Atkin Guitars
Kent
The Atkin Guitars Story
Atkin Guitars was founded in Canterbury, England, in 1995. Since then we’ve grown steadily from a one-man operation building a handful of one-of-a-kind instruments each year to become one of the UK’s leading acoustic guitar makers.
Still in Canterbury, and now a sixteen-man operation, we build around 750 guitars a year, each one still handmade. We now offer a range of models sold through dealers and a small custom shop making any kind of acoustic guitar that can be dreamt up! Beginning in 2020, electric guitars also became an important part of the Atkin family.
“Every now and then, what you might call a ‘real acoustic’ falls into your hands, and reminds you of what this wooden box with strings stretched across it is all about. The Atkin is one such instrument.”
Guitarist Magazine – Sept 2015
The story of Atkin Guitars is one of constant dedication to building the best possible instrument. What do we mean by “best”? While other high-end guitar makers seem obsessed with turning out “perfect” guitars – exhibition pieces so immaculate they no longer feel man-made – we’re interested in other, more important qualities. Our aim is always to create an instrument with more feel, more personality and more spark. We want our guitars to bring the player something exciting and unexpected, something that will inspire them to make great music.
We’re passionate about the history and evolution of the acoustic guitar, the classic models and great innovations that have influenced the players and the music that we love. We want to tell that story with our guitars. Over the years, we’ve worked on just about every model you can name, from golden-era pre-war Martins and Gibsons to the boutique makers who shook things up in the 70s and 80s. We know these guitars inside and out, and we pour all of that experience into every guitar we make.
