Pin-Up Custom Guitars
May 5th 2026
There are a lot of guitars that claim to be vintage-inspired. Most of them look the part and stop there. Pin-Up Custom Guitars are different - and the difference is audible the moment you plug one in.
Eric Daw has spent decades studying why the great early solid-body electrics sound the way they do. Not reading about it - actually disassembling hundreds of vintage instruments, playing thousands of hours with prototypes, chasing down exactly what makes a 1950s guitar feel so alive. The result is a line of handbuilt guitars that has earned a serious following among players who know what they're hearing.
We are proud to carry Pin-Up Custom Guitars here at No Limit Guitar Co - and even prouder that Eric builds them right down the road in Idaho Falls.
The man behind the guitars
Eric Daw, Idaho Falls Luthier
Eric grew up in Idaho Falls, fell in love with the electric guitar as a kid watching The Buddy Holly Story, and spent fifteen years in Seattle as the in-house luthier at Emerald City Guitars - one of the most respected guitar shops in the country. Touring musicians passing through brought their problems to Eric's bench: Billy Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan, Charlie Sexton, the Black Crowes, Death Cab for Cutie, Pearl Jam. He worked on them all.
He also hosts The Fret Files, a long-running podcast about guitar repair, building, and science that has become a go-to resource for luthiers and serious players worldwide. He is a gigging bluesman, a repair technician trusted by some of the most discerning guitarists alive, and a builder with a growing reputation that extends well beyond Idaho.
He moved back home to raise his family - and he brought everything he learned with him. That's the story behind every Pin-Up guitar.
What goes into a Pin-Up guitar
USA Swamp Ash Bodies, 4 lbs 4 oz or Under
Weight is not a cosmetic detail. The best vintage T-style guitars are lightweight and resonant - the body vibrates with the string rather than absorbing it. Eric uses American swamp ash and sets a hard ceiling of 4 lbs 4 oz. Everything above that gets set aside.
Hand-Wound Pickups, Every Single Guitar
Eric winds his own pickups using vintage-correct USA-made wire, flatwork, and magnets - the same way they were made in the 1950s. The result is a pickup that amplifies both the magnetic properties of the string and the acoustic properties of the wood itself. That borderline-microphonic quality is a feature, not a flaw. It's exactly what made those old guitars sound alive. Eric also sells these pickups separately - see below.
Hand-Shaped Maple Necks with Bone Nuts
The necks are shaped by hand from top-quality maple, replicating the exact contours of the early guitars Eric has spent years studying. Each guitar gets a bone nut made entirely by hand. This is not something you find on guitars at any comparable price point - boutique builders charge significantly more to do what Eric does as standard practice.
Nitro Lacquer, Carefully Aged
Polyurethane finishes seal the wood. Nitrocellulose lacquer breathes with it - which is part of why old guitars keep developing character over decades. Eric finishes his guitars in nitro and then carefully distresses every component to match a well-loved vintage instrument. Not sanded-and-sprayed distressing. Thoughtful, hand-done aging that looks right because it is done right.
Premium Hardware Throughout
Top-shelf tuning machines, quality bridges, period-correct hardware - nothing is skimped on. Eric's philosophy is that the best vintage guitars earned their reputation through quality at every point in the chain. He doesn't cut corners to hit a lower price point. The guitars cost what they cost because that's what it takes to build them right.
Named and Given a Vintage Pin-Up Decal
Every Pin-Up guitar gets a name and a real vintage pin-up girl waterslide decal. It is a charming, personal touch that reflects Eric's relationship with these instruments - each one is a distinct object, not a unit of inventory. When you own a Pin-Up guitar, you know exactly which one it is.
What players say
"Can't say enough good things about Eric Daw's Pin-Up Custom Guitars. Mine is the closest thing I've personally found to being anything like a real vintage '50s guitar, but without the vintage guitar price tag."
Pin-Up Guitar Owner, Seattle, WA
"I remember the first time I played one of Eric's custom guitars. All I could think was, I have to have one. I decided I'd better pull the trigger before someone buys it online. I picked it up the next morning. That guitar and I are an inseparable couple. Such an incredibly inspiring instrument!"
Wil Bailey, Seattle, WA
"Over the years, my friend Eric Daw has had his hands on probably every one of my guitars. He always makes things better and brightens my day. I feel lucky to know him."
Bill Frisell, American Guitarist and Composer
Eric also sells his pickups separately
The same hand-wound pickups Eric installs in his Pin-Up guitars are available on their own - so you can drop that vintage magic into whatever guitar you already own. Each one is wound by hand to order, using vintage-correct materials: the same wire, flatwork, and magnets as the originals. These are not boutique pickups by committee. They are made by one person who has spent decades chasing the exact tone they produce.
See them in person
We have one Pin-Up available to buy online now, one T-style in The Lounge to play in person, and more guitars on the way. Eric builds in batches - when a new run is ready, they go fast.
"Kendall"
T-Style Custom · Blonde · Handbuilt by Eric Daw
Meet Kendall. A T-style Pin-Up Custom Guitar in blonde, built by Eric Daw in Idaho Falls. USA swamp ash body kept under 4 lbs 4 oz, hand-shaped maple neck, hand-made bone nut, vintage nitro lacquer finish, and Eric's own hand-wound pickups. This is the real thing - not a recreation of what vintage sounds like, but the actual experience of playing an instrument built the way they built them in the 1950s. Once it's gone, the next one won't look exactly like it.
Pin-Up T-Style
Come play it in our premium showroom
We have a Pin-Up T-style in The Lounge right now. Come in, plug it in, and hear it through a quality amp. There is no substitute for playing one in person - and The Lounge is set up exactly for that kind of unhurried, no-pressure experience. Walk-ins welcome, or book a private appointment.
Call ahead to confirm availability: (208) 524-4420
Why boutique handbuilt guitars are worth it
The vintage guitar market has been pricing players out for years. A real 1950s Telecaster or Stratocaster will cost you anywhere from $20,000 to six figures, depending on condition and year. At that price, most of those instruments end up in collections, not on stages. A Pin-Up costs a fraction of that and - according to players who have spent serious time with both - delivers the same core experience: light weight, alive resonance, and tone that breathes.
Production recreations of vintage guitars are a different story. Most of them miss the point - polyurethane finishes, machine-wound pickups, mass-produced necks. They look right. They don't feel right. Eric has done the research on why, and he builds his guitars to address every one of those gaps. When you knock on the body of a T-style Pin-Up guitar, you hear it through the amp. That is not a gimmick. That is how the originals worked, and it is why they sounded the way they did.
The fact that Eric builds these guitars right here in Idaho Falls - and that you can walk into The Lounge and play one today - is something we do not take lightly. It is a genuine privilege to carry them.
2995 E 17th St · Idaho Falls, ID 83406
Come hear one for yourself.
Whether you shop online or come in to The Lounge, we are happy to talk through what makes these guitars special. Our staff has played them - we know what they sound like, and we can answer real questions.
Or call us at (208) 524-4420 and we will tell you exactly what is on the floor right now.