Zemaitis Guitars are back

Tony Zemaitis was an English luthier who began making guitars in the late 1950s. His instruments were known for their hand-engraved metal tops, and were popular (as popular as guitars can be when you only make a few a year) with rockers like Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. 

Now his son has established a company in Japan to renew the brand and build Zemaitis guitars in greater numbers. The company has retained Danny O’Brien, the engraver who created the metal tops on the original Zemaitis instruments, to design tops for the new instruments.

The instruments are available in the US from a handful of dealers. In addition to the metal front designs, there are guitars covered with pearl, guitars with wood tops, and acoustics with heart-shaped soundholes that seem to say “summer of love.”

For more, check out the article in Musicians Hotline.