Mcswain Guitars
Handmade, custom electric guitars.
"Jaws hit the floor upon seeing it, a smile of satisfaction arises upon playing it, and a wide grin ensues on sampling its range of 'proper' vintage tones. Don't mistake these instruments for some sort of novelty - this is a genuine piece of guitar craft..."
Neville Marten, The Guitarist Magazine
The McSwain Difference
As a custom electric guitar manufacturer, we build an extremely limited number of guitars each year, allowing us to maintain a custom, handmade approach to every guitar we build. Each instrument is hand-numbered and signed by luthier, Stephen McSwain and customized to each client's specifications. Learn more about our process and some our specific builds here.
One of our favorite parts of the process is engaging with our clients on their goals and ideas for their guitars, choosing the right options and finishes to make it the best handcrafted, customized fit for each player.
As our many clients will tell you, our versatile guitars love the spotlight! Whether serving as the centerpiece in a collector's vault, nailing the last track in the studio or ripping live on stage at the Troubadour, our electric guitars will make heads turn and ears hum!
Stephen McSwain
Building custom electric guitars is a passion for me and I look forward to getting to know each client that I work with, many of whom have become great friends! We don't view building a new custom guitar for a client as just a sale, we see it it is the beginning of a long relationship.
Precision
We combine state-of-the-art CNC neck and body cuts with handmade shaping to deliver our signature customized designs. We use sustainably harvested genuine Khayan mahogany for both our bodies and necks delivering a rich, balanced tone. I'm never more excited than when a client tells me their McSwain Guitar is not only the coolest custom electric guitar they own, but also the best playing guitar they own.
Body Designs
We take pride in our flagship SM-1 and slightly larger SM-2 body designs. We aim for a fresh take on modern rock guitars that can deliver the depth of a Les Paul with the versatility of a Stratocaster, all with our orignal McSwain customized designs and handmade finishes.
Hardware
We take pride in custom designing every bit of hardware that we can think of. Knobs, backplates, inlays, headstocks...and a number of our models are custom metal guitars bound on mahogany.
McSwain ToneLayer(TM)
​
We build our patented McSwain ToneLayer(TM) aluminum fretboard binding into all our models, adding a warmth and sustain to our beautiful ebony necks. Our fretboards also boast custom aluminum inlays to match each design.
We partner with Homewrecker Pickups, a manufacturer of hand-made pickups in Los Angeles. Our models are versatile enough to fingerpick some jazz riffs or let rip some screaming metal solos. Read more about our custom Homewrecker Pickups here.
Electronics
We don't want you to be in the dark while on stage in front of screaming fans, so we light up every gauge, instrument or other customzied element we can manage to build into our designs.