History of the MA

The story of Manson Guitar Works spans more than half a century of British guitar building — from a first acoustic built at age 17 to the workshop in Ashburton, Devon that builds for some of the biggest artists in the world.

1960s–70s — Two brothers

The roots trace to the 1960s, when Andy Manson built his first acoustic guitar at 17 before studying at the London College of Furniture in 1968/69, developing a particular interest in soundboard science. Andy built an acoustic repair and building business specialising in mandolas, bouzoukis and folk instruments; his younger brother Hugh joined and focused on electric guitars — the foundation of today's Manson Guitar Works. Based in Crowborough, Sussex, the partnership produced custom one-offs and production models including the Kestrel and Merlin Series, along with customs like the Rotosound bass with the company's lion trademark inlaid. A late-1970s slogan put it plainly: "If you care about your music, you care about your guitar, so don't settle for second best. MOVE UP TO A MANSON!"

1980s — Guitars from the wood

The 1980s brought expansion and a new logo under the slogan "GUITARS FROM THE WOOD". The serial book filled with international artist commissions — John Paul Jones, Jack Bruce and Jeff Beck among them. The brothers relocated to Devon and established independent workshops, with Hugh specialising exclusively in electric guitar and bass.

1990s — Manson's Guitar Shop

In 1991 Adrian Ashton — lawyer, bass enthusiast, freshly returned from the Bass Institute of Technology in Los Angeles — partnered with Hugh and Jay Henson, and Manson's Guitar Shop opened in November 1992. The shop drew legendary players: John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page, Matthew Bellamy, Noel Gallagher, Hank Marvin, Joe Bonamassa, Tim Wheeler, Steve Howe and many more. When Adrian asked Hugh to build his third bass, the resulting E-Bass design caught John Paul Jones's attention — including an 8-string built for the Diamanda Galás tour.

2000s — Manson Guitar Works Ltd

Adrian and Hugh established Manson Guitar Works Ltd to separate manufacturing from retail, with Tim Stark and Rom Dobbs as long-term builders. A landmark custom of the era was the 'DeLorean' built for Matthew Bellamy — aluminium-finished, loaded with circuits designed with electronics expert Ron Joyce, and named for the car from Back to the Future. The MA and E-Series arrived with custom finishes from aluminium swirls to mirror tops, and the artist roster grew: Dave Grohl, Nick Beggs, Baz Warne, Seasick Steve, James Leach, Simon Neil.

2010s — The MA era

The MA became the standard model in Classic and EVO variations — Classic with scratchplates and front routing, EVO rear-routed with options for MIDI screens, Sustainiac pickups and Z.Vex Fuzz Factory installations. International artists joined, including Daniela Villarreal of The Warning, Sabrina Pedroso and Robin Finck. MB artist guitars — 'Black Knight', 'Red Santa', 'Red Alert' — sold out before production completed. The company moved to larger premises in Ashburton, Devon, bringing finish spraying, pickup manufacturing and CNC in-house alongside traditional handcraft. Mikey Demus of Skindred became a signature artist with the MD-1 and MD-2.

2019 and beyond

In June 2019, Matthew Bellamy purchased majority ownership of the company from Hugh Manson. The restructured Manson Guitar Works launched the META Series MBM-1 in 2020 — an accessible Manson that earned critical acclaim and awards, and opened the workshop's designs to a new generation of players.