Hancock Guitars was founded in 1992 when Kim Hancock and his sons Dane and Sean built their first guitar in a small workshop in the garage of the family home. The family has been working together since, sharing a passion for building handmade instruments and building Hancock Guitars into a leading maker of custom and handmade guitars in Australia.
Kim was a carpenter and cabinet maker for many years but the hard physical work of these jobs had taken their toll and he was looking for a form of labour which was less demanding. Kim loved guitars all of his life, collecting and restoring them for several years. Eventually the day came when his curiosity reached a point that he decided to build one.
The father and sons team built the first guitar in the garage of the family home, sharing in the learning process, the good times and the mistakes that go along with learning a new craft. Wife and mother Michelle was always there supporting the hobby as it slowly grew into a fledgling business.
The first guitar led to a second, third and more and more. A common goal emerged in the Hancock workshop, an obsession to build exceptional guitars.
The Hancock family have since built hundreds of guitars as well as Ukuleles and other instruments. They have focussed on different styles over the years including classical, steel string, archtop and electric, with each new style honing their skills and becoming familiar with the finer points of that type of instrument.
Since it’s humble beginnings Hancock Guitars has occupied five different workshops on the Gold Coast and Mount Tamborine in Queensland. The current workshop is the largest and best equipped so far but still maintains the traditional feel of a luthiers shop.
Hancock Guitars has always enjoyed working with the musicians who play their instruments. The relationship with these players has been fundamental in shaping and refining the designs, the sound and playability of their instruments.
In recent years brothers Dane and Sean have begun taking on more of the responsibilities of operating Hancock Guitars. While the initial goal of Hancock guitars was to build instruments equal to the best mass-produced guitars available, this goal has now been surpassed and the Hancock family have developed a new objective: to build the best guitars in the world, pushing the boundaries of quality of sound, craftsmanship and creativity. This continues to be the objective of Hancock Guitars to this day.