T.S Factory

Profile of Mr. Tsunoda, Representative of T.S. Factory

Worked at Dyna Musical Instruments Factory, where he was in charge of body inspection for well-known brands such as F/J.Later, after serving as an instructor in ESP’s Guitar Craft Department, he established his own workshop, “T.S. Factory,” in Adachi Ward, Tokyo—where he was born and raised. For over 20 years since then, he has been crafting original guitars while also providing maintenance and repairs for instruments belonging to many renowned manufacturers and popular musicians. His uncompromising work ethic—characteristic of a stubborn craftsman who rose through the ranks of a factory—has earned him the deep trust of countless top musicians and instrument manufacturers.

A Forbidden Workshop Closed to the General Public

T.S. Factory generally does not accept repair requests from the general public. Access to the workshop is limited to a select few authorized individuals. Why is that? Is there some kind of secret? We attempted an undercover investigation.“Well, it’s not that I’m trying to be mysterious or anything… but if someone who knows what they’re looking at sees an instrument under repair, they’d instantly recognize whose it is, right?” When he said that, I looked around the workshop—and wow! “Wait, is this that person’s guitar?” or “This is the one I saw on TV!” Even the cases waiting for repair were labeled with the names of some truly illustrious musicians. Since he maintains these instruments based on a relationship of trust, he prefers not to disclose the clients’ names—and it’s truly a shame that I can’t share them.I catch myself thinking a rather crass thought—"He could become super famous if he just revealed the names"—but that seems to go against his aesthetic. Yet, conversely, it may be precisely that aesthetic that earns him such deep trust from top-tier musicians. Without any exaggeration, I just want to convey that this is a workshop where an astonishing number of top artists secretly gather.

The builder does not personally select and use carefully chosen, high-quality wood… himself!

“All the wood used in T.S. Factory guitars is sourced from Aichi Lumber. I don’t go out to select it myself. Don’t the lumber dealers, who bring in logs and sort through them day in and day out, have a far more discerning eye? Even if a guitar maker went out on a whim to pick some wood, there’s no guarantee they’d find something good. It’s much more reasonable to leave the wood to the professionals—and that leads to better results.”

We don’t insist on an ultra-thin lacquer finish to prioritize the wood’s natural resonance…

“After all, even Fender used to paint their guitars with leftover automotive paint from a side business. It just happened to be nitrocellulose lacquer. There’s no secret to the paint itself. And what exactly is the ‘natural resonance’ of wood, anyway? Even if a piece of wood resonates on its own as a board, the sound changes depending on how the pieces are combined and how they’re processed. What’s important is applying the finish that’s best suited for that specific guitar. If you get fixated on the paint, you can’t think freely.”

I’m not confident in achieving a precise, high-precision finish…

“Do guitars really require that much precision? Well, a certain degree of precision is necessary, of course. But that’s not the most important thing. Take the finish, for example—if it’s as smooth as a mirror, it looks great. But sometimes leaving a bit of texture actually produces a better tone. Joints that are perfectly aligned can sometimes actually hinder the sound. I think precision beyond what’s necessary is just the builder’s self-indulgence. Would you really want to use such a precision instrument on a sweat-soaked stage?”

Active circuits make it… impossible to create a diverse range of tones

“It’s basically passive. Well, if someone told me to make it active, I could do it—it’s not impossible. But with active circuits, the sound ends up being just the circuit’s sound, and they all end up sounding the same. It’s not interesting.Also, a lot of the circuits these days are extreme, aren’t they? Where on earth are you supposed to use those? For example, if you seriously boost the bass in a venue the size of a live house, it’s no longer sound—it’s vibration. Do you really need that kind of sound? As long as it produces the sound necessary for playing music, that’s enough. We don’t need anything more or less than that.”

What I’m making are tools

“They’re not ornaments or works of art. They’re strictly tools for musicians to play music. That’s why I focus on making them as stress-free to use as possible. I put particular effort into the neck’s feel. New, the moment you grip it, it should feel like a guitar you’ve played for years. You might intend to just play it a little, but end up losing track of time as you keep playing. That’s the kind of guitar I aim to build. Please don’t just hang it on the wall.”

The sound is up to the musician

“I don’t want to say things like, ‘This model sounds like this.’ Of course, there are certain sounds I’m aiming for, but that’s not for the maker to say. Even with a Stratocaster, Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck—they all produced their own unique sounds, didn’t they?It’s the musician, and the musician alone, who stands in the spotlight and receives the applause. I want people to say, ‘That person’s sound is great,’ not ‘That guitar sounds great.’ All we can do is our best to ensure those musicians can focus on their performance with ease. I believe an instrument isn’t something that asserts itself; it’s a tool designed to faithfully convey the message the musician wants to express—that’s what an instrument is all about.”