The Founders Five
Building, Customizing, Modifying, and Voicing Guitars and Pickups. Individually finished and set up by Daniel Hanson in Minnesota.
Finish reference shown to communicate visual direction. The ST model has a defined specification and a mildly aged nitrocellulose lacquer finish.
Five ST ’61 Build Slots. TL, LP, and DC builds are available by inquiry.
ST · TL · LP · DC
The Models
The first five slots are for the ST '61: a 1961-inspired model with modern features. Inquire about a TL, LP, or DC commission.
S platform
A 1961-inspired model with modern features, built to my own design and voicing. The first five build slots share one considered specification, bringing together my approach to feel, materials, pickups, finish, and hardware.
T platform
Direct, articulate, and alive under the picking hand. Traditional simplicity refined through focused fretwork, hardware choices, and deliberate voicing.
Carved single-cut
Weight, bloom, and authority—balanced against clarity. A carved-top instrument specified for sustain, tactile response, and a voice that stays dimensional under gain.
Modern carved platform
Upper-fret access, sculpted balance, and a broader modern range. Built for the player who wants carved-instrument depth without being tied to a historical template.
Finish reference · TL platform
The Refraction approach
The ST brings my building and voicing principles into one defined model: familiar proportions, proven woods, and purposeful modern features.
I choose and shape my polymer nuts for the response I seek as a player: sustained notes, accessible harmonics, and an instrument that feels alive under the hands.
In my own testing with heavier strings, this polymer nut has outperformed the bone and TUSQ nuts I compared it with for sustain and accessible harmonics, including on fretted notes. Those results guide my material choices, alongside careful fitting, fretwork, and setup. The goal is to give each note room to develop and each player more room for expression.
A neck profile inspired by 1961, with jumbo frets and a planned fingerboard radius in the 7.25- to 9-inch range. My own building principles shape the feel of the model.
Alder, maple, and rosewood form the foundation: familiar guitar woods selected with care and brought together through precise fitting and fretwork.
A stacked-magnet pickup design voiced to shape output, clarity, and dynamics, with a richer, fuller sound as the goal. The voicing is part of the model.
Mildly aged nitrocellulose lacquer gives the instrument a lived-in character and a visually assertive presence. The finish is designed as part of the whole guitar, with the aim of an instrument that looks and feels alive.
Modern features meet a familiar silhouette: Graph Tech saddles and six-in-line vintage-style tuners. Practical hardware choices are part of the model from the start.
Commission process
The model is already designed. Before a deposit, you receive its specification, confirmed price, and expected build window.
Ask about one of the first five ST '61 slots, or inquire about a TL, LP, or DC commission.
Review the established model specification, confirmed price, and expected build window before reserving a slot.
After the written specification is approved, a secure Stripe link collects the model-specific build deposit.
You receive progress updates through completion. The remaining balance is due before delivery or shipment.
Daniel Hanson · Builder
Refraction Guitars is a one-person Minnesota shop shaped by more than two decades of building, modifying, playing, and voicing electric guitars. Every commission stays close to the bench: designed, finished, fretted, voiced, wired, assembled, and set up by Daniel Hanson.
The goal is not novelty for its own sake. It is to take a familiar electric-guitar language and make every important decision serve one player.
The Founders Five
Inquire about availability for the ST '61 or a TL, LP, or DC commission. Each model follows my defined design and voicing. No payment is taken at this stage; the specification, price, and build window are confirmed before the 50% deposit.