At the Gibson custom factory in Nashville, Tenn., the famous guitar manufacturer makes its most expensive and exclusive instruments, including an ongoing series of limited-edition replicas of historic Les Paul instruments.

As part of Road Trip 2008, CNET News.com reporter Daniel Terdiman visited the custom factory and got a rare look at how guitars are built with the express cooperation of rock stars like Jimmy Page and Johnny Winter. (The public can visit the company’s regular factories in Memphis and Nashville, but not the custom facility.)