Mods Like Us

One way to view these new ProShop guitars is as pre-modded Vintage models. So with our own Mod Squad experience in mind we grilled the team

- Dave Burrluck

To say that the modding community has mushroomed in the past few years is an understatement, and it was certainly fuelled by the long months of lockdown. The desire to tweak and mod reflects the ever-increasing ranges of aftermarket parts, pickups, wiring looms, not to mention tools and finishing potions. It’s definitely something that’s on the radar at John Hornby Skewes.

“I do find it interesting the number of people there are now really focusing in on selling bits, like Northwest Guitars,” says JHS managing director, Dennis Drumm. “People like that who have great websites, great ideas. People are building and modding their guitars, it’s really creative.”

JHS also distributes many aftermarket bits itself – including Wilkinson, Graph Tech, Grover and Guitar Tech – and is the source of the now 26-year-old Vintage guitar brand, designed in the UK and made in factories in China and Vietnam. But the idea for an in-house modding centre wasn’t conceived on home shores, as Dennis explains: “The ProShop concept was started in the USA by our distributor for Vintage guitars, RBI Music in Fort Worth, Texas. They’ve got a couple of excellent guys out there – well, so have we here – but Kevin Easton is the guy [check out Easton’s Guitar Shack-O-Rama].