Fret-King is a UK-based manufacturer of stringed instruments and musical accessories. The company was founded by guitar designer Trevor Wilkinson in the early 1990s. Fret-King manufactures electric and bass guitars, primarily inspired by traditional designs from the 1950s, such as the Les Paul, Stratocaster, and Telecaster. These instruments often feature non-standard pickup configurations and Gibson-style hollow bodies, alongside some models with unique shapes.[1]

Fret-King by Trev Wilkinson at Musikmesse Frankfurt 2013.

Since 2008, the Fret-King brand is owned by UK musical instrument distributor John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd (JHS), which is headquartered in Garforth, Leeds.

Fret-King has designed signature model guitars for a number of artists, including Jerry Donahue, John Etheridge, Gordon Giltrap, John Verity, John Jorgenson,[2] Elliott Randall, and Danny Bryant.[3]

Notable guitarists who have supported Fret-King guitars include Manic Street Preachers guitarist James Dean Bradfield, Parker Lundgren, Gavin Coulson of Oliver/Dawson Saxon, Jeff Brown of Cats In Space,[4] and Andrew Pipe of The Mentulls.[5]

Trevor Wilkinson parted ways with JHS in 2018.[6][7][8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Burrluckpublished, Dave (16 March 2020). "Fret-King 'Black Label' Country Squire Semitone Special review". guitarworld. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  2. ^ "NAMM 2019: Fret-King updates its John Jorgenson signature model". 11 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Danny Bryant Signature Fret-King Guitar".
  4. ^ "Jeff Brown / Artists / JHS". www.jhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Andrew Pipe / Artists / JHS". www.jhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  6. ^ Leonard, Michael (5 September 2014). "James Dean Bradfield's guitar collection". MusicRadar. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Builder Profile: Trev Wilkinson". Premier Guitar. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  8. ^ Barrett, Andy (22 February 2008). "COMPANY PROFILE - Fret King". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2015.