About Artifact

A point of view,
made tangible.

We started Artifact to make the instrument we wanted to see in the world.

An electric guitar leaves a lot of room for invention. We wanted to explore that freedom, developing its appearance and its engineering together until it felt like something with an identity of its own.

Artifact guitar with a dark finish and vibrato tailpiece

Where the ideas
come from.

Early electrical equipment made its workings visible through clear controls, substantial housings, and carefully fitted parts. There was a sense that a useful object deserved a lasting place in everyday life. We bring that sensibility to the instruments we make.

Bauhaus gives us a starting point in clear forms and useful objects. Machining suggests precise edges, fitted surfaces, and a construction you can understand. Military electronics offer controls that make sense at a glance and parts that can be reached for service.

The straight cutaway of a Selmer-Maccaferri guitar and the stepped details of Art Deco belong in that vocabulary too. We bring these influences together around the needs of the instrument. The care should be just as apparent inside it as it is on the outside.

A long life
in use.

Years spent restoring guitars make you think about what happens after an instrument leaves the shop. Eventually it will need work. We design with that future in mind.

Our bolt-through neck extends beneath the pickups and is held by machine screws in threaded inserts. It gives the joint a broad contact area while allowing the neck to come off for service. Roasted woods and carbon-fiber reinforcement help with stability; the asymmetrical neck profile and carefully finished frets address what you feel when you play.

Artifact guitars are built in the USA to established specifications, then finished and set up by hand. Every new guitar carries a lifetime warranty for its original owner.

Explore the instrument

The people
behind Artifact.

Artifact was founded by Aryeh and Serina East. Their work brings instrument making together with a background in design and materials.

Aryeh East

Aryeh East

FOUNDER & LUTHIER

Aryeh has spent more than twenty years working on guitars, from repairs in independent shops to restoration work for boutique dealers and national chains. He has also taught guitar making and consulted for guitar manufacturers. That experience informs the way Artifact instruments are built and how they can be cared for over time.

Serina East

Serina East

FOUNDER & DESIGNER

Serina is a materials expert with two decades of experience in luxury goods. Her background in textile science, fine art, and fashion brings a different perspective to instrument design, with an eye for how materials feel and how the details work together.

An instrument
with a life ahead of it.

Take a closer look at the Standard Series.

See the instruments ↗