Ken Lawrence Instruments

Ken Lawrence Instruments is a small-scale custom instrument maker associated primarily with individually built electric bass guitars. The company was founded by Ken Lawrence in 1986, after he had begun learning and practicing instrument construction at Moonstone Guitars in 1981. Its work is centered on bespoke commissions rather than standardized mass-market production: instruments are made for individual customers, with specifications that can include the body design, wood selection, finish, number of strings, fretted or fretless configuration, electronics, pickups, and preamps. The brand is particularly known for handcrafted basses, with reported production of approximately 20 to 25 instruments per year and delivery times approaching a year. This limited output reflects the labor-intensive nature of its process and its positioning as a specialist custom workshop. Its basses have been offered in four-, five-, and six-string configurations depending on the model and customer requirements. The company has also produced custom electric guitars, including instruments made for James Hetfield of Metallica. Hetfield's instruments were generally based on the dimensions of his ESP Explorer while incorporating changes to the headstock and bespoke fretboard inlays. Ken Lawrence Instruments also built a five-string fretless bass for Trevor Dunn of Mr. Bungle. Construction is described as highly configurable. Body woods commonly include ash, alder, and mahogany, while other woods may be selected at a customer's request. Necks are made from eastern hard rock maple and may be reinforced with graphite. Fingerboards have included grenadilla, katalox, rosewood, and ebony depending on the model and specification. Bass electronics can include custom Bass Line pickups and three-band preamps, while hardware and finishes are also configurable. The workshop has advocated the use of responsibly harvested rainforest hardwoods and avoids endangered woods, making material sourcing part of its stated craft philosophy. The documented bass range includes the Associate, Brase, and Chamberbass. The Associate uses a sculpted two-piece ash or alder body, a graphite-reinforced maple neck, a 24-fret fingerboard, custom pickups, and a three-band preamp. The Brase is distinguished by an upper horn joined to the neck around the eleventh fret and uses a maple neck with graphite spars and a dual-flex truss-rod arrangement. The Chamberbass is a semi-hollow design with a sculpted mahogany body, a redwood top, sound holes, an extended ebony tailpiece, and an adjustable ebony piezo bridge. These models illustrate the brand's combination of distinctive ergonomic designs, specialized construction, and customer-specific configuration. Ken Lawrence has also worked as a bassist in live performance and recording contexts, linking the company to both instrument making and professional musicianship. Publicly available reference material does not establish a broader corporate group, a public listing, a separate parent company, or a current international operating structure. The brand is best characterized as an independent or privately held custom lutherie workshop, although its precise current status and business organization require verification.

Ken Lawrence began building instruments in 1981 at Moonstone Guitars. Five years later, in 1986, he established Ken Lawrence Instruments as his own custom instrument business. From its formation, the workshop's activity centered on individually commissioned guitars and bass guitars rather than high-volume standardized models. Lawrence's own experience as a bassist also informed the company's emphasis on bass design and playability. The workshop became associated chiefly with handcrafted electric basses. Reference material describes annual production at roughly 20 to 25 instruments, with customers sometimes waiting close to a year for delivery. Each instrument is built separately, allowing specifications to vary substantially. Customers can select body woods, finishes, string count, fretless or fretted construction, pickup arrangements, preamps, and hardware. Common body materials include ash, alder, and mahogany, while necks are made from eastern hard rock maple and may receive graphite reinforcement. Fingerboards have been made from woods including grenadilla, katalox, rosewood, and ebony. The company also developed a recognizable set of bass designs. The Associate uses a sculpted two-piece ash or alder body, a graphite-reinforced maple neck, a 24-fret fingerboard, custom pickups, and a three-band preamp. The Brase features a sculpted ash body, an upper horn connected to the neck near the eleventh fret, graphite-reinforced maple construction, and a dual-flex truss rod. The Chamberbass takes a semi-hollow approach, combining a mahogany body, a redwood top, sound holes, an extended ebony tailpiece, and an adjustable ebony piezo bridge. Different string counts and electronic specifications are available across the range. Ken Lawrence Instruments' public profile was also raised by commissions for professional musicians. Lawrence built guitars for James Hetfield of Metallica, using the dimensions of Hetfield's ESP Explorer as a starting point while changing the headstock and adding custom fretboard inlays. He also built a five-string fretless bass for Trevor Dunn of Mr. Bungle. These commissions demonstrate the workshop's ability to translate established artist preferences into individually constructed instruments. Material selection is an explicit part of the company's stated approach. Lawrence avoids endangered woods and supports the use of responsibly harvested rainforest hardwoods. This policy coexists with a willingness to source unusual woods when customers request them, provided the material is suitable and available. Alongside instrument construction, Lawrence has performed as a bassist in live and recording settings. Public sources do not provide a detailed corporate chronology after the documented founding and product information, nor do they confirm a parent company, public listing, or current production status.

• 1986

  Ken Lawrence Instruments is founded

  [1]Ken Lawrence Instrumentsen.wikipedia.org

  Lawrence established his own instrument-making company five years after beginning work at Moonstone Guitars.

• 1981

  Ken Lawrence begins instrument building

  [1]Ken Lawrence Instrumentsen.wikipedia.org

  Ken Lawrence began building instruments at Moonstone Guitars, establishing the early foundation for his later independent lutherie work.

A specialist custom-lutherie brand focused on individually commissioned, handcrafted electric basses and guitars, with low production volume, extensive specification flexibility, distinctive sculpted designs, and an emphasis on responsible wood sourcing.

• Electric bass guitar

  Associate

  The Associate is described as having a sculpted two-piece body made from selected southern ash or alder. Its graphite-reinforced maple neck is paired with a 24-fret rosewood or grenadilla fingerboard. The model uses custom Bass Line pickups, a three-band preamp, and black hardware, and can be ordered as a four-, five-, or six-string instrument.

• Electric bass guitar

  Brase

  The Brase is a sculpted ash-bodied bass distinguished by an upper horn that connects to the neck around the eleventh fret. Its construction combines a hard rock maple neck, graphite spars, and a dual-flex truss rod. Custom Bass Line pickups and preamps are specified, with five- and six-string versions documented.

• Semi-hollow electric bass guitar

  Chamberbass

  The Chamberbass is a sculpted semi-hollow bass using a mahogany body, a redwood top, and sound holes. Its hardware includes an extended ebony tailpiece and a height-adjustable ebony piezo bridge. The model is fitted with custom pickups and a three-band preamp and is available in five- and six-string configurations.

• Custom electric guitars and bass guitars

  Custom artist instruments

  The workshop has produced instruments to individual artist specifications, including guitars for Metallica guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield and a five-string fretless bass for Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn. Hetfield's guitars reportedly used ESP Explorer measurements as a basis while incorporating modified headstocks and custom fretboard inlays.

1. 1Ken Lawrence Instrumentsen.wikipedia.org