Japan’s leading craftsmen, closest to the front lines
T.S Factory
Carrying on Leo’s Legacy!? The Obsessions of a Contrarian, Stubborn Craftsman
Profile of Mr. Tsunoda, Representative of T.S Factory
Worked at the Dyna Musical Instruments factory, where he was in charge of body inspection for famous brands such as F/J.Afterward, following a stint as an instructor in ESP’s Guitar Craft Division, 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 caring for and repairing instruments for many famous manufacturers and popular musicians, while also crafting original guitars. His uncompromising work ethic—typical of a stubborn craftsman who rose through the ranks of a factory—has earned him the deep trust of numerous 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. Why is that? Is there some secret? We attempted an undercover investigation.“Well, it’s not that I’m trying to be mysterious or anything… but if someone who knows their stuff sees an instrument under repair, they’d instantly recognize whose it is, wouldn’t they?” When he said that and I looked around the workshop—wow! “Wait, is that so-and-so’s guitar?” or “That’s the one I saw on TV!” Even the cases waiting for repair were labeled with the names of some truly legendary musicians. Since he maintains these instruments based on a relationship of trust, he doesn’t want to reveal the clients’ names—and it’s truly a shame we can’t share them.I catch myself thinking something rather crass like, “He could become super famous if he just revealed their names,” but that apparently goes against his principles. Yet, perhaps it is precisely those principles that have earned 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 gather in secret.
He doesn’t compromise on anything—and he never cuts corners.
The builder does not personally select and use carefully chosen high-grade wood…
“All the wood used in T.S. Factory guitars is sourced from Aichi Lumber. We don’t go out to select it ourselves. 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 far more rational to leave the wood to the wood professionals—and that leads to better results.”
We don’t insist on ultra-thin lacquer finishes or prioritize the wood’s natural resonance…
"After all, even Fender used leftover paint from his side job making car paint for his finishes. It just happened to be nitrocellulose lacquer. There’s no secret to the paint itself. And what exactly is the ‘natural resonance’ of wood? Even if a piece resonates at the board stage, the sound changes depending on the combination of woods and the processing methods. What’s important is applying the finish that’s best suited for it. If you get fixated on the paint, you can’t think freely."
I have no confidence in a precise, high-precision finish
"Does a guitar really require that much precision? Well, a certain degree of precision is necessary, but that’s not the most important thing. Take the finish, for example. Sure, a mirror-smooth finish looks nice, but sometimes leaving a bit of texture actually improves the tone. A joint that’s perfectly flush can sometimes hinder the resonance. 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 sweaty stage?"
Active circuits make diverse tone shaping… impossible
"Basically, it’s passive. Well, if you told me to make it active, I could probably do it. But with active circuits, it ultimately just becomes the sound of the circuit itself, and they all end up sounding the same. It’s not interesting.Also, a lot of modern circuits 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 is a tool
"They’re not ornaments or works of art. They’re strictly tools for musicians to play music. That’s why I’m obsessed with making them as stress-free to use as possible. I put particular effort into the neck’s grip. New But the moment you hold it, it should feel like a guitar you’ve played for years. You might intend to just play a little, but you’ll lose track of time and 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, ‘This model sounds like this.’ Of course, we have certain goals in mind, but that’s not for the maker to say. Even with a Strat, Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck—they all produced their own unique sounds, didn’t they?It’s the musician who stands in the spotlight and receives the applause. I want people to say it’s the musician’s sound that’s great, not the guitar’s. Our job is simply to do our best so that those musicians can focus on playing with ease. An instrument shouldn’t make a statement; it’s a tool to faithfully convey the message the musician wants to share. That’s what I believe an instrument should be.”
Leo from Downtown
What do you think? This contrarian attitude. I’ve met many guitar makers over the years, and usually, builders speak passionately about their own obsessions and philosophies. But he isn’t obsessed with anything. Or rather, perhaps I should say he’s obsessed with not being obsessed. As a result, this approach leads directly to the instrument’s sound. You could call it thorough rationalism.
Yes, he is truly “Downtown Leo.” One could say that the rationality of Leo Fender—whom he deeply admires—and the innovative frontier spirit that stemmed from it have been passed down here.
And it is precisely this rational approach—taking the shortest path to the sound—that is a major factor not only in the sound itself but also in the price. If a guitar of this caliber were handmade in a workshop in Tokyo, just how much would it cost? It is this rational mindset, which eliminates unnecessary elements, that makes it possible to create instruments that are “player-friendly” in so many ways.
A Visit to T.S. Factory
T.S. Factory is located in Tokyo’s downtown area. It is quite spacious for a workshop in the city, with a wide array of specialized tools lined up. Even for me, having visited numerous workshops, the sheer size and completeness of the facility are surprising, and I can see tools here that I’ve never seen anywhere else. Among them were some that made me wonder, “What on earth is this used for!?”
A remarkably diverse selection of wood is stacked densely throughout the space.Of course, there are rare woods, but I also spotted some quite old ones. “I bought them a long time ago and just left them sitting here,” he says, but he almost never uses new wood directly in a guitar; instead, he lets it age for at least a few years before using it. While he claims that T.S. Factory guitars are made by “just using whatever wood is lying around,” the “wood lying around” here has a different level of maturity. He pretends not to be particular about anything, but you can tell he’s actually very particular.
Guitars currently being assembled and those waiting their turn.
Here is a body that has just been assembled. A common feature across most models is the laminated top, created by stacking multiple layers of wood. He says this method yields the ideal tone. He says he “doesn’t care about anything,” but clearly, he does care.
There are also set-neck and semi-hollow models. The body with the red binding really catches the eye.
The semi-acoustics after finishing. The model with the red binding has a unique color scheme. I’m looking forward to seeing the final result.
This is another very unique body. Apparently, it was carved out of a tree stump. The growth rings visible around the position of the rear pickup are its defining feature. But they’ll be hidden once the parts are installed. Paying attention to details no one will notice—is that the aesthetic of T.S. Factory?
From another angle. Beneath the top wood, you can glimpse the three-dimensional growth rings unique to a tree stump. His challenging approach—unbound by conventional wisdom about wood—and his talent for crafting a cohesive sound from diverse materials truly make me feel Leo’s spirit.
By the time I visited next, the finishing had been completed. Once the finish is applied, you can no longer tell it’s a stump… but I’m very much looking forward to hearing what kind of sound it will produce.
Mirror Finish
Another new innovation from T.S. Factory is the mirror finish. By using a special paint, they’ve achieved a metallic texture that resembles a mirror. The unique texture, distinct from standard metallic colors, is truly captivating. They’re enthusiastically taking on new challenges not only with wood and manufacturing methods but also with paints and other materials.
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