Jacky Walraet

Jacky Walraet is a Belgian guitar maker, based in Ghent. He was inspired to build and archtop guitar, having seen Jim Hall's D'Aquisto on an album cover and in 1987 he enrolled in the CMB in Puurs to learn how to make instruments. The first guitar he made was a D'Aqusito style archtop and was tested by Jim Hall himself - who gave his approval. Since then he has specialized in arch tops initially influenced by Jimmy D'Aquisto but also by John Monteleone. Through several visits to his Long Island (NY) workshop, Monteleone became a mentor to Walraet. Over the years he has developed and refined his own original guitars designs - including the beetle arch top and flat top models.

Source: Jacky Walraet website (14 January 2022)

Monzino

Monzino & Garlandini was an Italian stringed instrument maker that started in 1750 when Antonio Monzino I opened his first shop in Milan. The Monzinos opened a workshop in 1872 where Cremonese luthiers made violins as well as developing new stringed instruments (including a travel guitar for women). The Monzinos were joined by brother in law Carlo Garlandini in 1905 and the firm became Monzino & Garlandini. At first the Monzino side were more involved in importing and making the instruments and the Garlandini cousins were more involved in the retail side of the business. The Mogar brand emerged in the late 1950s when Antonio Carlo Garlandini separated from the other Garlandini cousins and opened a larger workshop was in Via Donatello where five luthiers made and repaired classical and electric guitars badged with the Mogar brand name. Mogar is still a major Italian musical instrument distributor.

Zopilote

Zopilote basses, guitars and upright basses are hand made in Pisa by Luca Rossi. The workshop was launched in 1997 although Luca Rossi has been making electric guitars and basses since the mid 1980s

Source: Zopilote website (archived 2018)

Zoldos

Zoldos is an electric guitar and bass brand. They have original shapes and natural wood finishes - often with contrasting wood laminations.

Ziata

Ziata Guitars was founded in 1999 by George Ziatas, Luthier. George Ziatas has been making lattice-braced classical guitars since the year 2000 - he used the Ziata brand name on his classical guitar labels. Ziata Guitars is now exclusively focused on manufacturing electric guitars & pickups.

Source: Ziata Guitars website (11 January 2022)

Suburban

Suburban Guitar is the brand name of J.C. Carroll (of the Members) - launched in the UK in 2019. Suburban Guitars are inspired by guitars that Carroll owned (and aspired to own) as a young man - at the outset of his career as a punk rock, reggae & folk musician and film composer. The affordable prices of Suburban guitars suggest they are made elsewhere and imported to the UK for sale.

Source: Suburban Guitar website (10 January 2022)

Zon Stiletto

The ZON Stiletto electric guitar was first produced in 1985 and it was made until around 1990. As far as I know this is the only ZON guitar model - they usually only make basses.

Zodiac Works

Zodiac Works is a Japanese guitar and bass brand active since 1992.

Source: Zodiac Works website (6 January 2022)

Zero

Zero Guitars are custom one-off instruments made by Gene Nygaard since 1994. Typically they have aluminum bodies with wooden necks.

Source: Zero Guitars website (archived 2017)

Zane

Zane guitars & basses were made in Antigo, Wisconsin around 2013 to 2018. The brand was founded in 2013 by Darrick Schingick who employed Rick Charlesworth as the main luthier and Bob MacDonald as the operations manager. By February 2019 the company was closed down. The brand was named after Zane Waldvogel - who suffered severe neck injury in a car accident in 2012. Waldvogel used a custom guitar made by Rick as part of his rehabilitation and recovery.

Source: Zane Guitars website (archived 2018)

Zim-Gar

Zim-Gar was the brand name of Gar-Zim Musical Instruments, an import and distribution company located in Brooklyn, New York. It was run by Larry Zimmerman and his wife. At one point, it may have been known as the American Musical Instrument Corporation before Zimmerman took on a partner (Mr. Garfield) in the Garfield Zimmerman Music Company. This was eventually shortened to Gar-Zim Musical Instruments. There were Zim-Gar branded guitars, ukuleles, banjos, mandolins as well as percussion instruments. Some of the guitars were made in Japan by the likes of Teisco.

Source: National Music Museum - Gar-Zim Musical Instruments (5 January 2022)

Zed Guitars

Zed Guitars began in 2008 in Montreal when luthier Martin Tremblay teamed up with Vincent Potel to design a new but retro styled electric guitar. All their guitars were custom and handmade: you could choose between their two available models and choose the type of pickups, neck width, colour , Bigsby or not , pick guard etc. The Zed brand has been discontinued and Martin Tremblay now makes guitars under his own name.

Source: Zed Guitars website (archived 2012)

Zephyr

Zephyr electric guitars were copies of Zemaitis designs made in Japan or Korea for the Japanese domestic market.

Altero Custom Guitars

Altero Custom Guitars is a Japanese electric and bass guitar maker.

Source: Altero Custom Guitars website (5 January 2022)

Kanade Sound Design

Kanade Sound Design electric guitars and basses are made in Japan by Altero Custom Guitars.

Source: Kanade Sound Design website (5 January 2022)

KT Guitars (Koontz & Thurston)

KT Guitars was the brand name of luthiers Mike Koontz and John Thurston who built electric guitars in the early 1980s in Baltimore.

Zaukus

Zaukus is a hand made electric guitar brand - made in Nashville by Joseph Zaukus. His interest in building guitars began in 1985. After building a couple personal instruments, he contacted a small guitar company in his home town of Baltimore called KT Guitars. He showed his work to owner Mike Koontz and a few weeks later he got the call to start in the woodworking department. Unfortunately, KT Guitars were not destined to stay in business and closed up shop within a year. With a little experience under his belt, Zaukus approached PRS Guitars in nearby Annapolis, Maryland. They hired him to work in the finishing department, where he learned the Paul Reed Smith “dipped in glass” guitar finish. Zaukus moved on to another career in contracting, all the while building guitars in his spare time.

Kithara

Kithara Guitars was founded in Belfast, Northern Ireland by Chris Moffitt as a handmade custom electric guitar maker. Chris studied with Sam Irwin and Ernie McMillen, before establishing Kithara Guitars. He currently offers 3 basic designs as a starting point - but customers pick from a wide range of custom options (woods, finishes, hardware & relicing) when ordering.

Source: Kithara Guitars website (25 December 2021)

N Zaganin

N. Zaganin is a brand name of Marcio Zaganin a custom guitar maker in São Paulo, Brazil.

Source: N. Zaganin website (23 December 2021)

Zerberus

Frank Scheucher (born 1965) launcged the Zerberus Guitars brand in 2002. The standard series Zerberus guitars are made in Korea to Scheucher's designs but there are also custom shop models which are made in Germany.

Source: Zerberus Guitars website (22 December 2021)

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