British Guitar Brands

GoFish · August 2023

Newtone Strings

Vyse, Flynn, Gartone, Lazy J, Rift, etc. Small, but definitely mighty.

Oil City, Mojo, Alegree ...

also IronGear, Vanson,

Gassage · August 2023

For those wanting to see all of these brands in the flesh, the keys to @HarrySeven 's lock up are available with a small deposit.

HarrySeven · August 2023

Gassage said:

For those wanting to see all of these brands in the flesh, the keys to @HarrySeven 's lock up are available with a small deposit.

I wondered what had happed to that spare set!

Corvus · August 2023

If you want to find a lot of guitar makers, put "UK" into the search at JediStar - the guy who runs it is in Oz but seems pretty diligent at pickup up names, like I just found out I'm in there. Although my mate's outfit isn't so it's not 100%.
You'll get results with "uk" occurring in a word but also to indicate UK-based, just have to sift a bit.

PhilKing · August 2023

WezV said:

I have a terrible photo collection at wezvenables.co.uk

You're missing at least 3 that I have, the f-hole strat and the two lap-steels.

GoldenEraGuitars · August 2023

Racjesus92 said:

GoldenEraGuitars said:

Kithara

Yes!!

would you consider yourself a guitar brand or more of the parts supplier?

I have “built” guitars in the past but I’ve been focusing on parts for the last 2 years. Although, from what my followers and buyers would have me believe is that if I built one or two guitars here and there they’d be snapped up.

I guess for now I’m a parts supplier, that could change shortly though.

GoldenEraGuitars · August 2023

OilCityPickups said:

Calling Chapman or Vintage UK guitar brands is like calling Harley Benton a German guitar brand. By that definition any brand that has a distributor in this country - and that may or may not been built to specifications supplied in the UK - is a British guitar brand. That's not really fair on the UK companies that fight hard in a difficult market where materials costs have spiralled. I say this as a UK musical instrument pickup manufacturer who is proud not to simply badge engineer or farm out production to China.

The irony is that no one in the U.K. seemingly wants to build “U.K. chapmans” and it didn’t look like any U.K. punter was willing to pay their prices either.

GoldenEraGuitars · August 2023

@Danielsguitars is very much worth a mention.

Hand made, assembled, wired and painted in house.

guitarjack66 · August 2023

Svartmetall said:

Haydn Williams, top-notch stuff and a nice guy

https://williamsguitars.co.uk/

Hell of a name that. I assume his parents were classical music fans as his name sounds like he could easily be a composer from a previous era.

OilCityPickups · August 2023

GoldenEraGuitars said:

OilCityPickups said:

Calling Chapman or Vintage UK guitar brands is like calling Harley Benton a German guitar brand. By that definition any brand that has a distributor in this country - and that may or may not been built to specifications supplied in the UK - is a British guitar brand. That's not really fair on the UK companies that fight hard in a difficult market where materials costs have spiralled. I say this as a UK musical instrument pickup manufacturer who is proud not to simply badge engineer or farm out production to China.

The irony is that no one in the U.K. seemingly wants to build “U.K. chapmans” and it didn’t look like any U.K. punter was willing to pay their prices either.

One wonders if the fact that nobody much wanted to build UK Chapmans was that the margins would be too slim once Chapman's slice of the pie had been taken into account. Why effectively sub a brand that is trying to 'diffuse up market' when you could sell your own products and keep the whole pie. You could claim that Chapman has the name to sell instruments ... but a raw fact in business is that it's easier to start with an upmarket brand and sell a cheaper 'popular' version on your prestige value - than it is to start with a cheaper brand and move upmarket.

Danielsguitars · August 2023

GoldenEraGuitars said:

@Danielsguitars is very much worth a mention.

Hand made, assembled, wired and painted in house.

Thanks for the mention Scott, yes everything is done by me and very small scale, i have no desire to increase productivity much over 12 or 15 guitars a year depending on which models etc, I'm also looking at fitting whatever uk made parts I can find or have made now.

I have a wish list article coming out about my pugilist offset model in September guitarist magazine, it's definitely marmite but the most comfortable guitar I have ever made so far, I've had mostly positive comments from my prototype builds so far.

Cols · August 2023

Roger Mayer?

fretfinder · August 2023

Gratuitous Ivison and Bartel plug (the latter is for sale!).

timmypix · August 2023

No mention yet of:

Waghorn
Daemoness
Blackmachine
Carillion

Jeremiah · August 2023

Status, though I think they've ceased trading since the owner retired.

Philly_Q · August 2023

Has Damian Probett had a mention?
And Seth Baccus?

Danielsguitars · August 2023

Philly_Q said:

Has Damian Probett had a mention?
And Seth Baccus?

I spent the afternoon with Damian not long ago, great builder and lovely guy, his latest rocket was off to Japan.

Philly_Q · August 2023

Danielsguitars said:

Philly_Q said:

Has Damian Probett had a mention?
And Seth Baccus?

I spent the afternoon with Damian not long ago, great builder and lovely guy, his latest rocket was off to Japan.

I hope it had enough fuel on board. Ho ho.

Offset · August 2023

guitarjack66 said:

Svartmetall said:

Haydn Williams, top-notch stuff and a nice guy

https://williamsguitars.co.uk/

Hell of a name that. I assume his parents were classical music fans as his name sounds like he could easily be a composer from a previous era.

It's actually Welsh - my BiL had it as a middle name.

BigPaulie · August 2023

GoldenEraGuitars said:

Kithara

I'm not too sure that Chris would consider his company or products as "British".

https://www.kitharaguitars.com/

blobb · August 2023

Rob Williams

Tony Revell

Manson already mentioned but there are Hugh (electric) and Andy (acoustic) guitars out there.

Terry Pack (pack leaders)

Roger Bucknall (Fylde)

Racjesus92 · August 2023

Thanks everyone for your contributions

Racjesus92 · August 2023

OilCityPickups said:

Calling Chapman or Vintage UK guitar brands is like calling Harley Benton a German guitar brand. By that definition any brand that has a distributor in this country - and that may or may not been built to specifications supplied in the UK - is a British guitar brand. That's not really fair on the UK companies that fight hard in a difficult market where materials costs have spiralled. I say this as a UK musical instrument pickup manufacturer who is proud not to simply badge engineer or farm out production to China.

I understand where you’re coming from, I think. But this is the parameters I’m am considering. Unless the design is not made here I consider the fact that is based here to make it a “British brand”. Mercedes makes cars all over. Apple makes phones in China. Tesla makes cars in China. IKEA is the same. So yeah, Harley Benton is a German brand to me. I’m not talking about made in the uk brands only.

Racjesus92 · August 2023

Philly_Q said:

Has Damian Probett had a mention?
And Seth Baccus?

Probett maker of Aynley Lister guitars!

And Seth baccus of course

GoldenEraGuitars · August 2023

BigPaulie said:

GoldenEraGuitars said:

Kithara

I'm not too sure that Chris would consider his company or products as "British".

https://www.kitharaguitars.com/

Okay. I’m glad you cleared that up.

Racjesus92 · August 2023

I appreciate fine quality instruments as much as the next guy but I do think there is value in designing interesting guitars even though they are made elsewhere.

Treewig1 · August 2023

Steve Toon in Cheltenham. Fantastic acoustic guitars.

gatheredinsong · August 2023

Dave Dearnaley in South Wales.

Pabcrane · September 2023

Hey,
I am not a native of the lands belonging to the Royal family by right or conquest but...

...Obviously there is a thread of made in UK so I’ll pull from there too , but I am more interested in production items, not parts or small builders that do a couple of guitars a year....

Revelation
Alan Entwistle
Burns
Brian May guitars
PJD
CREAM T
PJE

On the acoustic side I know if
Faith
TANGLEWOOD

What else guys?

When you say say you're "more interested in production, not parts or small builders" I wasn't sure if you were solely referring to partscaster-type guitars, or components for guitars as well.

Assuming it's the former I'd like to mention Oil City pickups, The Creamery pickups, Alegree pickups and wiring harnesses, Monty's pickups and wiring, Bare Knuckle pickups, TinyTone wiring and scratchplates

Along these lines there's also component manufacturers who design stuff here but manufacturer overseas, (which I see you were happy to include) such as Wilkinson for hardware (and pickups too) and Iron Gear and Tonerider for pickups.

Rajani amplifiers in London (I've never tried one but I was looking at their website the other day and I'm intrigued!)

And obviously the pedal (and stuff) makers, some of who have been mentioned such as Fredric Effects, Rainger, Thorpy, Bluewhale, then Bright Onion Pedals and the GigRig

stickyfiddle · September 2023

Good lists here and I can't think of many others.

Thorpy's collaborators spring to mind as not mentioned - Redbeard & Dinosaural.

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