Customer Feedback - Rat Bait Guitars

Rat Bait Guitars is a defiant celebration of imperfection, rebellion, and resurrection. Based in North Devon, this small operation crafts electric guitar bodies from salvaged materials—roofing timber, shattered Strat bodies, broken furniture, and discarded fence posts. Each piece is a one-off, hand-built in a shed that smells of glue and sawdust, not sterile factory polish.

Example 1: Take the Barnwood Hybrid Telecaster, for example—a Frankenstein lovechild of a Japanese Jedson and Strat. It fuses a Telecaster silhouette with Stratocaster guts, built from reclaimed roofing wood and a shattered Stratocaster that refused to die. The result? A 3.3kg slab of raw tone and rebellion, with a 22-fret maple neck, HSS configuration, and a finish that’s unapologetically imperfect. (SOLD)

Example 2: Or the Hardtail Stratocaster-style body, made from old roofing timber, bits of a bookcase, and a broken Strat. It’s routed for single coils, partially loaded with new electrics, and finished in rugged red and black hues. It’s not pristine—it’s punk, rebellious and looks cool. (SOLD)

Rat Bait Guitars doesn’t chase perfection. It builds relics with soul, instruments that wear their scars proudly. Whether you're a DIY builder or a tone-chaser looking for something different, these bodies offer a chance to plug into something real, raw, and resolutely unpolished.

Photos and listings are updated regularly, with some builds appearing on eBay. Every guitar is a story—stitched together with defiance and solder.

Our bodies are crafted from reclaimed wood sourced from a mix of origins—old furniture, fence posts, salvaged roof timbers, worn flooring, broken guitars and more. Each 'Rat Bait' body carries its own history, marked by dents, scratches, and imperfections that embody the raw, relic aesthetic we embrace. These aren’t showroom pieces—they’re outsider art. As with any custom build, a bit of fettling may be required to fit your components—but you already know that.

Customer Feedback

• "Item was very well packed, as described and arrived very quickly. A good transaction, with excellent comms all round. Very happy - thanks! :)"

• "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 very deep all perfectly set up."