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Guitar & Bass

Simon Pinder builds guitars and basses with an emphasis on simplicity, functionality, and a direct connection between the player and the instrument. Avoiding flashy aesthetics and overcomplicated designs,  and favouring clean lines, carefully chosen materials, and thoughtful ergonomics. Each instrument is made with the working musician in mind - built to withstand years of use while delivering a distinctive, nuanced sound.

Rather than chasing trends or replicating vintage models, Simon’s instruments have their own clear identity, shaped by his deep experience with repair and restoration. This background gives him a unique sensitivity to how instruments respond over time - how they wear in, how they settle, and what makes them feel “right” in a player's hands. His building process is rooted in a dialogue between wood, hardware, and intention, resulting in instruments that are balanced, responsive, and quietly expressive - the kind you want to keep picking up.

Guitar specs

Woods

All the wood I use is predominately air dryed then gently kiln dryed making it very stable. 

The Hong Kong climate with its huge variations of humidity does not affect air dryed wood so much. An instrument made in such an environment can go anywhere on Earth without being adversely affected by climate change as opposed to instruments coming from dryer climates coming to Hong Kong. 

Bodies

1 or 2 piece Basswood, Poplar, Alder, Horse chestnut of Willow, all have similar broad spectrum tonal properties. 

Ash, Primavera and Paulowina have slightly narrower tonal spectrum toward midrange. Willow and Paulowina are extremely lightweight. 

Finshed in Osmo Hard Waxoil. 

Necks

Cedrela, scarf jointed under the fingerboard for maximum strength with full length carbon rod reinforcement + two way spoke nut truss rod.

Indian or African Ebony fingerboard and head facing.

Jescar 55090 nickel silver fretwire, stainless steel zero fret. Graphtech nut.

Finished in Watco Danish Oil or Tru Oil

Guitars

Standard Model. 25” scale, 22 frets, 12” Radius. Set neck 

Hardware. Schaller Signum or Pigtail (Nickel only) Wraparound bridge, 

Hipshot Classic Open Tuners.

 

Black or Chrome (Please specify)

 

Pickups, Seymour Duncan P Rails with Triple Shot Mounting Rings 

 

Controls. Master Volume & Tone, 3 way Toggle switch or Pan pot. 500k pots .022 Cap.

Custom Model

25.5” scale, 22 frets, 16” Radius. Set neck

Hardware. Hipshot Fixed Guitar Bridge, strings through body / Hipshot Contour Tremolo / Gotoh 510T- FST/ Mastery

 

Hipshot Grip Lock Open Tuners on Tremolo equipped guitars.

 

Pickups, Seymour Duncan P Rails with Triple Shot Mounting Rings / Other

 

Seymour Duncan models / Kent Armstrong / Fralin / Mojotone

Controls. Master Volume & Tone, 3 way toggle or Pan pot. Pot values depend on type of pickup.

Basses

4 or 5 String, 34” scale, 24 frets, 16” Radius. Bolt on neck

Hardware. Hipshot Triple Lockdown Single string bass bridges, Gotoh GB 350 Tuners. 

 

Black or Chrome (Please specify)

 

Pickups. JB style single coil, 70’s spaced, Seymour Duncan */ Kent Armstrong / Delano / Fralin / Mojotone 

 

Controls. Volume / Balance Pan pot  /Tone, 250k pots .047 Cap. Passive

 

*Seymour Duncan as standard. 

 

Due to the particular resonant nature of the woods used negates the need for active pre-amps.

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My electric guitars and basses are a result of many years of experience as a repairer working on badly balanced, heavy mass produced instruments and trying to eliminate their foibles than can cause bad posture and RSI in the creation of lightweight perfectly balanced instruments. All weigh under 3 kg. 

I also mainly do the shaping, particularly necks, with hand tools, not only do I do this because I find it beautifully cathartic, I hate the sound of routers, I also think that subjecting a piece of wood to be hacked away at 20000 rpm with a neck shaping router cutter may have a detrimental effect on it’s stability.

I find the The Hipshot Contour Tremolo and the Mastery Tremolo the best units at doing what they are supposed to do and return in tune after use. I am also a big fan of the Seymour Duncan P Rails with the Triple Shot Mounting Rings that give 24 different tones which are all magnificent, none sound like someone playing down the bottom of a well ….

 

I do not do paint. My electric guitars are whatever colour the house lights are. 

Scratches and dings can be sanded with 240 grit paper or steamed out and re-oiled.

 

I do not use or recommend stainless steel frets except for the zero fret which is retained by string pressure.

Wood moves, nickel silver fret wire has enough malleability to move with the wood, stainless steel fretwire does not and will slowly work it’s way out of the fret slot no matter the strength of the glue causing havoc. 

The exceptions being torrefied wood or synthetic material fingerboards where stainless steel frets stay in. 

I dont like it’s plonky tone and it wears nickel wound strings out really fast. 

As a repairer one of my most common jobs is replacing stainless steel frets for nickel silver.

Jescar fretwire is extremely hardwearing.

 

 

Prices start at HK$30,000 (Top currencies accepted) for Standard Models and increase depending on hardware chosen.  

Please contact me for options. 

 

I also make acoustic guitars, Steel string, Classical and Archtops. I combine traditional bracing patterns inspired by Martin and Torres which I find work best with neck/body construction techniques inspired by Johann Georg Stauffer such as adjustable bolt on necks which extend the length of the fingerboard eliminating the need for neck re-sets. ​

Simon Pinder Guitars

7 San Fung Tsuen

Tai O, Lantau Island, N.T.

Hong Kong

+852 6158 1748

simon@simonpinder.com

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