My journey from Warmoth guitar builds to Pinter Instruments, LLC

mrpinter

Hero Member
Messages
867
Before I started my guitar company I was a Warmoth addict. I had 6 or 7 custom guitars built for me with Warmoth bodies and necks. They were great guitars, but I would sell them off, one at a time, to fund another build; and more recently I've had to sell all of them except one, that's a serious keeper - a brown burst S guitar, and a Velocity that my granddaughter has (and loves), to make room for a growing number of Pinter guitars. Storage space is a limited and precious commodity in our condo. I had pro techs build my Warmoth guitars to get them as perfect as possible (I'm just not a DIY person). At various times I had Tele, Tele Deluxe, Velocity, Soloist, 7/8 S guitar, and maybe one or two other Warmoth designed guitars. Unlike conventional wisdom, sometimes I got all my money back when I sold them.

In 2016 I started out in my company with a paper template of my first design, and help from a nice man who makes basses, with a small CNC machine in his garage shop. I had it painted and got a case that fit, and started having demo videos made and placing ads in online and print magazines. I truly feel I've been led by Providence every step of the way. Example: I met Joshua Spataro over the phone when he worked for Warmoth. He mentioned - to answer my questions about his interests or hobbies, that he had a side hustle winding pickups. So I began using Righteous Sound Pickups, and still do to this day - on all our guitars exclusively. A guitar tech who built one of my Warmoth creations took an interest in what I was doing, when I sold the idea to him, and he became my luthier.

We made a prototype for a second model - a wild idea of mine to build a solid body jazz guitar - with specially wound pickups designed by Joshua S., voiced for flatwound strings. The prototype turned out perfect, so we sent it to Premier Guitar for a review. Joe Gore did the review and gave us 19 stars out of 20. When the magazine chose the Jazz Jr - as we named it - for their "best of the best" for their year's wrap-up edition, they said it was "stunningly good as a jazz guitar".

We did a couple of NAMM shows, that did me no good for sales, but I met some nice people and made some connections; and that is where I met Warmoth's own Aaron (what a super guy). We now have four models, three of which I'll show you below, unfinished - except for one - because I have a feeling you guys like to see work in progress. I'm not showing our single pickup model - the SB1-S Super Sport, as it's a lot like the SB1-R model except for having one (very differently voiced) pickup instead of two.

Here is a Jazz Jr, ready to be assembled
**New Orchid SB1-J body & neck.jpg

An SB2 electric 12 string, also in the queue (it gets three Firebird style pickups and out-chimes Ric 12s - to my ears at least)
**chocolate sb2 detail.jpg
**new choco sb2 w tortoise guard 3-4 vu.jpg

Lastly, an SB1-R Rock Star model - ready for assembly
**New Spicy Mustard SB1-J.jpg

And finished (currently with a reviewer for a guitar magazine). If you've made it this far, thank you for your attention and interest.
**full length sb1-r gold 3-4 vu.jpg
 
Last edited:
Very neat story, I had an interest in where it all started! Hopefully one day I can make it to a NAMM show to meet the great people in the industry. Thanks for sharing! All starts with an idea or a dream.Well done on the new designs as well! 👏🙏
 
I started my guitars business in 2016? I have put together 10 guitars, sold none, and am currently about 15k in the negative. But on the positive side I have inventory. Lol, I applaud you for getting paid to do what I pay to do.
When you add up the ridiculous amount of money I spent on NAMM; guitar freebies to endorsers; big discounts just to move guitars; etc, I'm a long way from being in the black. But things are looking up. I've recently sold guitars to a reviewer, and to the owner of an upscale guitar store (which now has Pinter guitars on the wall). I'm taking those things as good omens.
 
Last edited:
When you add up the ridiculous amount of money I spent on NAMM; guitar freebies to endorsers; big discounts just to move guitars; etc, I'm a long way from being in the black. But things are looking up. I've recently sold guitars to a reviewer, and to the owner of an upscale guitar store (which now has Pinter guitars on the wall).
You know, I've been resisting going to NAMM with my company. I've worked booths at many large trade shows in previous lives and I know it's really hit and miss - but mostly miss. Your eyes are completely glazed over, your feet hurt, and you're hung over - and that's the attendees!

I've had much better luck with small regional guitar shows. Good sales there for me - I'm usually the only pedal guy! :)
 
Great story and background. I'm very slowly working my way toward even a fraction of that. Right now, I'm in that IRS 3-out-of-5 years initial phase where I have to show a profit to avoid being reclassified as a hobby. So even if I can show $5 of profit, I should be good (if I interpret that rule correctly). After that, I feel like I'll have a bit more freedom to explore and experiment, even if I take a bath on it all (which, if the timing works out, will also be post-retirement).
 
In 4 yrs I've purchased 1 custom VIP, 1 showcase Tele, 2 custom strats, 1 showcase strat, and 1 Velocity along with the neck's and other parts. All for my enjoyment. Alot of it is from idea stewing around in my head due to seeing these ads like this 40 yrs ago in magazines (that I still have), and then an article with EVH building/painting his own guitars. It took awhile to get here, but I think I made up for taking so long to make a purchase.
IMG_7126.jpg

If I ever wanted to seriously think about a 12 string, I'd definitely think about one of those SB2's.
 
Very cool. I have dreamt about building guitars for a living, but with the market saturated as it is, it’s difficult to find a niche worth capitalizing on.
 
We did a couple of NAMM shows, that did me no good for sales, but I met some nice people and made some connections; and that is where I met Warmoth's own Aaron (what a super guy).

I don't know about the "super guy" part, but the rest of the story is 100% true!

20170120_134936_resized.jpg

Pinter instruments = great guitars, and great guy! (At least he was a great guy "pre-beard", but I've heard a beard can change a man.....)
 
Oh....and one other thing @mrpinter: I said it then and I'll say it again: that candy-yellowish finish you do (pictured above) might be my favorite guitar color of all time.
 
You know, I've been resisting going to NAMM with my company.

Yep, perhaps a smart move to stay with smaller shows. BUT...you might consider going anyway if you've never been. Warmoth doesn't have a booth, but I go every few years just to meet people, do research, and spread the Warmoth gospel face-to-face. I've made a lot of industry contacts and met many of my long-distance friends in person for the first time.

It's a hoot, and won't destroy you if you make good choices. ;)
 
Very cool. I have dreamt about building guitars for a living, but with the market saturated as it is, it’s difficult to find a niche worth capitalizing on.
I don't think the guitar market is all that saturated compared to other categories - for instance, shirts or writing instruments. I'm convinced that if you build a superior instrument, and can hold on long enough, you will succeed. It's been tough sledding for us though - since 2016, but things are looking up. We finally have some guitars in a music store - Malibu Music, in Malibu, CA. It's a great store, with nothing but guitars and amps; and the owner of the store has purchased a Pinter 12 string!
 
Oh....and one other thing @mrpinter: I said it then and I'll say it again: that candy-yellowish finish you do (pictured above) might be my favorite guitar color of all time.
Wow, thanks @aarontunes. I call that color Spicy Mustard, and it is the color I chose for the very first guitar we built. A little secret: I don't use automotive colors like the big brands, all of our colors come from the Pantone library - which is used mostly by clients like interior decorators and household product designers; and I select from the Premium Metallics collection.
 
Wow, thanks @aarontunes. I call that color Spicy Mustard, and it is the color I chose for the very first guitar we built. A little secret: I don't use automotive colors like the big brands, all of our colors come from the Pantone library - which is used mostly by clients like interior decorators and household product designers; and I select from the Premium Metallics collection.
I've been in printing for almost 30 years. Smart move on Pantone colors. Should be more consistent that way. Also like the shape. Looks nice and ergonomic and rounded edges which I see too many builders either ignore it or choose not too.

Hopefully one day I'll at least build one for myself if nothing else. Closest I've come so far is a Warmoth build about 15 years ago but I've learned a lot since then.
 
I've been in printing for almost 30 years. Smart move on Pantone colors. Should be more consistent that way. Also like the shape. Looks nice and ergonomic and rounded edges which I see too many builders either ignore it or choose not too.

Hopefully one day I'll at least build one for myself if nothing else. Closest I've come so far is a Warmoth build about 15 years ago but I've learned a lot since then.
Thanks. a note on the Pantone colors: it's important to work with a painter with a discerning eye. Most paint stores mix colors to match "in the neighborhood" of the sample they're given. I want exact matches - or very close. For the most recent guitar we built, my painter rejected the mix three times before it was close enough to the Pantone chip they were working from to satisfy him. Of course he had to pay for all those cans of paint - so I did too. Grrrr.
 
Back
Top