GIG 10 (Guitar Productions)

All GIG 10 Guitars are original designed and hand crafted. They are not CNC machined or major factory manufactured. They are individually built by David Gregson (aka: Web Slinger) in a small shop in Washington State, USA. David has been a lover of guitars and a player for over 40 years. He's been building guitars and basses for the last 15 years. Go to "GIG 10 Productions" on Facebook and check out GIG 10 Guitars for lots of photos and names of the different guitar models

Source: GIG 10 Facebook page (13 July 2019)

Revelation

The Revelation brand was introduced in the 1990s by Hohner. The brand was discontinued in the mid 1990s and Hohner sold off its UK premises to Sutherland Trading Co Ltd. Sutherland became the official distributior of all Hohner products for the UK and Ireland and also inherited the Revelation name. Sutherland relaunched the Revelation brand in 2010, with input from Alan Entwhistle who had worked on the original Hohner Revelation designs. Revelation guitars are made in China.

Source: Revelation Guitars website (3 July 2019)

Wildwood

Wildwood Banjos is a small manufacturer of high-end banjos located in Bend, Oregon that started in Arcata, California. The company was founded by Mark Platin in 1972. Their product line includes several models of both resonator and open-back banjos in styles for the traditional frailing and clawhammer style players, and classic powerful bluegrass banjos for 3 finger pickers.

Wildwood mandolins and dulcimers are distributed in Japan by Hosco and in Ireland by Muzikkon - this brand appears unrelated to Wildwood Banjos.

Wildwood acoustic guitars and mandolins are also made by Nick Carpenter in Mount Franklin, Victoria, Australia.

Source: Wildwood Banjo Company website (archived 2005)

Source: Wildwood Instruments (Australia) website (28 June 2019)

Blanton

Blanton is a brand for banjos, Wiessenborn guitars and mandolins aimed at American Fok, Old Time, Irish trad and bluegrass musicians. Blanton instruments are distributed in Japan by Hosco and some are also made in Japan.

Blanton is also a brand name for US made pedal steel guitars.

Ruben

Ruben Beck was born in Heidelburg, Germany in 1977, He studied Art in Monash University and then went to work in the final assembly division at Maton Guitars in 2005. In 2009, Ruben graduated from Holmesglenn Institute being awarded the highest honours in Fine Furniture Making and receiving a Craftsmanship Award for his final creative piece. In the same year, Ruben also received an award from the Australian Wood Review for his use of reclaimed timber in his guitars. In 2010, Ruben was selected to be the next head of Maton repairs, and apprenticed with Luthier Chris Ffinch for two years. After completing a Diploma of Business Management in 2012 he launched Ruben Guitars as a bespoke guitar making company.

Source: Ruben Guitars website (27 June 2019)

Hofner Club 60

THe Hofner Club 60 was introduced in 1958 and followed the Club 40 & 50 - but was much fancier than those models. The Club 60 had pearl inlays, ebony fingerboard, bound headstock and flamed woods. The body was semi-acoustic with a fully vaulted back. Available in Blonde (model 425) or Brunette (model 442) the Club 60 was fitted with Hofner's double flick action control console and two Hofner super response double pole pickups.

Heartland

Heartland is a house brand of Muzikkon - an Irish musical instrument distributor. The Heartland brand is used for traditional folk instruments from around the world.

Atlas

Atlas is a brand name for traditional folk instruments from around the world, distributed in the UK by Gremlin Music. The range includes stringed instruments, wind instruments and percussion.

ZON VB SERIES

The design of Zon VB4 bass started out as a headless prototype made for Michael Manring in 1993, who named this bass "Vinny" after the My Cousin Vinny film. Although Zon were initially reluctant to release a production headless bass, this original “Vinny” design eventually morphed into the headless line of Zon basses called the VB series, introduced around 2004. Designed for portability and ease of travel, the headless design and small body of VB basses means they will fit in the overhead compartment of an airplane or behind the seat of a tour bus.

DALLAS

Dallas was a UK musical instrument manufacturing and distribution company, founded by John E. Dallas. Dallas began making banjos in 1873, eventually moving to premises at 415 Strand. In 1905-1906 Dallas' three sons were given directorships and the firm's title changed to John E. Dallas and Sons.

By the late 1920s, Dallas instruments were being mass produced under the brand name "Jedson." derived from Dallas' initials, "J.E.D", and "Sons". When John Dallas died in 1921 the form became a private limited company

In 1926 The firm moved to larger premises, at 6-10 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2, and became a wholesale importer and distributer of musical instruments. They moved again to Dallas moved to Ridgmount Street in 1937 (concinding with the introduction of the Ridgmount brand), before eventuallu settling in Clifton Street, EC2.

Violinda

Violinda violins were designed by John Hullah Brown (born 1875) of Richmond, England. John Hullah Brown was a music teacher who created the Violinda in the 1930s as a way of teaching the violin in large classes of children. Hullah Brown had been dissapointed in the failure of the Maidstone System of group violin tution and came up with his own national vision for music education - which he published in his 1938 book Instrumental Music in Schools. He set out his vision for group violin lessons in this book - " the aim of violin classes and school orchestras is not directed to instrumental specialisation, but to allowing every child to share the delights of instrumental ensemble up to the point of his or her musical capacity, with specialization again reserved for the final stages." The Violinda's classroom role clearly influenced its design which was robust, affordable, easy to use and quiet .

Rein (Thomas)

Thomas Rein started making steel stringed guitars in the early 1970s and apprenticed with Edward F. Rose in Lexington, Kentucky. He founded Thomas Rein guitars in 1975 and by 1980s was also building lutes, theorboes, and gambas. After a moving to the Washington DC area in 1986, he decided to concentrate solely on the classical guitar. Rein's classical guitars have been played throughout the world in concerts and on recordings. In 2007, he came full circle and started building steel string guitars again while continuing to build classical guitars.

Source: Thomas Rein website (19 June 2019)

YAMAHA RBX 200 (200F)

The Yamaha RBX-200 bass was made from the late 1980s to early 1990s. It was also available fretless as the RBX-200F model. Very similar to the RBX-300 model - the only difference was a gloss finish on the neck and the low mass bridge.

Source: Yamaha catalog 1988

Rees (Clive)

Rees Electric Guitars was founded by Clive Rees. Clive produces a range of electric guitars, basses and effects pedals in Cambridgeshire, England.

Source: Clive Rees Electric Guitars Website (17 June 2019)

Overload

Overload Guitars & Basses is an Italian custom instrument maker based in Rome.

Source: Overload Custom Guitars & Basses website (8 June 2019)

Turnstone

Turnstone Guitar Company was founded by luthier Rosie Heydenrych in Surrey, UK. Heydenrych makes customised fine steel string acoustic guitars by hand. Her Turnstone E-Series uses only English native woods.

Source: Turnstone Guitar Company website (7 June 2019)

Stradi (Symphony Guitar Design)

Stradi is the brand name of Marek & Agnieszka Dąbek. Marek is Polish luthier, photographer and designer who founded the Stradi brand in 2002 to develop a range of electric upright basses, electric violins and bass guitars. Every instrument is hand made by Marek and Agnieszka and they build fewer than 20 instruments per year. The Dąbek's company is called Symphony Guitar Design.

Source: Stradi website (7 June 2019)

Soultool

Egon Rauscher has been hand-building electric guitars since the late 1990s under the brand name Soultool. Soultool is based in Buttikon, Switzerland. Initially Rauscher offered two models based on the Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster, but circa 2019 Soultool's designs are original, beautifully made using certified hardwoods and the best hardware and electronics.

Source: Soultool Customized Guitars website (7 June 2019)

Skytop

Skytop guitars and ukuleles are hand made in New Paltz, New York by Eric Weigeshoff. Skytop guitars do not have a traditional sound hole, instead they have a soundport in the side which directs the sound up towards the player, while still maintaining good forward projection.

Source: Skytop Guitars website (6 June 2019)

Shabat

Avishay (Avi) Shabat graduated from the Algranati Guitar Making School in Israel before moving to Los Angeles to apprentice for guitar repair shops and work for a boutique guitar company. Avi spent the next four years building handmade instruments, and founded a company of his own, Guitar Groomer, where he restored and repaired guitars and basses from his home workshop. In 2012, Avi expanded his repair business and began designing and building his own instruments, launching a new line of handmade electric guitars and basses—Shabat Guitars.

Source: Shabat Guitars website (6 June 2019)

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