I am pleased to introduce you to the below artists who have been accepted into the Hilditch Guitar family. Feel free to explore their material via the links, and please show some support for their music.
NAME: Struan 'Chick' McFarlane
ACT: Bad Actress
www.badactress.net
www.facebook.com/badactressband
YouTube
Spotify
ACT: Bad Actress
www.badactress.net
www.facebook.com/badactressband
YouTube
Spotify
Chick is the lead guitarist of Scottish sleaze rockers Bad Actress, who attack every set with relentless energy and passion, and a clear inspiration from the golden age of 80's 'Hair Metal'.
The Guitar - A signature Raptor model, featuring the Bad Actress logo inlaid into the fretboard and Chicks signature 'lips print' on the body to contrast the white finish. A 5 piece multi laminate neck runs right through the full length, sandwiched between 2 Mahogany wings, seperated with slithers of Oak and Sycamore veneer. A single, hand wound, hot humbucker sits in the bridge position to provide the squealing harmonics that he implements perfectly in his solos. The strings are held in place by a Wilkinson WVS50Kii (a 2 point floating knife edge tremolo) and locking tuners.
The Guitar - A signature Raptor model, featuring the Bad Actress logo inlaid into the fretboard and Chicks signature 'lips print' on the body to contrast the white finish. A 5 piece multi laminate neck runs right through the full length, sandwiched between 2 Mahogany wings, seperated with slithers of Oak and Sycamore veneer. A single, hand wound, hot humbucker sits in the bridge position to provide the squealing harmonics that he implements perfectly in his solos. The strings are held in place by a Wilkinson WVS50Kii (a 2 point floating knife edge tremolo) and locking tuners.
Chick says:
"Mark and I got chatting last year, he checked out the Bad Actress material and I'd been eyeing up some of his guitars - the one that stood out to me was the Raptor. I really liked the size of the body, and it just looked like it'd feel nice to play. I knew straight away that was the one to go for.
We chatted a lot about spec and hardware, and the paint job and inlay which are really special to me. Mark just absolutely nailed it.
This thing is just addictive to play!"
"Mark and I got chatting last year, he checked out the Bad Actress material and I'd been eyeing up some of his guitars - the one that stood out to me was the Raptor. I really liked the size of the body, and it just looked like it'd feel nice to play. I knew straight away that was the one to go for.
We chatted a lot about spec and hardware, and the paint job and inlay which are really special to me. Mark just absolutely nailed it.
This thing is just addictive to play!"
Chick's 2nd guitar:
Almost identical construction to his first, this time featuring a Sustainiac in the neck positon, black Gotoh VS100N bridge and the red and white tiger paint job.
Almost identical construction to his first, this time featuring a Sustainiac in the neck positon, black Gotoh VS100N bridge and the red and white tiger paint job.
Wayne is the lead guitarist of the very well established UK thrash metal band Onslaught.
The guitar - A classic, recognisable staple in the heavy rock/metal genre which has been tweaked to improve some weak areas identified by Wayne. A 27" scale length drop tuning monster of shred, featuring an SD Blackout bridge pickup and a Sustainiac for infinite sustain, plus 27 frets for exciting creativity in solos. Add in the Official Floyd Rose, in black naturally, and the Sperzel machine heads, and the amount and style of noises this thing can make is unrivaled. The inlay was designed by Wayne himself when he first decided on the idea of a custom build, and the whole guitar is designed and built around capturing and developing the band's image.
The guitar - A classic, recognisable staple in the heavy rock/metal genre which has been tweaked to improve some weak areas identified by Wayne. A 27" scale length drop tuning monster of shred, featuring an SD Blackout bridge pickup and a Sustainiac for infinite sustain, plus 27 frets for exciting creativity in solos. Add in the Official Floyd Rose, in black naturally, and the Sperzel machine heads, and the amount and style of noises this thing can make is unrivaled. The inlay was designed by Wayne himself when he first decided on the idea of a custom build, and the whole guitar is designed and built around capturing and developing the band's image.
Wayne says:
"As the lead guitarist in one of the UK's most prominent thrash metal bands, I was looking for a high performance guitar that not only reflected the aggression of the band's sound, but also demonstrated my own taste in guitars. As a life long fan of the Ibanez Iceman, I came to notice, in my opinion, some design flaws such as upper fret access and neck dive, and I was keen to eliminate these in a custom guitar.
I approached Mark and we decided on some subtle changes to improve these areas, whilst maintaining the classic looks, and the result is a true quality shred machine that I know will serve me well for many years to come.
What I really like about working with Mark, aside from the fact he is a top bloke, is that no matter how crazy the idea he WILL find a way to make it work!"
"As the lead guitarist in one of the UK's most prominent thrash metal bands, I was looking for a high performance guitar that not only reflected the aggression of the band's sound, but also demonstrated my own taste in guitars. As a life long fan of the Ibanez Iceman, I came to notice, in my opinion, some design flaws such as upper fret access and neck dive, and I was keen to eliminate these in a custom guitar.
I approached Mark and we decided on some subtle changes to improve these areas, whilst maintaining the classic looks, and the result is a true quality shred machine that I know will serve me well for many years to come.
What I really like about working with Mark, aside from the fact he is a top bloke, is that no matter how crazy the idea he WILL find a way to make it work!"
Tyler is the lead singer and guitarist of Blackpool based thrashers Blacklist
The Guitar - A custom shape taking inspiration from an established metal guitar shape, mixed with some extra points and an element of the Hilditch Raptor. Another through neck construction for ultimate sustain of the Gotoh locking tremolo, amplified by the on board 'God mode switch' - a clever boost switch featuring adjustable gain, volume and tone controls to really dial in those killer solo tones. Another custom 12th fret inlay, of the band's sigil, done in mother of pearl.
The Guitar - A custom shape taking inspiration from an established metal guitar shape, mixed with some extra points and an element of the Hilditch Raptor. Another through neck construction for ultimate sustain of the Gotoh locking tremolo, amplified by the on board 'God mode switch' - a clever boost switch featuring adjustable gain, volume and tone controls to really dial in those killer solo tones. Another custom 12th fret inlay, of the band's sigil, done in mother of pearl.
Tyler says: "I gave Mark a list of all my favourite guitar shapes, such as Jackson Kelly, Jackson Warrior, BC Rich Ironbird and Ibanez Iceman, and within an hour he produced the Skylark drawing and I was instantly in love. No matter how crazy the specs were, he delivered me a 27 fret, crackle shred machine with killswitch, god mode boost AND a bottle opener on the back to unleash my true thrash Mr Hyde! I doubt I'll ever buy a stock guitar again, why would I when I can get absolutely anything I want from Mark? And at very competitive prices too!
Tommy is the rhythm guitarist of Bad Actress and finally caved to the momentous occasion of ordering a custom guitar.
The Guitar - Another custom shape taking inspiration from the popular LP type with an added element of the Hilditch Tao. A lightweight cushion carve body with Gotoh ToM bridge, mated to a five piece, Maple/Padauk/Walnut set neck, gives the no fuss rock solid stability a backline needs, whilst still sporting an exotic touch of class with the purple gloss finish and complimenting gold hardware. All encapsulated perfectly by the red binding.
The Guitar - Another custom shape taking inspiration from the popular LP type with an added element of the Hilditch Tao. A lightweight cushion carve body with Gotoh ToM bridge, mated to a five piece, Maple/Padauk/Walnut set neck, gives the no fuss rock solid stability a backline needs, whilst still sporting an exotic touch of class with the purple gloss finish and complimenting gold hardware. All encapsulated perfectly by the red binding.
Tommy says: "I'll admit I've never been one to want a personalised guitar. I've always been a fan of the classics. When I started toying with the idea I wanted something traditionally inspired with a unique Hilditch twist. So we came up with the Les Paul shape with the "Tao" curve and now I can honestly say I've never felt more at home with a guitar. Its 100% me and a representation of where I am in life right now. Mark took all my requests and made me the most awesome axe I didn't even know I was missing until I had it. To anyone who is on the fence about a custom guitar, I assure you there is no better feeling. Hilditch Handmade Guitars is the place to go!"
NAME: Greg Davies
ACT: Jackson Hewitt, Solo artist
www.jacksonhewittband.com
www.facebook.com/gregdaviesguitarist
YouTube
ACT: Jackson Hewitt, Solo artist
www.jacksonhewittband.com
www.facebook.com/gregdaviesguitarist
YouTube
Greg is the new guitarist of Jackson Hewitt and a very dependable guitar teacher (he used to teach my youngest daughter until she had a change of heart).
The Guitar - Greg went for a T-Bone as he is a big fan of the traditional Telecaster shape, but he wanted the diversity of a Gotoh VS100N tremolo equipped guitar, with splitable humbuckers from Sunbear Pickups, and a modern, fast playing, stable neck, which is delivered by the roasted Flame Maple. All of this fixed to a Black Limba body, topped with an exquisite Flame Maple top which Greg picked himself from the racks. And don't forget that kill switch for an extra bit of sonic excitement!
The Guitar - Greg went for a T-Bone as he is a big fan of the traditional Telecaster shape, but he wanted the diversity of a Gotoh VS100N tremolo equipped guitar, with splitable humbuckers from Sunbear Pickups, and a modern, fast playing, stable neck, which is delivered by the roasted Flame Maple. All of this fixed to a Black Limba body, topped with an exquisite Flame Maple top which Greg picked himself from the racks. And don't forget that kill switch for an extra bit of sonic excitement!
Greg says: ‘When designing my guitar I wanted three essential areas ticking off; A guitar that has versatility sound wise- great clean tones, dirty tones & breakup tones. I needed great playability with a very comfortable neck & finally a traditional look with modern features. Mark has managed to achieve all three & more. The playability of this guitar is off the charts. It’s perfect for all my needs. Much of my musical life is spent jumping between genres & this guitar covers the lot. Mark also added a very useful magnetic back plate which I have to say has been incredibly useful! I use this guitar in the band I play for- Jackson Hewitt & each member of the band has passed comment that the guitar brings a fantastic tone to the bands sound. It really is a masterful build.