HWI offers accuracy and striking power for Aristide guitars
At HWI Machining, a wide variety of products are produced for all kinds of clients. One of these satisfied customers is product developer Erik Nieuwenhuisen of Aristides. He explains why he has the fretboards for their super precisely tuned guitars made at HWI.
“Since then, HWI has proved to be a good partner for further development. They have single-handedly taken the fretboard production process to the next level.”
“Our guitars are made of Arium: a material we developed ourselves. It is a composite of fibreglass, carbon fibre and a core material of various synthetic resins and solids, among other things,” explains Nieuwenhuisen. “This has the advantage that the guitar is very stable and cannot warp like wood. That would be a big problem because the tuning of the strings is controlled to the thickness of a hair.”
Accurate supplier with clout
“The fretboard is the part of the guitar we have HWI make,” Erik explains. “This is where the frets, the iron sections on the guitar where you put your fingers to produce a precise tone, are pressed in. They also made tools for us like a plunger or a special drill. Sometimes something like this doesn't seem possible at first, but we engage in discussions anyway. In the end, HWI still manufactures the tool and it is perfect.”
“Before this, we produced the fretboards ourselves, but due to our rapid growth, we were looking for an accurate supplier with enough clout. Although we approached metalworking companies, our product is made of a plastic,” Nieuwenhuisen explains. “A number of suppliers didn't seem to like this in their production, but HWI dared to do it. During our first appointment, it was immediately clear that HWI is a professional company with a good penchant for accuracy. I immediately got the feeling that it was going to work.”
“During our first appointment, it was immediately apparent that HWI is a professional company with a good penchant for accuracy. I felt right away that it was going to work.”
Good partner for further development
“Since then, HWI has proved to be a good partner for further development. They have single-handedly taken the fretboard production process to the next level,” explains product developer Nieuwenhuisen. “The process is getting better, faster and more accurate. We both benefit from this. It is also pleasant working with the people at HWI: they are benevolent, have technical insight and communicate well.”
“In the future, I definitely see a fruitful collaboration ahead, where we may be able to have more and more parts produced at HWI.” Erik laughs: “Eventually, of course, I hope to run into a HWI employee with one of our Aristides guitars.”
