Swope Guitars officially launched on January 1, 2014. “Swope” is Chris Swope, and by 2014 he had spent the prior two decades immersed in the vintage and high-end guitar world—repair, restoration, and building. His skills were honed in the boutique sphere as production manager and primary bass builder for the legendary Sadowsky Guitars in NYC, and later in large-scale manufacturing at the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville, TN, in both the Pro Shop and Engineering Department.

Chris’ designs are deeply informed by his love of vintage guitar history. His guitars feature original pickup designs inspired in part by forgotten units found in vintage lap steels. Along the way, Chris designed and patented the Descendant Vibrato. That side of the business has expanded to include a variety of bridges, with more designs on the horizon.

Swope Guitars have received multiple “Editor’s Pick Awards” from Guitar Player Magazine and the “Premier Gear Award” from Premier Guitar. The Descendant Vibrato was nominated for “Gear of the Year, 2020” by Guitar.com, and both the Descendant Vibrato and Companion Bridge have also received “Editor’s Pick Awards” from Guitar Player.