"I want to create something that pulls at your heart strings, and plays with your emotions, and inspires creativity in return."
~ Glenn Nichols (via the Fretboard Journal)
The Retrograde name might be new to you, but Glenn Nichols’ work is anything but. With nearly a decade leading the finish department at Santa Cruz Guitars, French polish restoration work for Kenny Hill, and years as Bill Tippin’s right-hand man, Glenn brings unmatched skill to each of the roughly ten instruments he handcrafts annually in his Pawtucket, Rhode Island studio.
Retrograde Guitars explore the potential of the electric laminate-top design, drawing from early jazz boxes of the ’30s and ’40s through the catalog guitars of the ’50s and ’60s. Using vacuum-pressed, acoustically voiced tops, hand-wound pickups, hand-rubbed colors, and a warm, broken-in varnish finish, Glenn blends modern techniques with old-world lutherie to create light, lively, and deeply responsive instruments.
Mastery & Provenance
Every Retrograde guitar is the work of Glenn Nichols. His depth of experience, combined with his own design sensibilities, means each Retrograde is not just well-built - it’s informed by decades of hands-on, high-level lutherie.
Laminate-Construction Focus
Drawing inspiration from the jazz boxes of the ’30s and ’40s and the catalog guitars of the ’50s and ’60s, Glenn uses vacuum-pressed, multi-layered tops that are voiced like acoustic instruments. The result is an electric guitar that’s light, lively, and incredibly responsive under the fingers.
Old-World Finishing
Every Retrograde is finished with a hand-rubbed varnish - a technique that adds warmth, character, and a broken-in feel from day one. Glenn pairs these old-world finishes with modern building methods, hand-wound pickups, and carefully tuned tops, creating instruments that merge vintage soul with contemporary playability and reliability.
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Previously Sold
We've sold dozens of Retrogrades over the years. Here's a quick sampling.
