This machine-cut yet hand-worked process offered improved profit margins at lower unit prices and yielded high quality instruments with unique character. Even so, 60% of the construction process was still done by hand, including planing, fretting, joining, and assembly.
This created a significant economy of scale, allowing the company to rely upon factory automation rather than skilled labor for rough shaping of components and basic assembly tasks. This new equipment, operated by its staff of skilled craftsmen, enabled Matsumoku to realize the mass production of high-quality guitars.īy the early 1970s, Matsumoku had begun using CNC (computer numerical controlled) mills, routers, and lathes, one of the first guitar makers to do so. By the early 1960s, Matsumoku had acquired new mills, lathes and specialized presses and began to increase musical-instrument production.
Several of Matsumoku's early archtop guitars survive, most owing their basic designs to Hofner, Framus, and Gibson. However, as other Japanese companies were producing similar instruments, Matsumoku set out to distinguish itself by producing high-quality acoustic and electric archtop guitars. Modest classical guitars, small steel-stringed acoustic guitars, mandolins and violins were built and marketed in the mid-1960s. In the early 1960s (or mid-1950s ), Matsumoku began to look into other woodworking markets when several subcontracts of Singer Corporation were moved to the Philippines and, as it had on its staff several skilled luthiers, ventured into guitar and violin production in 1963. Matsumoku also branched out into building cabinets for manufacturers of televisions and "hi-fi" amplifiers. Singer contracted Matsumoku Industrial to build its sewing machine cabinets, and in 1951 Matsumoku became a partially owned subsidiary of Singer Japan. Shortly after the World War II (1939-1945), the Singer Corporation had established a Japanese subsidiary, Singer Sewing Machine Company Japan, and set up production facilities in Nagoya.
It was a family-owned woodworking business that specialized in building tansu cabinets and butsudan. In 1951, Matsumoku was founded as Matsumoto Mokkō ("Matsumoto Woodworking Company") by Mr. Established in 1951 as a woodworking and cabinetry firm, Matsumoku is remembered as a manufacturer of guitars and bass guitars, including some Epiphone and Aria guitars. Matsumoku Industrial was a Japanese manufacturing company based in Matsumoto, Nagano, between 19.
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