Our Story
McGrath Guitars is a dedicated two-person team based in San Diego, California. Every custom instrument is handcrafted right here in the USA. By keeping our operation small and focused, we ensure that every instrument receiving the McGrath name has been personally shaped, wired, and finished with an obsessive attention to detail that mass production simply cannot replicate.
Our goal is building a premium instrument that earns its spot as your main axe. Our shop creates custom instruments that do not just look like works of art, but are road tested workhorses.
Every design choice, from our P-Style and Rebel body shapes to the classic J-Style, is guided by a spirit of effortless playability. We do not build instruments to collect dust on a wall, we build them to handle the rigors of the road and the flow of the studio.
Cormac McGrath has spent over 20 years behind the bench and on the stage. Having played thousands of gigs and festivals, he knows exactly where mass-produced instruments fail. Most guitars are like classic cars, stunning to look at, but often ergonomic nightmares.
What truly sets a McGrath instrument apart is its visual soul. Every bass features the hand staining and artistic vision of Madelyn McGrath. An accomplished professional with four Emmy Awards in art and graphic design, Madelyn treats every instrument as a one of a kind canvas.
While our finishes are organic, our engineering is surgical. We utilize industry leading components from companies sush as Hipshot, EMG, Lollar, Lindy Fralin and Nordstrand to ensure world-class tone. Every detail is refined for maximum performance and reliability.
