About Palm Bay Guitars

The Palm Bay Guitars brand was established in 1991, but its foundations were laid in the years prior.

Based in Hampshire, UK, Andrew had been building guitars by hand. Superstrat-style instruments initially made for friends and a local music store, alongside bodies and necks produced for sale.
Word spread, and by 1991 he had begun receiving commission builds from professional musicians.
At that point, a brand name and logo were established.

The early builds set the tone for everything that followed; tremolo-equipped superstrats with a distinct angled headstock. This design formed the blueprint for what would become the Typhoon model. The first Palm Bay-branded guitars developed this further, applying bold, striking colour finishes and a refined headstock design.
That model would later become the Tidalwave.

From the outset, these guitars stood for a clear set of values:

• Hand-built in the UK from top-grade materials and hardware
• Bold, colourful, high-end finishes
• An angled headstock with a hand-drawn logo design
• Playability and feel consistent with a professional instrument

The intention was straightforward: a guitar that caught the eye — on a stage or a shop wall — with a quality immediately confirmed the moment it was picked up.
Visually appealing and impressively tactile.

Demand grew quickly. Within a couple of years of the brand's establishment, a dedicated production facility and offices were set up in Hampshire. Staff included a full-time sales representative and seven additional people working in the factory. Demand consistently outpaced what production could supply.

The wider retail landscape, however, presented challenges. UK high streets were struggling, and a number of the retailers holding Palm Bay stock were not meeting their payment obligations. Reduced cashflow led to a move to a smaller production facility in Surrey and a deliberate shift away from the distributor-retailer selling model.

By the mid-90s, Palm Bay had moved to direct sales. UK demand remained strong, and following successful appearances at Musikmesse in Frankfurt, international interest began to grow. Japan became the primary customer base.

By the late 90s, production had relocated to Buckinghamshire, where hand-built guitars were produced almost exclusively for the Japanese market. To expand the range and meet demand, overseas production options were explored, and a series of prototype electrics alongside an electro-acoustic model were commissioned internationally.

The severe recession in Japan around 1997 resulted in a significant drop in overseas orders. The impact was heavy and resulted in a refocus back on the UK market.

By the turn of the century, Palm Bay production had moved entirely overseas. With continued demand for the guitars, a distribution company was engaged to manage sales back into the UK retail market.

By the mid-2000s, the landscape had changed again. Following the closure of the distributor, Palm Bay guitars were being sold directly to customers, both in the UK and overseas.

After three years of research into overseas production facilities, a Korean factory was eventually commissioned for the ongoing core guitar model lineup. By the end of the decade, production of the Cyclone, Tempest and Avalanche ranges had been firmly established.

During this period, limited runs of bass and electro-acoustic guitars were also produced. Both consistently sold out, demonstrating an appetite for Palm Bay beyond the core electric range — though the primary focus remained on the established electric guitar lineup.

In 2018, Palm Bay Guitars passed into new ownership — based in Hampshire, and local to the brand's founder. Andrew stepped back from the business he had built, entrusting the legacy into a new era.

The ambition was clear from the outset: secure the brand and build the foundations for a proper relaunch — one that would bring UK production back to the centre of what Palm Bay does.

That work has been methodical and unhurried. New production relationships have been developed, new models designed, and the infrastructure put in place to support a range that reflects what Palm Bay has always stood for — quality, character and instruments built to be played.

The relaunch is a continuation — of the same instinct for quality that produced the original Typhoon, the same commitment to bold, distinctive design, and the same belief that a well-made guitar speaks for itself.

UK production is returning. A new range of electric guitars, acoustics and basses is in development.