Gittler Instruments - Titanium Guitar Manufacturer looking for a new machining partner

[Gittler Instruments]

My company, Gittler Instruments LLC has been manufacturing minimalist Titanium guitars and basses for more than 40 years. It has always been a labor of love.

Several machines, a lot of forward-thinking IP, an inventory of Titanium and the rabid support of many famed musicians and museums. All of this has been glued together by myself (sales, marketing, metallurgy) and a pair of engineer/machinists.

We have an order desk that demands expansion but for that, we really need a machine shop to take up some of our burden. Machining of certain parts, assembly, customization, troubleshooting, etc.

It is not a big contract and this is really geared towards a small machine shop that has Titanium machining experience and is willing to go the extra mile and become part of a growing team for the long haul. If someone at the shop also happens to play the guitar or bass it would be a nice bonus.

I would love to hear from anyone interested in this opportunity or suggesting any referrals that we could consider. We are located in Long Island, NY and Virginia (DC area).

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum. We are not offering to sell or buy products here, just reaching out to the greater machining community to help us narrow in on potential partners for the future.

Thanks,
Russ

 

[Anthony N]

My company, Gittler Instruments LLC has been manufacturing minimalist Titanium guitars and basses for more than 40 years. It has always been a labor of love.

Several machines, a lot of forward-thinking IP, an inventory of Titanium and the rabid support of many famed musicians and museums. All of this has been glued together by myself (sales, marketing, metallurgy) and a pair of engineer/machinists.

We have an order desk that demands expansion but for that, we really need a machine shop to take up some of our burden. Machining of certain parts, assembly, customization, troubleshooting, etc.

It is not a big contract and this is really geared towards a small machine shop that has Titanium machining experience and is willing to go the extra mile and become part of a growing team for the long haul. If someone at the shop also happens to play the guitar or bass it would be a nice bonus.

I would love to hear from anyone interested in this opportunity or suggesting any referrals that we could consider. We are located in Long Island, NY and Virginia (DC area).

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum. We are not offering to sell or buy products here, just reaching out to the greater machining community to help us narrow in on potential partners for the future.

Thanks,
Russ

Hey feel free to email me @ [email protected]

and I'll see if I can help. Thanks.

 

[blackwolf4278]

Hi. It sounds like this would be a good fit for us, please see our website rocomfg.com and feel free to email me at [email protected]

 

[Toolmaker51]

Not available presently, but salute innovative blast at human's favorite means of expression.

 

[Ox]

Again?


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[Gittler Instruments]

I don't really understand these last two comments.
Still looking for partners in innovation for machining and assembly.

 

[RJT]

I would be willing to look at what you need. We process quite a bit of titanium.
www.progtool.net
Contact me through our website.

 

[Ox]

I don't really understand these last two comments.
Still looking for partners in innovation for machining and assembly.

Tool51 topped a cpl of old RFQ's for what appears to be "no good" reason.
IDK what that was all about?

Note - you are allowed to "top" the thread as required to make sure that others realize that you are still looking.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[Kingbob]

Post a few pictures of specific individual parts, the really hard ones, and if you are really brave set a target price. You'll have the right people beating down your door in no time. If you want specific results, give specific expectations.

 

[Shipp]

Regardless of who is interested or not, those are gorgeous.

 

[EMTech]

I don't really understand these last two comments.
Still looking for partners in innovation for machining and assembly.

I sent you a message back in October. I didn't hear back from you so I thought you had this covered. Please check your messages.

 

[Gittler Instruments]

Thanks all. To be clear, our problem is not having the parts machined. It's finding a partner that is willing to put all of the various elements together and do the GC stuff. This means things like micro welding frets, gun drilling small holes down a 28" shaft, shimming to the proper height, arbor press work, inserting electronics, final testing and polishing, etc.
It's a whole assembly process and the machining is the least of it.

 

[Kingbob]

Thanks all. To be clear, our problem is not having the parts machined. It's finding a partner that is willing to put all of the various elements together and do the GC stuff. This means things like micro welding frets, gun drilling small holes down a 28" shaft, shimming to the proper height, arbor press work, inserting electronics, final testing and polishing, etc.
It's a whole assembly process and the machining is the least of it.

Totally get that but you'll catch more mice if you bait the trap.
What is it worth to you? We all work in dollars. I'm not interested I'm plenty busy but I know one variable that would make your work more attractive than my work and that variable matters to everyone else too.
I get your desire for privacy but as it stands you are only going to attract guys without work right now.
Not to cast aspersions because there are always factors outside of ones control but the highest quality shops and people get to choose what they work on, they tend to have more opportunities than time.
You got to bait the trap.

 

[jccaclimber]

Thanks all. To be clear, our problem is not having the parts machined. It's finding a partner that is willing to put all of the various elements together and do the GC stuff. This means things like micro welding frets, gun drilling small holes down a 28" shaft, shimming to the proper height, arbor press work, inserting electronics, final testing and polishing, etc.
It's a whole assembly process and the machining is the least of it.

Places that machine well tend to not be cost effective at assembly.
Most assembly CMs don't like machining.
Those that are good at both know it and charge accordingly.
It sounds a bit like you want to throw someone a drawing stack and have finished product show up in your mailbox.
I wouldn't advise this. I'd either keep assembly in house or have one set of places make the parts and a second place do the assembly.
I could advise some CMs that do both, but unless you have way more volume than I think you do they'll B if not C team you.
It's a bit surprising that you've been doing this for 40 years and don't have someone to put it together. Is this a case of the founder who did all the assembly no longer being available and whoever gets the business trying to farm everything out?

 

[Gittler Instruments]

Places that machine well tend to not be cost effective at assembly.
Most assembly CMs don't like machining.
Those that are good at both know it and charge accordingly.
It sounds a bit like you want to throw someone a drawing stack and have finished product show up in your mailbox.
I wouldn't advise this. I'd either keep assembly in house or have one set of places make the parts and a second place do the assembly.
I could advise some CMs that do both, but unless you have way more volume than I think you do they'll B if not C team you.
It's a bit surprising that you've been doing this for 40 years and don't have someone to put it together. Is this a case of the founder who did all the assembly no longer being available and whoever gets the business trying to farm everything out?

No, it's just a perfect storm of bad luck that brings us here.
Our lead engineer was very instrumental in organizing all the assembly. A lot of it is an equal mix of skill and learned practice. We lost him to a great job at SpacEx recently. Several of the machinists at our primary subcontractor also had learned experience from the assembly but that machine shop shuttered towards the end of Covid.
Now I'm left with myself, a ton of IP, all the tooling fixtures, 2 dozen half finished guitars and some limited machining skills and gear. Not sure how to put humpty dumpty back together again but I am desperately trying to keep the dream alive here. The demand is very decent but I run a full time company apart from these guitars, which was always a side business for me.
Honestly, I have subs that can handle the machining for what I can't do in house. It's really a GC that I need. Someone to handle all the incoming parts and electronics and then put it all together and package it. Contract assembly is my challenge but I am willing to give that company the machining work if it's desired.
From your note above it seems that the latter would not - but I'd be grateful for advice on the former.
We are not turning a large volume so a smaller company that could make us a priority at a higher cost would be ideal.

 

[Ox]

Thanks for the clarification as I too was wondering about the request.

Good luck on that front...


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[jccaclimber]

Most of my experience has been with the Jabil, Flextronics, etc. of the world. I've dealt with small places, but they tend to be very local, and not skilled with with what seems to be a cosmetically critical component.

Hopefully you have an idea of how long it takes to assemble one of these things? How many do you sell of a specific part number in a year? Knowing how long it takes to put one of these together, and what sort of margin you have in it, what (roughly) will it support?
I'll understand if you don't want to post the number here, but for example if you can support $100/hour skilled assembly and eat an occasional scratched part I'm not interested, but I can find you someone who is.
If you can only support $10/hour fully burdened assembly and you expect that person to also run your manufacturing feedback loop then it's probably time to put one in a glass case and look at it fondly when you miss the past, that or find a way to upsell another way.

Alternatively, do you think you could/would you want to sell the line to an established instrument manufacturer?