The Process — How a Mestric Guitar Is Made

Every Mestric guitar takes months to build. There's no production line and no shortcuts — each instrument is built individually by Rob Mestric at his Port Macquarie workshop. Here's what goes into every one.

Stage 1 — Body and Neck Selection

Raw bodies and necks are sourced from select Japanese suppliers — premium alder and ash bodies, maple necks. Rob inspects every component by hand for quality and consistency before any work begins. From there, he shapes the deep vintage-style body contours and neck profiles by hand, spending hours sanding everything to final spec before the first coats of nitrocellulose lacquer go on. Stainless steel frets are installed individually into every Mestric neck — fretwork is one of Rob's core specialties and a step he never delegates.

Stage 2 — Pickup Winding

All Mestric hand-wound SSS pickup sets are built in-house in Port Macquarie. Alnico V magnets, Formvar wire, full wax potting to control microphonics without killing response. The result is a full-range, vintage-voiced pickup with clarity across the spectrum — detailed without being harsh. The reverse-wound, reverse-polarity middle pickup delivers hum cancellation in positions 2 and 4 while keeping the character intact.

Stage 3 — Electronics Assembly

Electronics are specified to one standard: proven, professional-grade components. USA-made CRL 5-way switches, DiMarzio 250k pots, paper-in-oil tone capacitors, push-back cloth wiring, and Switchcraft output jacks. These are the same components found in the original instruments — or the best modern equivalent. Everything is assembled, wired, and tested by hand before the guitar is closed up.

Stage 4 — Finishing

Every Mestric guitar is finished exclusively in nitrocellulose lacquer — the same finish used on the original Fullerton instruments of the 1950s and '60s. The hand-mixed colour is applied in thin coats, built up gradually, then cut back and polished. Aging only begins once the finish is fully complete. No shortcuts are taken with the lacquer — it's the foundation everything else is built on.

Stage 5 — Aging

This is where a Mestric guitar becomes what it is. Every instrument is aged to its own specific character — Rob determines the guitar's imagined history before he starts, and the finish wear, checking, hardware patina, and fingerboard wear all follow from that. The fingerboard gets particular attention. Most builders who age guitars treat it as cosmetic. Rob treats it as the most telling part of the instrument — the place where the player's hands actually lived. Wear patterns reflect genre, era, and technique. Hardware is aged separately — Gotoh bridges, tuners, screws, pickup covers, and pickguards are all treated to match the body and neck aging consistently.

Stage 6 — PLEK Setup

Once aging is complete, the guitar goes on the PLEK machine for a full fret level, dress, and crown — precision-machined to within microns, then hand-finished. The bone nut is PLEK-cut to match the fretwork exactly. Factory strings are 10–46 gauge, installed and set up to spec. Rob plays every guitar before it ships — setup isn't the final step, playing it is.

Stage 7 — Documentation

Every Foundational Run guitar ships with a wax-sealed letter from Rob, a Mestric Guitars Care Guide, a limited-edition DSL Leather vintage strap with Mestric "M" branding, and a Gator Journeyman Deluxe hard case. The serial number is registered and the guitar is fully documented before it leaves the workshop.