Story
1995
In 1995 a team of Dutch scientists working in collaboration with Technical University Delft began research on a unique project. Could you develop a material with perfect acoustic properties? Research began with the examination of traditional tonewoods to determine why they produce the sounds we know & love. When examining sound waves on a cellular level, what was found is that woods have specific timbres due to dampening different frequencies; so the goal became creating a material that not only allows free vibration for ultimate resonance, but also produces a musical tone that is an ideal combination of these classic woods. The result is Arium. While there was much experimentation with Arium over the years, Aristides as we know it today & our unique approach to guitar building did not exist until 2007.
1995
In 1995 a team of Dutch scientists working in collaboration with Technical University Delft began research on a unique project. Could you develop a material with perfect acoustic properties? Research began with the examination of traditional tonewoods to determine why they produce the sounds we know & love. When examining sound waves on a cellular level, what was found is that woods have specific timbres due to dampening different frequencies; so the goal became creating a material that not only allows free vibration for ultimate resonance, but also produces a musical tone that is an ideal combination of these classic woods. The result is Arium. While there was much experimentation with Arium over the years, Aristides as we know it today & our unique approach to guitar building did not exist until 2007.
2007
Aristides Guitars was founded in 2007 with the goal of building guitars to the highest standards, which also leverage the unique proprietary material Arium. A huge focus was placed on the traditional guitar building skills of our luthiers & integrating modern technology into our workshop. We didn’t want to solely rely on Arium, to make a guitar simply for the sake of the alternative material. Aristides guitars would have to be designed with a playability & attention to detail that would impress even the most discerning guitarists, & then Arium’s powerful benefits would come into play. At this stage our unique “shell + core” process of layering both Arium & fibre was developed for a semi “chambered” design that is very loud, durable & reduces weight. These initial models were designed in collaboration with VANRENSDESIGN, & we were quickly approaching a flagship design to show the world what Aristides is all about.
2007
Aristides Guitars was founded in 2007 with the goal of building guitars to the highest standards, which also leverage the unique proprietary material Arium. A huge focus was placed on the traditional guitar building skills of our luthiers & integrating modern technology into our workshop. We didn’t want to solely rely on Arium, to make a guitar simply for the sake of the alternative material. Aristides guitars would have to be designed with a playability & attention to detail that would impress even the most discerning guitarists, & then Arium’s powerful benefits would come into play. At this stage our unique “shell + core” process of layering both Arium & fibre was developed for a semi “chambered” design that is very loud, durable & reduces weight. These initial models were designed in collaboration with VANRENSDESIGN, & we were quickly approaching a flagship design to show the world what Aristides is all about.
2009
In 2009 we completed our flagship 010 model with an HSS pickup configuration, 22 frets, & non-locking tremolo. We also began working with legendary Dutch guitarist Adrian Vandenberg, who helped us debut Aristides to the world at Winter NAMM 2010. We received a warm response from artists, magazines, & guitarists around the world, so we soon expanded to a new larger facility. In this time period we completed the “trio” of original Aristides designs, still with help from VANRENSDESIGN. The 010 tremolo guitar, 020 hardtail guitar, & 050 bass. This was a very exciting time of growth & learning for the Aristides team, but we knew that in order to make a real impact, we would have to broaden our horizons & take our guitars to the next level.
2009
In 2009 we completed our flagship 010 model with an HSS pickup configuration, 22 frets, & non-locking tremolo. We also began working with legendary Dutch guitarist Adrian Vandenberg, who helped us debut Aristides to the world at Winter NAMM 2010. We received a warm response from artists, magazines, & guitarists around the world, so we soon expanded to a new larger facility. In this time period we completed the “trio” of original Aristides designs, still with help from VANRENSDESIGN. The 010 tremolo guitar, 020 hardtail guitar, & 050 bass. This was a very exciting time of growth & learning for the Aristides team, but we knew that in order to make a real impact, we would have to broaden our horizons & take our guitars to the next level.
2013
070 was born of the desire to make a statement & elevate Aristides as a major player in the boutique guitar world. Not only did it make sense to extend the benefits of our unique construction method to 7-string guitarists, we also wanted to develop a brand new shape from scratch with incredible upper fret access, slick body contours, 24 frets, perfect string pull, & more. You’ll notice in this diagram that the fretboard was initially ebony, which is another big change for us in this era. We soon exclusively switched to stainless steel frets & Richlite fretboards for all Aristides instruments. This helped even further elevate the performance & consistency of our guitars to fulfill Aristides’ initial vision. 070 is the progenitor of our Standard Series which also includes the 6-string 060 & 8-string 080.
2013
070 was born of the desire to make a statement & elevate Aristides as a major player in the boutique guitar world. Not only did it make sense to extend the benefits of our unique construction method to 7-string guitarists, we also wanted to develop a brand new shape from scratch with incredible upper fret access, slick body contours, 24 frets, perfect string pull, & more. You’ll notice in this diagram that the fretboard was initially ebony, which is another big change for us in this era. We soon exclusively switched to stainless steel frets & Richlite fretboards for all Aristides instruments. This helped even further elevate the performance & consistency of our guitars to fulfill Aristides’ initial vision. 070 is the progenitor of our Standard Series which also includes the 6-string 060 & 8-string 080.
2016
By 2016 things were moving fast. Our new Standard Series models had become very successful, & in this time period we are grateful to have been working with an ever-expanding number of artists in the modern metal space, with our guitars being used on many landmark albums. This is valuable to us because recording & touring professionals need high performance instruments, & their feedback helps drive new features & designs. This first culminated with the signing of one of our favorite people & guitarists, Ihsahn, as an Aristides artist, as well as the launch of our 080S multiscale 8-string guitar.
2016
By 2016 things were moving fast. Our new Standard Series models had become very successful, & in this time period we are grateful to have been working with an ever-expanding number of artists in the modern metal space, with our guitars being used on many landmark albums. This is valuable to us because recording & touring professionals need high performance instruments, & their feedback helps drive new features & designs. This first culminated with the signing of one of our favorite people & guitarists, Ihsahn, as an Aristides artist, as well as the launch of our 080S multiscale 8-string guitar.
2018
In 2018 we again transferred to a new (our current!) factory. This provided not only the room to further expand & refine our guitar building, but also represents a fresh commitment to pushing ourselves & getting Aristides guitars into the hands of new players. Over the next few years, we would release our Raw models, which feature a colored exoskeleton that’s sealed with a special nano coating. This allows for a reduced cost & shorter build time. We also released our T/0 T-Style 6 string with a comfortable thicker neck & 22 frets to combine a beloved traditional design with our advanced construction methods & attention to detail. Because we at this point had many repeat customers who were requesting advanced custom paintjobs & detailed inlay work to make their guitars unique, we invested heavily in research, development, & materials to expand the capabilities of our paint department. Today, a huge part of what we do revolves around making sure our guitars look as unique as they feel so that players have another way to express themselves with their instrument.
2018
In 2018 we again transferred to a new (our current!) factory. This provided not only the room to further expand & refine our guitar building, but also represents a fresh commitment to pushing ourselves & getting Aristides guitars into the hands of new players. Over the next few years, we would release our Raw models, which feature a colored exoskeleton that’s sealed with a special nano coating. This allows for a reduced cost & shorter build time. We also released our T/0 T-Style 6 string with a comfortable thicker neck & 22 frets to combine a beloved traditional design with our advanced construction methods & attention to detail. Because we at this point had many repeat customers who were requesting advanced custom paintjobs & detailed inlay work to make their guitars unique, we invested heavily in research, development, & materials to expand the capabilities of our paint department. Today, a huge part of what we do revolves around making sure our guitars look as unique as they feel so that players have another way to express themselves with their instrument.
2020
In the early 2020s many projects we were working on for a very long time were finally ready to see the light of day. Our H/0 Headless Aristides guitars were ready after an extended period of R&D, even including a 9-string model! H/0 guitars are our most cutting-edge instruments, combining our proprietary material with a comfortable multiscale design & an ergonomic lightweight body that pushes the boundaries of traditional guitar building for a playing experience that truly gets out of your way & lets you focus on the music. A robot arm was implemented in our workshop to help our skilled luthiers build efficiently, as well as an all-new method of fret preparation for precision & consistency.
2020
In the early 2020s many projects we were working on for a very long time were finally ready to see the light of day. Our H/0 Headless Aristides guitars were ready after an extended period of R&D, even including a 9-string model! H/0 guitars are our most cutting-edge instruments, combining our proprietary material with a comfortable multiscale design & an ergonomic lightweight body that pushes the boundaries of traditional guitar building for a playing experience that truly gets out of your way & lets you focus on the music. A robot arm was implemented in our workshop to help our skilled luthiers build efficiently, as well as an all-new method of fret preparation for precision & consistency.
2023
2023 saw Aristides’ involvement in a massive viral guitar story… which may have begun accidentally when news of one of our internal special research projects leaked. We created the world’s first true multiscale EverTune guitar bridge & installed it on an 070SR for Mike Stringer of Spiritbox. Our friends at EverTune gave us their blessing to combine EverTune modules with our own custom-made frame designed specifically for our guitars. Please note that this is not a new official EverTune product, rather a custom development for our own instruments. Aristides is experiencing an exciting period of technological advancement & creative experimentation, & this is just one example of many new projects we have taken on as we look to a future of both further refinement & new ideas.
2023
2023 saw Aristides’ involvement in a massive viral guitar story… which may have begun accidentally when news of one of our internal special research projects leaked. We created the world’s first true multiscale EverTune guitar bridge & installed it on an 070SR for Mike Stringer of Spiritbox. Our friends at EverTune gave us their blessing to combine EverTune modules with our own custom-made frame designed specifically for our guitars. Please note that this is not a new official EverTune product, rather a custom development for our own instruments. Aristides is experiencing an exciting period of technological advancement & creative experimentation, & this is just one example of many new projects we have taken on as we look to a future of both further refinement & new ideas.
2024
What’s Aristides working on next? Here you can see our Masterbuilder Ferdinand working on a prototype for our new multiscale bass series! Our classic 050 bass was extremely popular with touring & recording bassists for its clear low B – we find Arium a natural fit for the bass guitar’s register. However, as our designs evolved, we knew we could offer an even better bass. The S/B Series is available in 4, 5, & 6 string models & will be debuted at Winter NAMM 2024. The S/B Series enters full production in Q1 2024, with a bass EverTune bridge even being an available option. You can also expect consistent updates to our library of pickup demos & finish showcases on our YouTube channel as we work to create a thorough database that can explain all options on Aristides instruments. We can’t say too much about the many exciting projects on the horizon, but we will be offering a highly-requested new 6 string model later in 2024.
2024
What’s Aristides working on next? Here you can see our Masterbuilder Ferdinand working on a prototype for our new multiscale bass series! Our classic 050 bass was extremely popular with touring & recording bassists for its clear low B – we find Arium a natural fit for the bass guitar’s register. However, as our designs evolved, we knew we could offer an even better bass. The S/B Series is available in 4, 5, & 6 string models & will be debuted at Winter NAMM 2024. The S/B Series enters full production in Q1 2024, with a bass EverTune bridge even being an available option. You can also expect consistent updates to our library of pickup demos & finish showcases on our YouTube channel as we work to create a thorough database that can explain all options on Aristides instruments. We can’t say too much about the many exciting projects on the horizon, but we will be offering a highly-requested new 6 string model later in 2024.