Iconic Guitars, Amps & Effects For Hire

Hire classic, vintage and iconic guitars - electrics, basses, acoustics - plus legendary effects pedals and amps.

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"God's Own" because the guitars, amps and pedals you can hire are Artist Owned or Made Famous By the Gods - some of the most iconic guitarists and songwriters of the past 50 years.  Better than "God's Own" because you get to use and play that gear, just by hiring.  This is your way to enjoy a range of iconic guitars, without breaking the bank or tying yourself to a single guitar.

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Whatever your reason or need, there's a guitar, amp or pedal for you:

2021 Year In Review

Whatever else is going on in the world, there's always a guitar that will help make sense of it all!  I know, there's a lot more to life, but if you're looking for a constant - and you're taking the time to have a scroll through this site - you know what I mean 😉.  Guitars to love, guitars to hire, guitar demos, and volumes of tumbleweed-moment interesting facts about guitars - you're amongst friends.

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2021 will be remembered for a lot of other things, but it was still a big year at God's Own Guitars.  Key milestones to celebrate, new additions to get ready for their first hire, a feature in Guitarist Magazine, the proper return of live music, and a lot more video demos of the guitars in action.  Most importantly, hires, lots of hires.  The most hires since I started this business at the end of 2018.  2020 may have put a wrench into the works, but 2021 shot back to life, and some!  Every hire was different, every one who hired a pleasure to meet, and, as far as I can tell, every one loved what they got to play.  It's why I do what I do.

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A Top 9 can't do justice to all those hires, nor the variety of guitars that grabbed the spotlight.  But it's a start.  And there's even a winner . . . Take a bow, Johnny Marr!  Not only his signature Jaguar, on its first hire with Italian shoegaze band Rev Rev Rev, but The Smiths' first appearance on Top Of The Pops in 1983, and a cover of Back To The Old House on a vintage J-160E, just like the one he wrote it on.  A light that will never go out.  He wasn't the only famous guitarist to grab a top slot.  Fellow Mancunian Peter Hook's 76 Thunderbird joined the collection in 2021.  And proved a big hit on Instagram - as much for its sorry initial state before the graft of cleaning and polishing, as its prior ownership by Hooky.  An absolute beast!  And, more than 25 years on, it's still amazing to see the love for Kurt Cobain shining through - with the 96 Jag-Stang and 66 Mustang crossed in memory of the day he left us.

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Extra special thanks to Guitarist Magazine for a 6-page feature on God's Own Guitars (Issue 474, if you missed it 😉) - and some of the finest pictures of the collection that I'll ever hope to see.  And to jazz virtuoso Emily Roberts, who put a 1969 Barney Kessel Archtop through its paces - the most popular hirer video from the year.  Seeing hirers in action with the guitars is what it's all about.  Less glorious, but still hopefully of some help, are the guitar demos I posted in 2021.  Some barely got a flicker of interest, but some must have been right-place, right-time.  So, thanks for making the Romeo & Juliet fight-off between a 1934 National Resonator and a 2016 Martin LX-1 your favourite demo video of 2021.  Warning, there will be more in 2022!

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And finally, to the central picture.  Not one of my guitars, but in gratitude to the proper return of live music.  Tigercub, a band on the verge of greatness, with Jamie Hall's Jaguar and rig, shot after a blistering set at London's Lafayette.  I was buzzing for days after.  Here's to more in 2022.  Whatever your plans for this year, may your treasured dreams become lived memories - and if those dreams involve a special guitar, the pleasure will be all mine to help!

The ES-335, a classic icon, seen in the hands of so many of the guitar greats ever since it was first introduced in 1958.  This cherry beauty from 1988 takes you right back to the same design as the original dot inlay ES-335s, before the block inlay version came in in 1962.  A timeless classic!

Peter Hook's 1976 Gibson Thunderbird bass, one mighty bird!  Bought in the early noughties, and played with electronic dance band Hybrid on release of their second album Morning Sci-Fi.  A glorious bass, all original, including the 76-inked bicentennial scratchplate!