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Salvage, Soul & Sonic Rebellion

Rat Bait Guitars reimagine apparently unsalvageable guitars, morphing them into new designs, retro and rugged.

‘When you pick up a guitar, you're not just holding wood and wire—you're gripping history. Not just the hands that played it, but the scars it carries, the timber it was born from, and the battles it survived. Rat Bait Guitars don’t chase perfection. Each component has its own previous life story, resurrection and metamorphosis. If you’re interested in an instrument with a story, Rat Bait Guitars are worth considering.’

Built from Ruin, Made to Scream

Take the body featured above: a Frankenstein of salvaged wood—fence post, roof offcut, shed panel, and the carved heart of a hand carved guitar that had been ravaged by woodworm and twisted out of shape. Treated, reshaped, and reborn into a retro 60s/70s silhouette inspired by Teisco and Kay designs, it’s a slab of tone with old-world charm and unapologetic grit.

• Neck Pickup: from a Manson Guitar (Matthew Bellamy)

• Bridge pickup: early 2000s ceramic single pole.

• Tailpiece: retro chrome clamshell, because why not?

This isn’t a museum piece. It’s a relic with soul. Read more here...

Imperfection as Identity

Rat Bait guitars are built in a shed that smells of glue and sawdust, not sterile polish. Parts are from the 1970s to the 2020s, mixing eras to create instruments that sound better than the homogenised clones flooding the market. They’re rugged, battle-scarred, and ready to scream.

• Reclaimed materials: furniture, fence posts, roof timbers, flooring.

• Custom-built bodies: Telecaster, Stratocaster, and the occasional Japanese oddity.

• Body prices start at £35.00. Each one is unique. Each one is alive.

What Players Say

• “Lovely Telecaster copy in scavenged wood, looks great and plays beautifully! Rat Bait are great luthiers!”
• “Arrived on time—very good guitar, best I’ve ever had. Sound is deep, all perfectly set up.”
• “Item was very well packed, as described and arrived very quickly. Excellent comms all round. Very happy—thanks! :)”
• “A really nice guitar, unique and obviously made with great care. Exceptional value. A great addition to my collection!”
• “Awesome, I would deal with again… lovely looking guitar, leaving to settle and look forward to playing it.”
• “Perfect little Telecaster body.”
• “Lovely Telecaster copy in scavenged wood, looks great and plays beautifully! Rat Bait are great luthiers!” 
• “Arrived on time—very good guitar, best I’ve ever had. Sound is deep, all perfectly set up.”
• “Item was very well packed, as described and arrived very quickly. Excellent comms all round. Very happy—thanks! :)”

These aren’t just guitars. They’re outsider art. Punk relics. Sonic protest pieces.

Why Salvage Matters

Every salvaged guitar is a strike against waste. A nod to sustainability. A celebration of character over gloss. By repurposing discarded timber and broken parts, a voice is given to materials that would otherwise be silenced.

Each guitar built is a story stitched together with defiance and solder. And if you’re the kind of player who values raw tone over showroom shine, welcome home.

Because each guitar body is handcrafted, genuine Rat Bait Guitar products are few and far between. Their rarity is why purchasing one of these creations should be seen as an investment.