Stringed Instrument Technologies is a speciality company aimed at bringing our high level of expertise and knowledge in the building and manufacturing of stringed musical instruments to those who can use it best.

Our primary focus is directed at the production manufacturing of guitars (acoustic or electric),basses, banjos, and mandolins. All of our services are offered exclusively by us. No other company offers the personalized attention of experienced engineers to you to help with your specific needs. Our specialities include manufacturing engineering,quality control inspection, quality control engineering, production trouble shooting of all types and materials sourcing and design.

Please take a few minutes to see what we have to offer. We feel it will be time well spent.

Makoto "Nick" Sugimoto President
Chief Design Engineer
Master Craftsman

Scott Zimmerman
Vice President
Chief Engineer
Master Craftsman

Stringed Instrument Technologies consists of a core team of highly skilled experts, each with over twenty five years of job experience in the musical instrument industry. The achievements of individual members of this team can be seen in the important achievements of some of the major musical instrument brands of the past thirty years.

In addition to this core team, Stringed Instrument Technologies has assembled a network of experts world-wide, ready to help when requested with their individual areas of specialization.

These experts bring to you knowledge ranging from a leading Speciality Wood Broker with seemingly endless connections for beautiful wood, a Master pearl inlay designer and artist, electronics specialists, a master mandolin maker and even a professional photographer and graphics artist with special knowledge of stringed musical instruments.

These people and more are prepared to assist you with your individual needs and projects to insure success.

Services Available
The following information will provide details of Stringed Instrument Technologies exclusive services.

Factory Consultation

With each of our experts having over twenty five years of highly successful experience in all aspects of the industry, our detailed consultation services are our hallmark and exclusive speciality.

Our experts have held important positions at factories in America and Asia. Our focus is to use our knowledge to bridge the distance between these two important centers of the instrument industry.

Quality Control Inspection

For the company that has production facilities at extreme distances from your base of operations such as Japan, China, Korea or Taiwan, we will, after consulting with you fully, travel to the place of manufacture to do on site quality control inspection of your instruments to your specifications.

This is a service that is proven to save you money. You will experience the immediate effect of having a dramatic reduction in problems and rejects upon receipt of shipments. You have far less need of in house repair, and returned goods due to failed inspections should all but disappear.

Not only do your profits increase but your customers and distributors are much happier with improved product and more timely filling of orders. The added point is that this can be achieved with the minimum inconvenience on your part because we will travel to the factory, we will inspect the instruments while still at the manufacturing facility, and we will do the counciling, then report to you.

Quality Control Engineering.

Quality Control Engineering often goes hand in hand with inspection, but it is much more detailed and critical than the basic inspection of instruments.

Engineering involves the analysis of problems and the pin pointing of the location in the process where the problem is occurring. Then the decision of where and how the problem will be solved must be made.

Engineering problems out of a manufacturing system must be done quickly and carefully. You must fix the problem with the least impact on production in process. But with the knowledge that delays in solving the problem are costing you money and likely damaging your image to the customer.

As our customer, we will always keep your interests and priorities foremost through the whole process, while reaching the goals we set out to accomplish.

We are very prepared to assist the Asian factory to establish a level of quality control standards to meet the world expectations of your instrument production. Our quality control engineering consultation is of great value to the Asian factory that is aware of the market trends that are demanding higher quality levels at continued Asian pricing ranges. The Asian factories that survive and prosper will be those that understand high quality and traditional Asian pricing are a very easy goals to achieve. Twenty years ago the Japanese factories made a strong impact on the western market when they learned that the market wanted high quality and low price. They delivered and became a force to deal with. The market is now ready for the next generation of Asian factories. These will be led by China and to a smaller extent other Asian centers.

It does not cost any more to make a good guitar, built correctly with a marketable design.

LET US SHOW YOU HOW EASY IT CAN BE.

Manufacturing Engineering

Our manufacturing engineering services have proven to be of help to the western based company sourcing instruments from Asia as well as the Asian factory building OEM instruments or thier own line of products. Asian factories looking to improve their manufacturing abilities with fresh outside input will find we offer a wealth of input from qualified engineers.

For the western based company, we can work with you and your Asian factory to see that the factory is producing your instruments using the best balance of technology and cost effectiveness to bring your instruments to you built accurately, on time and cost effective. It is not uncommon for us to be able to pin point simple changes in jigs or processes that can not only increase the accuracy of a given operation, but save money at the same time.

For the Asian factory, our in depth knowledge of manufacturing methods from America and Asia ranging from hand made to the extreme examples of mass production mean that we can help pin point places in your production lines where alterations can mean increased accuracy, higher production and cost savings. We are prepared to assist in the design and planning of complete production facilities including processes, machines, cost analysis, and instrument design. Our artist relations specialist has direct access to leading artists world-wide we can receive the highest quality input for potential new instrument designs.

We pride ourselves on being able to work with you as a member of your team to reach the goals you find Important. This includes offering input to those factories wanting to expand their business into areas of building new to you. Such as the acoustic guitar factory that wants to enter the bigger electric guitar market. Or the factory that wants to take on the jobs done by subcontractors and need specialized input to work these operations into your production.

Whatever your specialized engineering needs are, we have a wealth of knowledge available nowhere else, and available to you wherever you are.

Confidentiality

Stringed Instrument Technologies practices a policy of complete confidentiality. Our relationship with you is personal and private and no information of our business will ever be shared with anyone.

Asia

Our base of operations is Japan. This puts us in a location to be especially helpful to the dynamic Asian musical instrument industry. Whether you are a Japanese or Korean company starting up production in China, or a Chinese factory looking for independent Western help from qualified experts to assist you in any way, we have the knowledge and ability to do the job for you.

For American companies, our experience in factory supervision and quality control can make your life much easier if you have manufacturing in Asia.

We can be in most Asian locations within a few hours. Korea is one and a half hours away and Beijing is a mere three hours travelling from us.

We believe our experienced staff of American and Japanese specialists, together with our Asian location make our services invaluable to both Asian and American businesses.

With China a new member of the WTO, the music industry has entered a new phase. There will be opportunities available that people only dreamed about a decade ago. Many Korean factories are already producing instruments in China and reaping the benefits. The WTO agreement has smoothed out many difficulties for companies interested in pursuing the possibilities that present themselves. These include the new manufacturing facilities that will be opening up as well as the millions of new customers accessible to the world. Lets work together to explore the chances.

Dispatching our Experts

Due to our central location, we can send our specialists to your Asian location and give you the highest quality personalised assistance. This is one of our hallmarks and insures that you get the attention you need tailored to your requirements. We believe this is invaluable in solving complex problems and assuring success on every project.

This personal attention is offered with the knowledge that for the western based business, the inconvenience of long distance travel not only costs money but disrupts your company. And for the Asian company, the ability to bring specialists into your factory to work on your team is a rare and valuable chance.

The market is so dynamic and becoming so competitive that we believe our hands on services can give you a real advantage.

Nick Sugimoto

Nick has been working in the stringed instrument industry for twenty six years. In 1976 after graduating from the university, he went to United States for 1 year and studied guitar repair from Kunio Sugai owner of Performance Guitar Co., also at Hoshino USA. After he came back to Japan he joined Fujigen Inc. from 1978 until 1992 and Fujigen Hirooka Inc. from 1993 when Fujigen Hirooka Inc. was established until 2002 . During this time he worked for 23 years in R&D, custom guitar building and engineering. He been the main force at Fujigen in the creation and engineering of all Fujigens design and manufacturing for twenty years.　His designs and abilities have been indispensable to customers like FENDER USA and JAPAN, IBANEZ, EPIPHONE, YAMAHA, GRECO, ROLAND, FERNANDES, CASIO, TOBIAS, and many other OEM customers and of cource Fujigen's own brands Heartfield and FgN.

He has worked at the Fender Custom Shop in 1990 to help in the design work for a joint venture with Fender Musical Instruments and Fujigen Inc. In his 23 years at Fujigen he has written up more than 1,500 engineering spec. sheets and engineering packages for manufacturing. You can see a lot of his ideas in the catalogs of the brands listed above.

Nick has worked for three different Custom Shops during his years in the music industry. First he worked for the "GRECO Order Made section" for two years. Second he established the "Fender Japan Order Made section" where he made or produced more than 500 guitars. Third he established the "Fujigen Custom Shop". He has been the General Director of Fujigens Custom Shop for the last five years. During his years of R&D and custom building he has had the opportunity to consult with or build for many leading artists including Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, George Benson, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Steve Miller, Bob Weir, Sting, Paul Gilbert, Paul Stanley, Joe Pass, Billy Sheehan, Allan Holdsworth, Lee Ritenour, Steve Lukather, Phil Collen, Jaco Pastorius, Jimmy Page, Z.Z.Top, Victor Bailey, Adrian Belew, Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Air Supply, Kenny Loggins, Allman Brothers, Stanley Jordan and many others.

Scott Zimmerman

Scott has been working in the stringed instrument industry for almost thirty years. He studied acoustic instrument construction and repair formally for three years prior to working at CBS Fender Musical Instruments from 1977 to 1984. During this time he worked for three years in the woodshop leading a team building necks. Following that he was promoted to the job of Senior Master Builder in Research and Development. He was the sole Master builder at the Fender factory at this time. His job was to make all engineering samples and production samples of guitars, basses and components for the factory and to make many custom guitars for the leading artists in the world playing Fender instruments. This often required consulting with the production engineers to work out details of mass producing new ideas. He later worked as a Factory Supervisor for the Jackson Charvel factory where his job was to solve numerous production problems causing quality and production flow situations. He also set up the Charvel quality control system and did factory warrantee repairs. He came to Japan in 1986 to set up production of the Charvel Brand and oversee the three factories that made the instruments. In 1990 He began working for the Fujigen factory in Japan where he worked in Engineering and Development. He again custom made instruments in development and artist guitars for many leading brands. In 1994 He began working as a Quality Control Engineer and Inspector at Fujigen. During his years of engineering and custom building he has had the opportunity to consult with or build for many leading artists including the bands Queen, The Cars, Bad Company, The Blues Brothers, Jerry Donahue, Curt Cobain, Kiss, Bryan Adams, Jake E. Lee, Vivian Campbell, Ratt and many others. One of Scott's guitars will soon be placed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a guitar he built for Curt Cobain.

Scott continues to keep active in the acoustic music business. He is a recognized authority on the five string banjo and leads a team doing cutting edge research on the banjo and acoustic guitar. He has his own column in the respected BANJO NEWSLETTER. He builds professional instruments with the brand name DESERT ROSE.

We invite you to consider the possibilities we offer as a member of your team. And invite we you to contact us to explore the opportunities we bring to your business.

Sincerely

Makoto "Nick" Sugimoto       Scott Zimmerman