James Trussart Guitars

James Trussart is one of the few builders who has broken the mold of traditional guitar making. Working with steel as the primary material, he produces guitars that are as unique in appearance as they are in tone.

Trussart is a musician-turned-luthier. The Parisian native began his career as a fiddler, accompanying Cajun singer-songwriter Zachary Richard in the late '70s, before turning his attention to crafting violins and later guitars in 1980. From his current So-Cal home workshop (where he's resided since 2000), Trussart crafts custom steel-bodied guitars, basses and violins in a dazzling array of finishes, reminiscent of shiny chrome resonator instruments and rusty, weathered or fossilized discarded machinery. And the tone is so distinctive that Trussart guitars have become "must-have" instruments in the arsenals of influential artists including Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Joe Walsh, Jack White, Charlie Sexton, Daniel Lanois, Marc Ribot, Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow), Rich Robinson (Black Crowes), Sonny Landreth, Joe Perry, Tom Morello, Billy Corgan, The Roots and many, many more.