The story of Thorn Custom Guitars.
In 1982, at just 13 years old, Ron Thorn was given a “Prestige”-branded guitar neck by a friend. No body. No parts. No instructions. Just a neck—and no question in Ron’s mind what to do next.
Raised in a family of carpenters with a woodshop at his disposal, Ron and his father set out to turn that lonely neck into a functioning electric guitar.
More than four decades later, that same curiosity, craftsmanship, and obsession with guitar building remain at the heart of every Thorn.
In 1982, at just 13 years old, Ron Thorn was given a “Prestige”-branded guitar neck by a friend. No body. No parts. No instructions. Just a neck—and no question in Ron’s mind about what came next.
Raised in a family of carpenters with a woodshop at his disposal, Ron and his father set out to turn that lonely neck into a functioning electric guitar. With Fair Warning cranked on the stereo, they built and painted a custom-shaped body, while Ron’s junior-high “Metals” class provided the perfect place to hand-make the pickguard and bridge. A single Seymour Duncan pickup, purchased at a local music store, supplied the heat.
Ron was off and running as a guitar player—but more importantly, as a guitar builder.
In 1993, Thorn Custom Inlay was officially born. By the mid-1990s, Ron and his father had become the sole inlay artists for the Fender Custom Shop, a role they would hold for the next 30 years.
What began with a gifted guitar neck, a family woodshop, and a 13-year-old who simply wanted to build a guitar became the foundation for a lifetime spent pursuing the craft at its highest level.
In late 2000, after several years of ghost-building necks and bodies for numerous boutique builders, Thorn Custom Guitars officially launched with the Artisan series.
Exotic woods, intricate inlays, and intensely customized features made every Artisan a true one-of-a-kind showpiece. The level of customization was extraordinary—and so was the wait. With more than 100 Artisans backlogged, Ron made the decision to stop accepting new Artisan orders in 2005.
In 2006, Ron teamed up with John Gaudesi and Martin Bravo to develop a more standardized Thorn model, offering fewer options and a much shorter delivery time. Based on the wood and pickup combination of Artisan #010, the Junior Ninety was an immediate success.
The Junior Ninety continued through 2008, when production was discontinued to make way for the next chapter in the Thorn story: the SoCal series - still offered today.
After a decade of operating out of the cozy 1,500 sq. ft. “cave under the bridge" in Glendale, Thorn moved into a new 5,000 sq. ft. facility in San Fernando in mid-2012.
On July 1, 2014, after nine months of research, development, tooling, and prototyping, the Grantura was introduced.
The most challenging and labor-intensive Thorn model to date, the Grantura features a fully laminated construction body—a demanding technique that requires specialized tooling, processes, and skills few builders possess. Every aspect of its construction pushed the limits of what Thorn could accomplish.
The Grantura was more than a new model. It was another statement of intent—proof that Thorn would continue to explore what was possible rather than simply follow what had already been done.
Corporate Life - On April 30, 2018, Ron Thorn ceased production of Thorn Custom Guitars and joined the Fender Custom Shop as its first Principal Master Builder. Two years later, he was appointed Director of Master Builder Operations.
During his five-year tenure at Fender, Ron continued to push the boundaries of instrument design and construction, creating an extraordinary range of instruments and concepts. His work included the Game of Thrones Collection, the El Mocambo sets, the Hawaiian Dream Resonator, the carbon fiber Stratocaster 1, the first Coronado built in the USA since the 1970s, The Trees Acoustasonic, the Minions Modular Bass, and the Lexus Stratocaster and Tele Magico model designs—along with countless other projects that challenged both convention and his own abilities.
Ron also built instruments for artists including Adrian Belew, Johnny A., Josh Hager (Josh2) of DEVO, MonoNeon, Neal Schon, Keith Urban, Jason Momoa, and Bubbles. Beyond his own builds, he contributed his expertise to numerous instruments created by fellow Master Builders.
Over five years, Ron built nearly 1,000 Fender guitars and basses for customers and dealers while continuing to explore new techniques, materials, and ideas.
In 2024, Thorn Custom Guitars returned.
After decades of building, innovating, and pushing the boundaries of the craft, Ron Thorn is back doing what he loves most: building exceptional guitars by hand, one instrument at a time.
No shortcuts. No compromises. No assembly line.
Truly master-built instruments, created with the experience of a lifetime and made to become heirlooms for generations to come.
The name is back. The craft never left.