Having been brought to existence back in 1976 by Richard Hoover, Santa Cruz Guitar Company have grown to produce quality guitars in the region of 500 and 700 acoustic guitars every year. This acoustic guitars’ manufacturing firm is in Santa Cruz California. At present day, the instruments have been regarded and classified by guitar lovers as to being some of the worlds most desired and the finest steel-string guitars. They have appreciated the concepts of total quality in which case they have a complexity of overtones, and they are also highly resonate.
In Santa Cruz Guitar Company, their definitions of quality is expanded as it is inclusive of providing exemplary customer support. In addition to delivering extraordinary guitars, they realize the need of positively quality customer experience. The company is a small shop. This gives them the capability to handle every activity personally from world class repair service to their dependable office staff. In the company’s philosophy, there is an allowance in which customers are exposed to direct access to the in-house restoration expert and professional repair for technical advice and timely service. Another rare happening in this company is that, the founder of the company, Mr. Richard Hoover, who is recognized internationally with his authority on acoustic guitar is available for expert consultation especially on matters regarding the SCGC models, acoustic references and custom design.
Going deeper into the total quality aspects, the heirloom instruments are built to ensure they deliver sound, reparability and durability. According to the company’s description of these instruments, they have been tuned for a sophistication of sound that never outgrows. Santa Cruz Guitars are very stable and are designed with professional experience that has been gained through past repair technicians thus easy maintenance.
The aspect of total quality in this firm further extends to the source and the process of acquiring their raw materials. In this case, the appropriate example to shed light on is the wood used for the guitar. The wood they use has a story, as the company states, the wood is gathered through responsible harvesting, sustainable yield and notable reclamation. This can be demonstrated through their mastery of carpenter inventories, building beams, old tenements, sunken logs and downed trees, this is a retrospective description. The company has in addition conducted research on wood quality, and as they indicate on their website, they identify that tonal qualities improve with age as resins tend to crystalize when wood is removed from living trees. Santa Cruz Guitar thus adopt this secret that causes their guitars to possess legitimate vintage sound from the beginning.
While most modern guitars have been assembled through pre-shaped parts that possess frequencies that are random which may at times limit
sustainability and cancel out overtones, Santa Cruz Guitars have been hand voiced for balance and tap tuned for complexity. Master violin luthiers have been employed who commit to tap tune and voice through hand manipulation of the dimensions of bracing and the top. One more unique quality is the dovetail joint. This joint enhances more degree of control. The dovetail design is a proven product of generations of the master violin luthiers.
Total quality incorporates analyzing data from different sectors and applying it in product and service delivery. In the same accord, Santa Cruz Guitars Company has been thorough in collaborating with engineers. With intelligent engineering, they have come up with light but not fragile guitars. The instruments thus have additional durability, resonance and power giving them multiple strengths at a fraction of the weight.
As indicated earlier, Santa Cruz Guitar Company produces 700 years per year. Other large American Guitar factories accomplish the same target in only a day and a half. This is credited to the fact that the production is conducted by a team that has specialized greatly. In addition, the company is not restricted by constraints of manufacturing efficiencies from building a unique and personal instrument. It is a custom shop that takes pride in themselves and their ability to make most aspects of the guitars so that they come up with preferred designs and preferences. Their mission clearly indicates that they are only limited by good taste and physics.
A rare approach that the company uses to ensure quality is the fact that plant derived nitro-cellulose finishes are used thus enhancing repair and resonance. In the modern and contemporary factory world, most finishes are mainly glass that may be good looking but in case of breaking, the instrument ends up being aesthetically compromised. Santa Cruz Guitar Company appreciates quality, and this has enhanced the usage of nitro-cellulose lacquer that insures quality.
In the entire production process total quality has been demonstrated. This begins from the collection of raw materials, their manufacturing and even the finishing. Their output per day further demonstrates quality consideration. They pay more attention to quality rather than quantity. The aspect of total quality in this company has been extended to ensure that the firm has attention concentrated to customer experience to the extent that the founder is available for responding to inquiries.
References
What’s Our Secret. (n.d.). Santa Cruz Guitar Company. Retrieved January 25, 2014, from http://www.santacruzguitar.com/whats-our-secret/
