Production Process
Take the Factory Tour
In this video, Pascal takes you on a tour of the Aristides factory in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Follow along as he guides you through each stage of crafting an Aristides guitar—from pouring the Arium into the mold to perfecting the final finish.
Research & Development
Aristides Guitars relies on a process of experimentation & refinement inspired by a deep commitment to building the best guitars possible. Our team of master luthiers spends countless hours researching improvements & prototyping new ideas; then creating the designs, components, & equipment to support those goals. This has led to huge innovations such as our Headless Series guitars, our multiscale tremolo in collaboration with Hantug Guitars, & even our custom multiscale EverTune bridge. Yet more importantly this means that even our most simple guitars are built properly. All good guitars begin with a good idea, but great guitars have a plan that accounts for the many small details that add up to an inspiring instrument.
Molding & Curing
Aristides’ proprietary construction method provides huge tonal, durability, & consistency benefits not available elsewhere. This process was developed over years of R&D to comprise of a rigid exoskeleton with a resonant core; the result being reminiscent of chambered guitars. Our luthiers spend 8 hours carefully layering topcoat, glass fibre, carbon, & more in a custom mold to create the exoskeleton before carefully & evenly distributing Arium throughout for our desired tonal characteristics. After the body is acoustically tested, weighed, & approved, it is cured twice in a heated chamber for tone & durability. Of course, at this point all we have is the beginning of a guitar. This is our “wood.” Finally, the real work can begin.
Skilled Luthiers
Aristides Guitars was founded with the explicit goal of building custom guitars to the highest standards. Not to make guitars simply for the sake of our proprietary production process & alternative material – rather, creating instruments with a playability & attention to detail that would impress even the most discerning guitarists; while also leveraging the unique properties of Arium. This is not possible without skilled craftsmen who love guitar. As such, a huge focus is placed on the traditional guitar building skills of our luthiers. Every part of our production process from start to finish includes a human touch that ensures your guitar isn’t just perfect on paper – it feels perfect.
Advanced Technology
In order to augment our luthier’s human talent, we have increasingly implemented more modern technology for efficiency & precision. We employ a robot arm, build custom fret jigs, & heavily invest in our finishing department. Much of what we do is proprietary, meaning that rather than adopting components & processes commonly used by other guitar companies, we develop the best solutions from scratch in-house. The bespoke multiscale & headless hardware built with Hantug Guitars to meet our rigorous performance standards is a great example that “good enough” is simply not good enough for us. Once you’ve combined the best aspects of traditional luthiery with powerful modern technology & the unique tonal properties of Arium; the result is a guitar you truly cannot get anywhere else.
Quality Control
We utilize a lengthy quality check procedure to ensure all Aristides guitars meet & exceed the highest standards – but quality control goes far beyond that! If a friend talks to you about their Aristides, the first thing they’ll mention is the ordering process. From the moment you get in touch we are dedicated to asking the right questions to find your perfect specifications, keeping you informed of progress along the way, showing you custom finish & design samples, setting the guitar up to your exact specifications, & working with you to make sure it arrives safely. We pride ourselves on building relationships with our customers so you don’t just receive a good guitar, you receive a guitar you can feel good about.
Molding & Curing
Aristides’ proprietary construction method provides huge tonal, durability, & consistency benefits not available elsewhere. This process was developed over years of R&D to comprise of a rigid exoskeleton with a resonant core; the result being reminiscent of chambered guitars. Our luthiers spend 8 hours carefully layering topcoat, glass fibre, carbon, & more in a custom mold to create the exoskeleton before carefully & evenly distributing Arium throughout for our desired tonal characteristics. After the body is acoustically tested, weighed, & approved, it is cured twice in a heated chamber for tone & durability. Of course, at this point all we have is the beginning of a guitar. This is our “wood.” Finally, the real work can begin.