About Kemp Guitars
I am Matt Kemp, a UK-based guitar maker with over 13 years experience in guitar repairs and luthiery.
In 2009, I successfully made and sold my first "from scratch" electric guitar. Since then, Kemp Guitars have been taking orders from all over the world and building an extensive portfolio of handcrafted, custom guitars from our workshop based in the South East of England - a selection of which can be seen in the Guitar Gallery.
"It all started at the age of 16 when I bought my first electric guitar, a second-hand Columbus Super-strat (Soloist™ copy). It was the first time I had really picked up a guitar and although I dedicated a lot of my time learning to play, I spent as much time looking at ways to make this guitar look and sound better.
"Within a few months of owning the Columbus, I had stripped its original finish and fashioned a makeshift tremolo arm from a junior hacksaw frame. Around that same time, I met a guy living down the road from me who had some tired, old 1970s Japanese-made guitars that he wanted to get back into full working order, so I offered to help him fix those up.
"It all kicked off from there and within three years, having taken the Columbus apart countless times, I was buying cheap, damaged and neglected guitars to repair or rebuild before selling them to local guitarists for a profit.
"Fifteen years later, completely self-taught and driven by passion, I quit my full-time job to set-up my own business, Serpentine Guitars, now trading as Kemp Guitars, making and repairing guitars."
We only use the highest quality materials and parts, including instrument grade hardwoods, and hardware from the likes of Gotoh®, Hipshot®, EMG, Bare Knuckle Pickups, Seymour Duncan® and DiMarzio®, amongst others.
Kemp Guitars is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with "Kemp Guitars, LLC" of Oklahoma, USA.
"It is damn rewarding when you hear those first chords played on a guitar you've made yourself. I still get that buzz even now... I probably wouldn't be doing this if I didn't."