs. price in the entire ESP lineup.

Built at the Terada factory in Nagoya, Japan — a woodworking shop established in 1912. Terada-built Gretsch guitars are considered by many players to be the best since the 1950s/60s Brooklyn era.

Built at Rickenbacker's Santa Ana, California factory, where they've been for over 60 years. Rickenbacker has never outsourced production — every instrument is built by roughly 60 employees producing only 8,000–12,000 guitars per year.

Features the Hi-Gain pickup, introduced in 1969 to replace the Toaster with a hotter output suited to heavier rock. Vintage reissue models still use the original Toaster design.

Built at Guild's legendary Westerly, Rhode Island factory — widely considered their golden age. While competitors suffered quality dips in the '70s and '80s, Westerly production maintained consistently high standards for 35 years.

The Washburn USA Custom Shop was run by Grover Jackson (yes, the Jackson Guitars founder) for the first half of the 1990s. A little-known chapter where one of the most famous names in guitar building was quietly running Washburn's American production.

Handcrafted in San Luis Obispo, CA. Steve Morse's signature model launched in 1987 and has been in continuous production for nearly 40 years. Every Ernie Ball Music Man instrument is built by a small team of dedicated craftspeople.