DIVINE INSPIRATION

Iain Henderson, owner of London-based guitar hire firm God’s Own Guitars, explains how he has turned instrument collecting into a niche business by sharing his love for the guitars of the greats

- Rod Brakes

Since the late 90s, Iain Henderson has been collecting guitars, selecting models known for their association with notable players, including some of the instruments owned by the artists themselves. Although the idea of lending out your prized possessions would horrify most collectors, in 2018 Iain decided to share the love and launched God’s Own Guitars, passionately believing that his guitars were made to be played.

“I thought how nice it would be to keep hold of them while allowing other people to appreciate them, too,” Iain tells us. “I mean, it’s a shame when they just get left in cases not being played. That was the original idea behind God’s Own Guitars. The sharing economy has become quite popular with companies such as Fat Llama bringing lenders and borrowers together. It’s a great idea when it comes to expensive gear of any type that you might only use a handful of times. People also like the sharing economy because it can help them declutter their lives a bit. I mean, power tools are a good example; you might not want to fork out for something you only use occasionally. And the same is often true of guitars.”