"MADE IN SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA, USA"
Ernie Ball / Musicman Factory Tour
April 20, 2004

Words and Photos by Stingraymund

After posting on an online Musicman bass forum about fret buzzing on my Stingray 5-string, a Musicman employee graciously invited me to come over to the factory to have it worked on, at at extremely reasonable price. Call me hardcore, but I took a day off work and drove 200 miles from Los Angeles to the central California town of San Luis Obispo just to get this done. Jon, the Musicman employee, was kind enough to give me a tour. After donning some safety goggles and whipping out my digital camera, here's what I saw...
 

This unassuming, nondescript structure in the southern part of San Luis Obispo is where it all begins: The Ernie Ball Musicman factory.

This stack of alder wood will soon be carved into bodies for Musicman basses and guitars.

Templates mark the outlines for Stingray 4 and SUB basses.

This computerized milling machine accurately drills the neck pocket, pickup and control cavities and all screw holes into a Stingray body.

A finished left-handed Stingray body, fresh from the milling machine.

A SUB body, comprised of two pieces of wood.

This machine cuts the outlines of Sterling necks.

Though still newly-cut, these slabs of maple already bear an unmistakable shape...

Fret slots are cut in this table.

By hand and by machine, frets are added onto the necks.

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