Tom Holmes Company
Tom Holmes Company
Also known as: THC, Tom Holmes, Tom Holmes Pickups, Tom Holmes Custom
UnclaimedTom Holmes Company, often shortened to THC, is a one-man boutique pickup and guitar shop based in Joelton, Tennessee, founded by luthier and pickup winder Tom Holmes. Holmes began building custom electric guitars and basses in the 1970s after a stint as a top repairman at George Gruhn's Nashville shop, and his early T.H.C. instruments — including the Square Bass and Jupiter Thunderbird bass bui...
Tom Holmes Company, often shortened to THC, is a one-man boutique pickup and guitar shop based in Joelton, Tennessee, founded by luthier and pickup winder Tom Holmes. Holmes began building custom electric guitars and basses in the 1970s after a stint as a top repairman at George Gruhn's Nashville shop, and his early T.H.C. instruments — including the Square Bass and Jupiter Thunderbird bass built for Bo Diddley — were sold through dealers like Larry Henrikson's Ax-in-Hand in DeKalb, Illinois. He also developed an early triple-coil humbucker design that could be split into either a single coil or a full humbucker.
The company is best known for its handwound PAF-style humbuckers, particularly the H450 (neck) and H455 (bridge) set, along with the H453. The pickups are built to closely replicate the tone and construction of late-1950s Gibson Patent Applied For humbuckers, and are sold both unpotted and with various cover and bobbin options. In the late 1980s Gibson commissioned Holmes to design tooling and winding machinery for what became the company's '57 Classic reissue humbucker, after which he focused on producing pickups under his own name.
Tom Holmes guitars and pickups have been used or owned by players including Billy Gibbons, Peter Frampton, Gary Moore, Albert King, Lenny Breau and Bo Diddley. Production volume has always been small and largely made to order, which has given the H450/H455 a reputation as a sought-after, low-availability boutique PAF clone in the vintage and high-end electric guitar community.
Tom Holmes Company has 2 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Solid Body Electric Guitars. Their gear is featured by 2 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Blues, and Pop. Notable users include Albert King and Eriko Hashimoto.
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