11/28/2025
COMPLETE NORTH AMERICAN INSTRUMENT HISTORY
We are North American Instrument Company, Inc. We have been building fine, hand-crafted electric guitars in the United States of America, since 1961. Sure, you know all the big names in guitars. And they ALL sell some guitars made offshore, in China or Indonesia, or other places. We Don’t! We do NOT have our guitars made outside the USA – EVER! Thank you for your interest and here is a list of questions you might ask, along with the answers, to help you get better acquainted with our North American Guitar Company! Here are some possible questions and the answers:
1. What is the brand name you use on your instruments: We are North American Instrument Company, Inc.
2. Name of owner: It is a corporation and several people hold shares in the corporation. Dr. Hal Hammer, Jr., one of the founders in 1961, is a designer and player of the instruments when performing or recording. J. Baxter Goode is a Master Luthier who works on the building of Custom Shop instruments and supervises the other craftsmen. Unfortunately, several of the original founders, including Ronald Stewart Armstrong and Jimmy C. Bennett, have since passed away.
3. Name of luthier: Primary Master Luthier - J. Baxter Goode
4. What year did you start building instruments bearing that brand name? In 1961
5. What types of instruments do you build or offer? We build fine, hand-made electric guitars and electric bass guitars from exotic hardwoods, legally sourced, responsibly used, and properly stored. Our main source of exotic hardwoods were cut about 130 years ago from thousand year old trees.
6. What city and state are you located in? We have facilities in Dayton, Tennessee, and Inverness, Florida.
7. Where are your instruments built (if different than previous question)? Primary construction and assembly takes place in buildings $6 and #7 in Rhea County, Tennessee, on top of a mountain. Some sales, modifications, and the occasional repair, is usually done in the Inverness, Florida facility.
8. Are there any other cities where you built instruments with this brand? If so, where and which years? Yes. In 1961, we built a few instruments in Memphis, Tennessee. A few six string electrics were built in a rented facility in Castro Valley, California in 1979, 1980, and 1981. SEE Company History (below) for Details!
9. Do you import any instruments under this brand? If so, from where? NO! We do not import any instruments, ever. Every one of our guitars are proudly built in the United States of America! We have never outsourced any instrument manufacturing to any foreign country.
10. What is the retail price range of your instruments?
Our pricing varies by Model and Customer selected options. Base prices are as follows:
1. Texas Special - Base price $2550.00 with hardcase + options
2. BluesMaster - Base price $2585.00 with hardcase + options
3. Frontiersman (PineCaster Series) - $3,500.00 with hardcase + options
4. RattleCaster (Viper Series) - $3,850.00 with hardcase + options
5. American Legend Series - "bolt-on neck" - $6,250.00 with hardcase, plus options
6. American Legend Series - "neck-through" - $8,000.00 with hardcase
11. Do you do custom work or offer custom options on your instruments? Yes. Our RattleCaster is available with a genuine snakeskin top, currently offered as a customer’s choice , picked from 4 available colors. We also offer various pickup options and hardware choices that include engraved nickel or engraved gold hardware, special inlays, and custom finishes. We will build a complete custom designed instrument if requested by a customer. Those are priced on a case by case basis and factor in any option chosen by a customer.
12. Your website address: www.NorthAmericanGuitars.com
13. Your mailing address: North American Instrument Company, Inc.
1065 Tigues Creek Road
Dayton, Tennessee 37321
Manufacturing Facility:
North American Guitars
1065 Tigues Creek Road
Building #6
Dayton, TN. 37321
Sales & Warranty Center:
North American Instrument Company, Inc.
5605 E. Jasmine Lane
Inverness, FL. 34453
“ Design Your Own” - Custom Guitars offered as a special feature, to our customers.
Design Your Custom Guitar and have it custom built by experts!
North American Guitars is proud to offer you the chance to design your own custom guitar! That's right, just select your options from the available choices and discuss your project with one of our custom shop luthiers. We will work up a quote based on your choices and email you back the actual purchase price of the instrument. Please allow up to 14 days for a response. You are NOT obligated to purchase anything! If you do decide to go forward we require a 50% deposit to begin construction. Options: Options, throughout most of our instrument line, are virtually unlimited and, while they are at extra cost, everyone is aware of rising costs due to inflation, so each case will be quoted separately and every effort will be made to provide the very best selections at reasonable cost. Options may be limited for models bearing the designations, "Texas Special" and "Florida Bluesmaster" and some choices may not be available on all models. Specific options and prices are discussed at the design meetings, prior to start of construction.
"CUSTOM SIGNATURE SERIES" GUITARS”: An option available on both "Artist" series and "Legend" series instruments. As a performing artist, you may want to have your own “Signature Series” instrument. We can provide this service. Make an appointment for a private consultation and work with our development crew to create your “Dream Signature Model’ guitar.
NOTE: Custom, "one-off" and "odd" body shapes are available, at extra cost, and are priced on a case by case basis. Finishes available include solid, opaque colors, metallic colors, pearls, and up to three color over-tints. On exotic wood models, clear, natural finishes are standard. Translucent and transparent finishes, that include color blending, are $280.00 per instrument, extra. Metallic, three color sunbursts, pearls, or "Flip-Flop" finishes are $300 extra cost. Metalflake, or sparkle - $380.00 extra, each instrument.
All Material Copyright © 1987, 2002, 2012, 2024 by North American Instruments
A BRIEF HISTORY of North American Instrument Company.
Humble Beginnings
North American Guitars were first conceived as an alternative to “factory” or “production” instruments, by craftsmen and musicians who were, in some way, involved in, or fans of, the Fender movement. One of the most influential was R.S. Armstrong, a close friend of Leo Fender, who had some fantastic ideas on pickup electronics of a unique nature. Ron later co-founded Sierra Guitars of California, with expert luthier, Michael Tobias. Another was Jerry Davis, a cabinetmaker/guitarist with a knack for innovative woodworking. Still another came from a background of fiddle and banjo makers, but was totally passionate about electric guitars. One of the first instruments crafted by one of the founders, H. Hammer, Jr., was carved at a military wood shop in Millington Tennessee in 1961. The company had not even been organized yet and was just a “good idea to work on”, as one of the guys put it. When asked why he wanted to build guitars, Jonathan reportedly said, “Well . . . You can only build so many model boats and airplanes, before you get bored. So, if you play guitar, and have access to a wood shop, why not build your own?’
When the company was first, officially organized, they called it “The Guitar Shop” . . . Then, since there were other “Guitar Shops” around, they added “American”, and became “ The American Guitar Shop”. (Famed bass luthier, Michael Tobias, later on had a shop in Florida that he named, “The Guitar Shop”.)
Beginner’s Luck
The first prototypes were single cut-away, solid cherrywood, blues guitars and were called “American Eagle” Series. The very first successful instrument of this style was nicknamed “Big Bossman” and was made for the late, great, Jimmy Reed.
Off To The Races
Summer of 1966, the operation was moved to a re-fitted “race car barn” in Imperial Missouri and guitars made there actually incorporated some minor elements of race car parts and hardware, obtained from a company called “Top Performance”. These limited production guitars – called “Hot Rod Performance Models” – were started in about 1968 or 1969 and were made for about 4 or 5 years, changing when the supply of surplus racecar hardware ran out. The “Eagle” portion of the brand was dropped to avoid a lawsuit which would have been necessary to contest the right to use it. The brand then became simply “American Instrument Company”.
The next generation utilized some variations of a motorcycle theme, with custom made parts and were sold by the ABC Choppers chain, in St. Louis, Missouri, and a few independent music stores. Most of these guitars were in shapes, styles, and colors that appealed to hard rocking bikers and the musicians that followed them. Production of these “Chopper” models stopped in about the middle of 1976 and were never made again.
The more conventional and best quality to that point were guitars that the company built after moving, once again, about 1978, to San Francisco, California. Association with people from Alembic Guitars, Stars Guitars, Guitar Player Magazine, The Grateful Dead, and other factions from that area and time period had a strong effect on the direction of the company. Even greater emphasis on quality and detail became the focus for every instrument. Fewer repairs and restorations were done during this period.
Way Out West
The guitars made in California had various shapes and styles but were all hand made to order. No standard model production was ever done in the California shop. Michael Tobias and Ron Armstrong had teamed up to create Sierra Guitars of California and the magnificent mastery of wood selection and joinery expertise that Tobias had perfected was a very strong influence on us, as we observed him working his magic for his and Armstrong’s company. Our guys had never seen such expertise in joining and shaping wood and we were determined to learn to achieve that high degree of quality. It didn’t come easy and nearly 5 years was spent trying to simply become more efficient and precise at wood selection and joinery.
On The Road Again
In mid 1983, the California operation was closed, packed up, and moved to Clearwater, Florida where the entire operation remained in storage until a suitable facility could be found, ultimately in Largo, Florida. It was during this down time that we practiced the art of wood selection and joinery, prior to re-opening the new guitar shop. The shop was re-opened as North American Instrument Company and remains to this day, but relocated first to St. Petersburg, then finally to both Rhea County, Tennessee, and facilities in Inverness, Florida. That is how it remains today.
The website is still a work in progress and doesn’t begin to reflect the type and quality of the standard models but, as is the history of the company, many of the guitars are one-of-a-kind and are built to order. It normally takes from 6 to 8 months for the top-end, hand-made, American Legend Series, and the cost runs from about $5800.00 U.S. to just over $8,000.00 U.S., depending upon design and the customer’s choices of everything that goes into making a unique instrument. Standard models are less expensive and run from about $2850.00 U.S. to $6,700.00 U.S., again, depending upon model and customer choices.
Prominence in The Press
North American Guitars are proudly listed in The Blue Book of Electric Guitars, published out of Minneapolis Minnesota. This publishing company has many years of experience, having produced the Blue Book of Guns for a very long time. In the mid to late nineties, they began publishing the guitar books, which many refer to as “The industry Bible”. They offer large, soft cover books as well as a superb online subscription research and reference service.
Fi****ms - http://bluebookofgunvalues.com Guitars/Amps - http://bluebookofguitarvalues.com
Dating North American Guitars: No standard serialization was ever developed for these instruments and they are best identified by contacting the company with photos and description.
Credit Where Credit is Due:
The company has always operated with a very small, specialized staff. Various consultants and guitar aficionados have, from time to time, lent their expertise and talent to the company, under a policy of always making a supreme effort to improve quality and designs. Some of them are as follows:
Ronald S. Armstrong (RIP) – Master of Guitar Arts & Hardware Designer, founding member
Jimmy C. Bennett (RIP)- Designer & Luthier – founding member
J. Baxter Goode – Luthier & Design Artist – founding member
Fred Nichols – Luthier & Restoration Specialist”
Paul Miller – Musician and Artist Consultant/Endorsing Artist
Bobby Elsworth – Endorsing Artist/Consultant
Hal Hammer, Jr. – Design Consultant/Endorsing Artist, a founding member
Barron Wilson – Endorsing Artist – Product Testing
PRESERVING the CRAFT
North American Instrument Company has established, endorsed, and sponsored, an educational endeavor known as The Creative Guitar Institute, located in Tennessee, not too far from Nashville. Original guitar-building techniques are practiced in this setting, along with newer innovations, woodcraft, electronics, and finishing techniques. With a curriculum centering on old-world craftsmanship meets new technology, these people work to develop the very best blend of tradition and modern quality in musical instruments. It is a labor of love and understanding that requires a strong passion for guitars for anyone to understand this effort. The Institute is supported almost exclusively by donations.
