M.B. Guitars ’52-T Blackguard – Butterscotch!

Vintage inspired guitars handmade in England by Mike Bowes

M.B. Guitars was formed in 2020 by myself, Mike Bowes, a vintage guitar fanatic and luthier. I have been building guitars since 2008, working as part of the team at SimS Custom/Enfield Guitars.

It was here that I saw a lot of vintage guitars coming through the door for repairs, re spray work and set ups. I found myself working on some special projects over the years, working on vintage guitars and basses for the likes of Peter Frampton, Leo Lyons (Ten Years After), Norman Watt Roy (BlockHeads) to name a few. This is where my love for 50's and 60's Fender guitars started.

Over the years, I experimented with different ageing processes on my own guitars that I built to try to get an authentic looking replica that sounded and felt like the originals, after seeing a lot of lower quality ‘relics’ that started appearing for sale online. My guitars were then sold on my website 'Operationstrat'.. (a nod to my favourite guitar!) and I received a lot of praise and positive feedback on how the guitars played, felt and looked.

I kicked things back off in 2020 with M.B. Guitars, which is dedicated to offering the very best handmade vintage correct replicas of the original Pre CBS Fenders, built using original processes, and only the best components and parts available today. My guitars offer an authentic look, feel and sound, which is built around the players needs.

'52-T 'BLACKGUARD' - (BUTTERSCOTCH)

- Hand shaped 1 pc lightweight swamp ash body with rounded edges and period correct 50's routing

- Handmade 1pc flat sawn plain maple neck with correct rounded edges/contours at the headstock for this era 

- double acting single truss rod with vintage correct cross head adjuster at the heel of the neck

- 9.5' radius board

- Jescar '6125' fretwire

- Vintage Chunky .89C neck profile (0.890" - 0.990")

- Paper thin nitrocellulose finish from the wood up

- hand made unbleached bone nut

- Gotoh premium machine heads

- 50's round string tree

- 1952 serial number neck plate

- Period correct slotted screws

- Premium painstakingly aged real nitro lacquered bakelite guard with correct rounded edges and 'grain' lines seen on original blackguards

- Heavy knurled domed knobs and round switch tip 

- Pickups are handwound for MB GUITARS by ALAN DINGWALL and made to exact '52 spec

- Sozo Oil in paper capacitor 

- CTS 250k pots

- CRL 3 way switch

- Switchcraft jack

- Cloth wiring 

- Callaham vintage premium bridge with compensated brass saddles for perfect intonation across all strings

- Comes with Gator vintage style hard case and signed M.B. spec card & M.B. guitar pick

-Color: Butterscoth

- WEIGHT:  7lb 2oz