Luthier Bruce Bennett and entrepreneur Kevin Maxfield established the J. Backlund Design shop in 2007, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to make the guitar designs of John Backlund. Circa 2016 they offered five J. Backlund models (4 electric guitars and one bass), with more designs in development.  John Backlund is a self-taught as an artist/designer, influenced by retro-futuristic design concepts that are reminiscent of the period from the mid-late 1930's to the early 1960's. The terms "Aero," "Rocket," "Streamline," and even "Atomic" are often used to describe his design work.