The Phoenix Rises

Salvage, Soul & Sonic Rebellion

‘When you pick up a guitar, you’re not just holding wood and wire—you’re gripping history. Not just the hands that played it, but the scars it carries, the timber it was born from, and the battles it survived. Rat Bait Guitars don’t chase perfection. Each component has its own previous life story, resurrection and metamorphosis. If you’re interested in an instrument with a story, Rat Bait Guitars are worth considering.’

Built from Ruin, Made to Scream

Take the body featured above: a Frankenstein of salvaged wood—fence post, roof offcut, shed panel, and the carved heart of a guitar once devoured by woodworm. Treated, reshaped, and reborn into a retro 60s/70s silhouette inspired by Teisco and Kay designs, it’s a slab of tone with old-world charm and unapologetic grit.

  • Neck Pickup: from a Manson Guitar (Matthew Bellamy)

  • Bridge pickup: early 2000s ceramic single pole.

  • Tailpiece: retro chrome clamshell, because why not?

This isn’t a museum piece. It’s a relic with soul. Read more here

Imperfection as Identity

Rat Bait guitars are built in a shed that smells of glue and sawdust, not sterile polish. Parts are from the 1970s to the 2020s, mixing eras to create instruments that sound better than the homogenised clones flooding the market. They’re rugged, battle-scarred, and ready to scream.

  • Reclaimed materials: furniture, fence posts, roof timbers, flooring.

  • Custom-built bodies: Telecaster, Stratocaster, and the occasional Japanese oddity.

  • Body prices start at £35.00. Each one is unique. Each one is alive.

What Players Say

  • “Lovely Telecaster copy in scavenged wood, looks great and plays beautifully! Rat Bait are great luthiers!”
  • “Arrived on time—very good guitar, best I’ve ever had. Sound is deep, all perfectly set up.”
  • “Item was very well packed, as described and arrived very quickly. Excellent comms all round. Very happy—thanks! :)”
  • “A really nice guitar, unique and obviously made with great care. Exceptional value. A great addition to my collection!”
  • “Awesome, I would deal with again… lovely looking guitar, leaving to settle and look forward to playing it.”
  • “Perfect little Telecaster body.”
  • “Lovely Telecaster copy in scavenged wood, looks great and plays beautifully! Rat Bait are great luthiers!” 
  • “Arrived on time—very good guitar, best I’ve ever had. Sound is deep, all perfectly set up.”
  • “Item was very well packed, as described and arrived very quickly. Excellent comms all round. Very happy—thanks! :)”

These aren’t just guitars. They’re outsider art. Punk relics. Sonic protest pieces.

Why Salvage Matters

Every salvaged guitar is a strike against waste. A nod to sustainability. A celebration of character over gloss. By repurposing discarded timber and broken parts, a voice is given to materials that would otherwise be silenced.

Each guitar built is a story stitched together with defiance and solder. And if you’re the kind of player who values raw tone over showroom shine, welcome home.

Because each guitar body is handcrafted, genuine Rat Bait Guitar products are few and far between. Their rarity is why purchasing one of these creations should be seen as an investment.

Relic Barnwood Nashville

Rat Bait Guitar built in December 2024 from new and reclaimed parts. Full scale.

Rat Bait Guitar - Nashville

Fender Squire Affinity neck pickup and hand wound middle pickup.

This is a great versatile electric guitar with 3 pickups, new machine heads, also comes with a new old stock guitar strap. This Nashville Telecaster inspired guitar design is made from salvaged materials, pieces of scavenged wood from various roofs and barns, constructed and shaped by hand in a shed in North Devon. This model has 5 different pickup sounds.

Rat Bait Guitar - Nashville

 

The Barnwood Nashville style body is routed to take a standard neck pickup, single coil middle pickup and standard Telecaster bridge pickup. A handmade body that has dents and scratches in places.

Looks great hanging on a wall and is easy to play

  • Five way switch
  • Squire Affinity neck pickup – Vintage  warm tone
  • Rewound (hand wound) middle single coil pickup. This gives an extra tone boost and acts as a second bridge pickup, cleaner and clearer. Vintage natural aged pickup cover – looks cool
  • Black scratchplate –  protective film still on
  • Black Telecaster bridge pickup – vintage tone
  • Body made from salvaged timber
  • Guitar strap
  • Body routed to take a standard Tele neck and bridge pickup and a middle single coil pickup
  • 22-fret maple neck with a rosewood type fretboard – lightly sprayed in nitro lacquer
    New 10mm Machine Heads
    Nut Width: 1.656 In. (42 mm)
    Scale Length: 25.5″

This Nashville Telecaster Type Guitar is a UK made instrument crafted from recycled wood, making it a unique and eco-friendly choice for any musician. The solid body and 6-string configuration make it a versatile instrument suitable for any style of music. The guitar is right-handed and comes in a 4/4 size. This instrument is perfect for any guitar enthusiast looking for a high-quality and sustainable option.
UK sale only – No International purchase accepted on this item.

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Reused and reshaped, these discarded bits of timber gems have been given a new life. This timber has been upcycled, repurposed and recycled.

1960s Japanese Inspired Barnwood Guitar

Rat Bait Guitars

Rat Bait Guitar – part built in 2021 and finished in November 2024 from new and reclaimed parts. Full scale.

This great versatile electric guitar has 2 pickups, like a Telecaster. This Kay / Jedson  inspired guitar design is made from salvaged materials including, Mahogany parquet flooring, a chunk from a piece of furniture and pieces of scavenged wood from various places, constructed and shaped by hand in a shed in North Devon. The neck on this guitar is slim and is made from fine quality materials
 
This Barnwood 1960s Japanese Style Guitar is a great choice for any right-handed player looking for a solid body electric guitar. The guitar features a humbucker pickup and is made with recycled wood, giving it a unique and eco-friendly feel. The body is a natural colour, with painted areas and the neck has 22 frets, making it perfect for any level of player. Handcrafted in the United Kingdom, with a maple / rosewood (type) neck adding to the overall sound and playability of the guitar. This is a great option for anyone looking for a versatile and stylish British electric guitar.

The Barnwood body is routed to take a Humbucker pickup and standard Telecaster bridge pickup. A handmade UK body that has dents and scratches in places.

Rat Bait Guitars

  • Three way switch
  • Lightly nitro finished neck
  • Humbucker pickup, Vintage raw sound
  • Black Telecaster bridge pickup – vintage tone
  • 3 saddle bridge
  • Body made from salvaged timber
  • Slightly contoured body
  • 22-fret maple neck (reclaimed from a new 2024 guitar)
    New 10mm Machine Heads
    Nut Width: 1.656 In. (42 mm)
    Scale Length: 25.5″

Rat Bait Guitars

Reused and reshaped, these discarded bits of timber gems have been given a new life. This timber has been upcycled, repurposed and recycled.

The size of the guitar is 4/4, and it is an electric guitar that is perfect for any musician who wants to play music in a unique and stylish way.

UK sale only – No International purchase accepted on this item.

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Hybrid Barnwood Telecaster – UK Made

Telecaster type guitar made from recycled materials and a damaged Stratocaster style body. Light nitro finished, slim neck. Scale length: 25.5″. Wilkinson hardtail bridge.
 

This guitar is basically a Telecaster shaped body routed to take Stratocaster hardware. Assembled from recycled materials, a new old stock guitar neck and a combination of refurbished and new parts. Handcrafted, one off, barnwood creation made in a shed in North Devon.

  • Wilkinson hardtail bridge
  • 22 fret maple and rosewood (type) neck
  • 3 single coil pickups
  • 5 position pickup up switch
  • New 10 mm Machine Heads
  • Nut Width: 1.656 In. (42 mm)
  • Scale Length: 25.5″
  • 44mm thick (± 0.5 mm Deviation)
  • Salvaged wood body
  • Body routed HSS (see image)
  • Strap buttons
  • New tremolo unit
  • Weight 3.3kg
Rat Bait Guitar
This guitar is a fusion of guitar designs. Handcrafted in the UK.
  1. The body is a patchwork quilt of salvaged materials: roofing timber and a broken Stratocaster. It’s like a musical Frankenstein, stitched together with love and a touch of rebellious spirit in a natural wood, black and red finish?
  2. Jedson-Stratocaster Lovechild: The body, inspired by 1960s Japanese Jedson guitars, is routed to accommodate a standard Stratocaster scratchplate. HSS routing means it’s ready for a single bridge humbucker and two middle and neck single coils,.
  3. The maple neck has a rosewood type fretboard, refurbished and reborn, carries its own stories. New machine heads ensure tuning stability.
  4. This guitar isn’t just wood and metal; it’s a fusion of past and present, grit and grace.
  5. The neck wears a lightly dusted nitro finish – a nod to vintage vibes. It’s like a well-aged wine, improving with time and resonating with every chord you play.
  6. The scratchplate, pickups and electrics are lifted straight from a brand new guitar – they look like a Strat and they sound like a Strat. The electrics and pickups are mid price range generic ones – old school twang.

Relic Nashville Telecaster Style Guitar Body, 2.56kg 

Nashville Telecaster Body made from recycled materials – body weight 2.56kg. Body for sale only. For Scale Length: 25.5″

This ‘Rat Bait’ body is made from bits of salvaged roofing timber and parts of an Austrian cupboard, constructed and assembled in a rat infested shed in North Devon. This body might need light finishing and fettling to fit your requirements.

The shape of the body is based on 1960s / 70s Japanese guitars but with a Nashville Telecaster layout.

The scratchplate, bridge and pickups etc. are not included in the sale, they are for illustration purposes only.

This Tele style body is routed to take a standard Tele neck pickup, single coil middle pickup and a standard Telecaster bridge pickup. 

This handmade body has dents, scratches and is lightly finished in beeswax. Perfect to create your own DIY Partscaster / Nashville project.

  • Body made from a salvaged materials
  • Approx. Thickness: 43mm
  • Approx. Neck Pocket Width: 56mm
  • Approx. Weight: 2.56kg
  • Finished in beeswax

This relic Telecaster style guitar body is a great addition to any musician’s collection. Made with salvaged materials in the United Kingdom, it features a natural finish and is designed to fit an electric guitar neck. The body is a crucial part of any guitar and this one is sure to impress. Its unique design and sustainable materials make it a great choice for anyone who wants a high-quality ethical instrument at an affordable price. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced musician, this body is perfect for creating your own custom guitar.

Reused and reshaped, these discarded bits and pieces have been given a new life, upcycled, repurposed and recycled.