01
It starts with the wood
Every Catalyst begins at the lumber yard, where I hand-select boards based on feel, weight, and grain — not a supplier’s spec sheet.
Handbuilt in small batches
Semi-hollow guitars
built for feel and vintage tone.
Most guitars are safe. Catalyst Guitar isn’t trying to reinvent music — it’s trying to feel right in your hands and sound right through a tube amp. Handpicked wood, thin nitro, simple controls, and zero precious nonsense.
Why Catalyst
Built like a science project. Played like a lifer.
From chamber design to finish thickness, everything is deliberate. These are guitars for players who hear the difference.
02
Built by an engineer, refined by iteration
I’m trained in engineering and chemistry, and I build guitars the same way I built hardware for a decade: design, test, refine, repeat until it's perfect.
03
Natural finishes, on purpose
The finish exists to show the wood, not hide it — thin, honest, and meant to age instead of shout.
04
Vintage soul, modern feel
Semi-hollow warmth, bolt-on snap, and a layout that just makes sense whether you’re sitting, standing, or pushing an amp.
Reaction Series
The modern semi-hollow, rethought.
The Reaction Series is Catalyst’s core shape: a bold, vintage-inspired semi-hollow with bolt-on articulation and a familiar feel. It’s light, loud acoustically, and honest through an amp.
Humbuckers / P90 / Single Coil
Fixed bridge
25.5" or 24.75" scale
Under 3k
Whether you’re chasing edge-of-breakup blues, pushed rock rhythms, or wide open cleans, the Reaction platform is designed to stay articulate and musical at every gain level.
The Builder
Built by hand. Tuned for real playing.
Catalyst Guitar started in a small workshop with a pile of tonewood, a bench full of tools, and a background in organic chemistry.
Understanding how materials vibrate, age, and interact isn’t a marketing hook—it’s the foundation of every build. The chambers, neck joints, and finishes are all chosen with the same rigor as a good experiment.
The goal is simple: guitars that feel broken-in from day one, respond to every nuance of your hands, and still hold up to years of real-world gigs.
– Builder, Catalyst Guitar
Instruments
Each piece of wood tells on you.
A rotating selection of finished and in-progress guitars. No two the same, all cut from hand-picked lumber.
