Ritter
Ritter
Also known as: Jens Ritter Instruments, Ritter Instruments, Ritter Bass Guitars, Jens Ritter
UnclaimedJens Ritter Instruments is a high-end boutique builder of handcrafted electric basses and guitars founded by luthier Jens Ritter in the mid-1990s in Deidesheim, a small wine town in Germany's Rhineland-Palatinate region. Originally operating as Ritter Bass Guitars, the company expanded its catalog to include six-string guitars in 2010 and adopted the broader Jens Ritter Instruments name. The wo...
Jens Ritter Instruments is a high-end boutique builder of handcrafted electric basses and guitars founded by luthier Jens Ritter in the mid-1990s in Deidesheim, a small wine town in Germany's Rhineland-Palatinate region. Originally operating as Ritter Bass Guitars, the company expanded its catalog to include six-string guitars in 2010 and adopted the broader Jens Ritter Instruments name. The workshop, housed in a 17th-century building that once served as a winery, produces only around 50 to 60 instruments per year.
The brand is known for its progressive, sculptural body designs, unconventional materials, and ornate finishes that blur the line between musical instrument and functional art. Bass models include the Classic, Roya, Okon, Seal, Jupiter, Raptor, Cora, and the R8 Singlecut, while the guitar lineup features models such as the Princess Isabella, Monroe, PJS, and Porsch. Instruments are released across tiers — Signature Pieces, Master Pieces, and Collector Pieces — alongside one-off custom commissions and themed series.
Ritter basses have been played by a number of high-profile bassists, including Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead, Doug Wimbish of Living Colour, and Paul Turner of Jamiroquai. Examples of Jens Ritter's work are also held in the permanent collections of major American museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Smithsonian, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Ritter has 14 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Bags & Cases, Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitars, and Electric Basses. Their gear is featured by 3 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Funk / Soul, and Folk, World, & Country. Notable users include Prince, George Benson, and Phil Lesh.
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