Frank Brothers

Frank Brothers Guitar Company builds some of the most respected boutique electric guitars in the world today, handcrafted from start to finish inside their workshop in downtown Toronto, Canada. Founded in 2014 by brothers Nick, Jon, and Tim Frank, the company has built a reputation among touring and session players for guitars that pair vintage-inspired design with meticulous, modern craftsmanship — backed by a family history in music and audio engineering that goes back generations.

Every Frank Brothers guitar is treated as a one-off build. While each model in the lineup — the Arcade, Sonar, and Radar Deluxe — is instantly recognizable by its shape and construction style, no two guitars leave the Toronto shop with the exact same combination of wood, finish, hardware, and pickups. That philosophy shows up in details you won't find on most production instruments: the Arcade's extra-deep neck tenon and signature "blended heel" for unrestricted upper-fret access, threaded brass inserts behind every screw for a lifetime of servicing, and thin nitrocellulose lacquer finishes that age and resonate the way vintage instruments do.

The Sonar takes that build philosophy in a California-inspired direction, with a lightweight alder body, bolt-on maple neck, and deeply contoured shape built for players coming from the Fender side of the tone spectrum. The Radar Deluxe, by contrast, is a mahogany set-neck guitar with Kalamazoo-style appointments that leans into warmer, more compressed Gibson-style tones. Across the catalog, custom-voiced pickups and hand-selected tonewoods give every guitar its own personality, so no matter which model you gravitate toward, you're getting an instrument built to be played hard, not admired from a distance.

At Chicago Music Exchange, we carry a hand-picked selection of Frank Brothers guitars, each one inspected and set up in-house before it reaches you. Browse our current in-stock Frank Brothers guitars below, or reach out to our team if you're looking for a specific model, finish, or spec — we're always happy to help track one down.

More About Frank Brothers Guitars

The Story Behind Frank Brothers Guitar Company
Frank Brothers Guitar Company was started in 2014 by twin brothers Tim and Nick Frank, along with their older brother Jon, out of a backyard shed on Toronto's Ward's Island. Tim and Nick had been repairing and modifying guitars since their teenage years before building their first instrument together, and that hands-on, one-guitar-at-a-time approach still defines how the company builds today.

The brothers' family background reads like it was built for guitar making: their grandfather, Philip Frank, was a celebrated concert violinist who served as concertmaster and first violin with the NBC Symphony Orchestra, and their father, Jim Frank, is an award-winning recording engineer (Gemini Award, Golden Reel Award, Double Platinum Record) who has worked with artists including Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Bob Seger, and The Guess Who. That combination of instrument-building obsession and studio-grade ears is baked into every Frank Brothers guitar that leaves the Toronto shop.

What Makes a Frank Brothers Guitar Different
Frank Brothers guitars aren't assembled from stock parts on a production line — each one is essentially a custom, one-off build, even within a given model. A few construction details set them apart from both vintage originals and other boutique builders:

  • Extra-deep neck tenon on set-neck models like the Arcade, which improves resonance and sustain transfer between the neck and body.
  • The "blended heel" — a Frank Brothers signature that eliminates the dead zone where most set-neck guitars lose upper-fret access.
  • Threaded brass inserts behind every screw, so the guitar can be serviced indefinitely without ever stripping a hole.
  • Thin nitrocellulose lacquer finishes that age, resonate, and wear the way a great vintage instrument does.

Every guitar is also inspected by the same builders who made it before it ever leaves the shop.

Arcade vs. Sonar vs. Radar Deluxe: Comparing the Lineup

Frank Brothers builds several models, and each one is aimed at a slightly different player:

  • Arcade — The model that put Frank Brothers on the map. Set-neck construction, carved top and back, 25" scale, 12" fretboard radius, and the blended heel. Sits somewhere between a compact ES-335 and an SG in feel.
  • Sonar — Frank Brothers' most approachable, California-inspired model. Alder body, bolt-on maple neck, 25.5" scale, 9.5" radius, and deep vintage-style contours — built for players who lean toward the Fender side of the tone spectrum.
  • Radar Deluxe — A mahogany, set-neck guitar with a 24.75" scale, 12" radius, and Kalamazoo-style appointments. Warmer and more compressed, with a feel that suits players coming from humbucker-loaded, Gibson-style instruments.

All three — along with the rest of the current lineup — are fully customizable when ordered direct, and we regularly bring in select in-stock builds across every model.

Tonewoods, Pickups, and Playability

Frank Brothers pairs traditional tonewoods — alder and mahogany bodies, maple and rosewood necks and fretboards — with custom-voiced pickups built specifically for each model. Their in-house V.O. mini-humbuckers, for example, are designed to deliver a tighter, more articulate low end than a full-sized humbucker, blending single-coil clarity with humbucker warmth.

Beyond the electronics, small details add up to a distinctly "played-in" feel: deep vintage-style body contours, hand-selected neck profiles ranging from a classic medium C to a chunkier vintage V, and relic finish options that mimic decades of stage wear on a brand-new instrument. The result is a guitar that feels immediately familiar in your hands, whether you're chasing vintage tones or looking for something with a little more of its own voice.

Buying a Frank Brothers Guitar at Chicago Music Exchange
When you buy a Frank Brothers guitar from Chicago Music Exchange, it's inspected, played, and set up by our in-house guitar techs before it ships — not just boxed straight from the factory. Our team has hands-on experience with the full Frank Brothers lineup and can talk through the differences between models, pickups, and finishes to help you land on the right guitar for how you actually play.

We regularly bring in a rotating selection of in-stock Frank Brothers guitars, so availability and specs can change quickly. If you don't see the exact model, finish, or spec you're after, reach out to our team — we're happy to help track one down or point you toward the closest available match.

Are Frank Brothers guitars handmade?

Yes. Every Frank Brothers guitar is handcrafted in the company's Toronto, Canada workshop, and each one is treated as an individual, largely one-off build rather than a mass-produced instrument.

What's the difference between the Frank Brothers Arcade, Sonar, and Radar Deluxe?

The Arcade is a set-neck model with a carved top and back and the brand's signature blended heel. The Sonar is a California-inspired, bolt-on-neck design with an alder body built for a brighter, more versatile tone. The Radar Deluxe is a mahogany set-neck model with Kalamazoo-style parts, leaning into a warmer, Gibson-style voice.

Do Frank Brothers guitars come with a case?

Frank Brothers guitars ordered direct typically include a custom hardshell case. Case inclusion on in-stock guitars sold through Chicago Music Exchange is noted on each individual product listing.

What pickups do Frank Brothers guitars use?

Frank Brothers uses a mix of custom in-house pickups — like their V.O. mini-humbuckers — and pickups from respected third-party winders, depending on the model and configuration. Exact pickup specs are listed on each product page.

Where can I buy a Frank Brothers guitar?

Chicago Music Exchange carries a hand-picked, rotating selection of in-stock Frank Brothers guitars, each inspected and set up in-house before it ships. Browse current availability above, or contact our team for help finding a specific model or spec.

The Arcade One

The Arcade One is the guitar that put Frank Brothers on the map, and it remains the center of gravity for the whole lineup. It's a set-neck design with a carved top and back, 25" scale length, 12" fretboard radius, and an extra-deep neck tenon that boosts resonance and sustain transfer between the neck and body. The brand's signature "blended heel" clears away the dead zone most set-neck guitars run into, giving you full, unobstructed access up past the 12th fret. Body-wise, it sits somewhere between a compact ES-335 and an SG — familiar, but with its own voice — finished in thin nitrocellulose lacquer and available with an optional bound top for a more vintage-correct look.

The Sonar

The Sonar is Frank Brothers' California-inspired, most approachable model — the closest thing in their catalog to Fender territory. It's built with a lightweight, deeply contoured alder body and a bolt-on maple neck, with a 25.5" scale length, a narrower 1.65" nut, and a 9.5" fretboard radius for a classic, familiar feel in the hand. Custom-voiced pickups (including Frank Brothers' own V.O. mini-humbuckers on some builds) deliver a tighter, more articulate low end than a full-sized humbucker while retaining single-coil clarity — making it a genuine all-rounder that covers indie, alt-rock, classic rock, and even rockabilly tones without feeling one-dimensional.

The Radar

The Radar pulls Frank Brothers toward Gibson territory. It's a mahogany, set-neck build with a 24.75" scale length and a 12" fretboard radius, dressed with Kalamazoo-style hardware and appointments that nod to vintage single-cut guitars of the '60s. Tonally and physically, it's warmer and more compressed than the Sonar, with a feel that suits players coming from humbucker-loaded instruments who want more low-end weight and sustain. Like every Frank Brothers guitar, no two Radar builds are quite the same — expect variation in finish, pickups, and hardware from one to the next.