Kluson Manufacturing Company

What Kluson Manufacturing Company does

Kluson Manufacturing Company is a US-based manufacturer and supplier of stringed instrument hardware, founded in 1925 by John Edward Kluson. Its catalog centers on tuning machines (tuners), tailpieces, brackets, bushings, bridges, tremolo systems, and — more recently — the Icon Pickup line covering humbuckers, P90s, single coils, archtop, Telecaster-specific, and bass pickups. The product engineering philosophy pairs historically authentic specifications (vintage outlines, period-correct gear ratios such as 12:1, 15:1, and modernized 18:1 to 20:1) with contemporary materials including diecast zinc housings, steel worm gears with brass ring gears, Alnico and ceramic magnets, and proprietary features such as Safe-Ti-Posts and staggered-post configurations. Most products are designed as direct drop-in retrofits requiring no instrument modifications, addressing restoration and upgrade use cases for Fender and Gibson-platform instruments.

The company operates as a privately held brand under the corporate umbrella of WD Music Products, Inc., which acquired the dormant Kluson trademark in 1993 through its VP, Larry Davis. Revenue is generated through wholesale hardware sales to a global network of authorized distributors across the United States (AP International Music Supply, CE Distribution, Harris Teller, WD Music Products), Canada (Yorkville Sound, exclusive), Japan (Montreux Guitars, Zenbu Japan), Korea (Kluson Pacific), Norway (GITARIST.NO), and Singapore (GUITARPARTS.SG). There is no direct-to-consumer e-commerce model; the company directs retail inquiries to its distributor network and welcomes partnership inquiries for additional distribution, OEM, or manufacturing arrangements.

Kluson serves four primary customer segments: musical instrument manufacturers and custom shops that specify Kluson parts for new production and reissue instruments; luthiers and repair technicians restoring vintage instruments; individual musicians performing upgrades and maintenance; and wholesale distribution partners. The brand is strongly differentiated by its nearly 100-year heritage and its presence at industry events such as NAMM, where the Revolution tuning machine series earned Guitar World's Best in Show in 2015. The company reached its 100th anniversary in 2025 with the launch of four new tuning machine series.

Name

Kluson Manufacturing Company

Legal name

KLUSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY

Website

https://kluson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Guitar Hardware & Musical Instrument Parts

NAICS

Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Instrument Parts, Repair & Maintenance (Luthier, Tech Services, Spares) (MPAIAJAG)

Keywords

• Guitar tuning machines
• Guitar hardware parts
• Instrument pickups
• Vintage guitar replacements
• Luthier supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

North Fort Myers

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Guitar Parts and Hardware Sales: Primary revenue from manufacturing and selling tuning machines, tailpieces, brackets, bushings, bridges, and other stringed instrument parts. Products are sold through distribution partners to musicians, luthiers, and instrument manufacturers worldwide.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Kluson Manufacturing Company manufactures and supplies tuning machines, guitar pickups, bridges, tremolo systems, tailpieces, brackets, and bushings for stringed instruments. The product portfolio includes historically accurate reproductions of vintage designs (Waffleback, Sealfast, Firebird) and modern performance upgrades (Revolution, Prestige, Supreme series), all engineered as drop-in replacements requiring no instrument modifications. Products are sold through a global network of authorized distributors to instrument manufacturers, luthiers, and repair technicians worldwide.

Product overview

Kluson Manufacturing Company is a guitar parts and hardware manufacturer founded in 1925, now owned by WD Music Products since 1993. The company produces a comprehensive portfolio of tuning machines and guitar pickups. The tuning machine lineup includes the Revolution Series (modern diecast with high gear ratios), Plus Series (drop-in upgrades for Epiphone/Squier), Prestige Series (vintage open-gear style), and Vintage Diecast Series (reissues of classic designs like Waffleback, Sealfast, and Firebird). The Icon Pickup line offers recreations of vintage tones across humbuckers, P90s, single coils, and bass pickups. The company also produces replacement bridges and tremolo systems primarily for Fender and Gibson instruments. All products are designed as direct retrofits requiring no modifications for installation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Revolution Series: Tuning machines featuring modern 18:1 to 20:1 gear ratios, available in D-Mount, E-Mount, F-Mount, G-Mount, and H-Mount configurations for electric and acoustic instruments.
• Supreme Series
• Deluxe Series
• Plus Series
• Vintage Diecast Series
• Prestige Series
• Icon Pickup Series
• Hybrid Replacement Bridge
• Vintage Steel Block Tremolo Bridge

Products and services

• Revolution Tuning Machines Premium tuning machine series featuring modern diecast construction with high gear ratios (18:1 to 20:1) for superior tuning stability. Available in multiple mounting configurations including D-Mount (18:1, mini key footprint, locking or non-locking), E-Mount (20:1, 10mm peghole, die-cast construction), F-Mount (19:1, staggered posts to eliminate string trees), G-Mount (19:1, sealed diecast housing), and H-Mount (19:1, staggered posts). Designed to retrofit various guitar brands including vintage and contemporary models.
• Plus Series Tuning Machines Drop-in upgrade tuning machines designed for Epiphone and Squier guitars with an 18:1 gear ratio. Features stamped steel construction with round metal oval button and requires no modifications for installation.
• Prestige Series Tuning Machines Vintage-style open gear tuning machines featuring diecast base, bronze ring gear, stainless worm gear with close tolerance bushings, and 18:1 gear ratio. Available in vertical and horizontal mount configurations for drilled or slotted pegheads.
• Vintage Diecast Series Tuning Machines Reissued vintage tuning machines including Waffleback/Super models (15:1 ratio) for early Gibson Les Paul Customs, Sealfast models for Gibson Super 400/Jonny Smith/Byrdland, and Firebird/Banjo models with 12:1 planetary gear ratio. Designed as drop-in replacements for original vintage instruments. Reissues models that have been out of production for decades.
• Supreme Series Tuning Machines Premium tuning machine series featuring upgraded materials and construction for enhanced performance and durability.
• Deluxe Series Tuning Machines High-quality tuning machines with enhanced features and premium construction for improved playability and tuning stability.
• Icon Pickups Complete line of guitar and bass pickups recreating vintage tones with modern precision. Includes humbuckers (Vintage 57, Hurricane, Typhoon, Tempest), P90s (Casino, Dogear, Stealth 90), single coils (Classic Tone '54, '57, '62, Spitfire, Jaguar), and bass pickups (Claymore, Fusion Vintage 65, Vintage 62, Musicman replacement).
• Icon Archtop Pickups Mini humbucker and Slimbucker pickups designed for archtop guitars. Features 12-pole exposed adjustable pole pieces for improved string balance and vintage warmth with articulate definition. Slimbucker offers rich tone in low-profile housing.
• Icon P90 Pickups P90 style pickups including Casino (Alnico 2 or 5), Dogear, Soapbar, and Stealth 90 Noiseless variants. The Stealth 90 offers humbucking properties with P-90 tone using vintage 49.2mm pole piece spacing to eliminate 60-cycle hum.
• Icon Bass Pickups Bass guitar pickups including Claymore soapbar (4/5 string, active/passive compatible), Fusion Vintage 65 Jazz Bass (hum-cancelling), Vintage 62 Precision Bass (split-P design), and Musicman Stingray replacement with full-length polepieces.
• Icon Telecaster Pickups Telecaster-specific pickups including 52 Telecaster Alnico 3 (authentic 1952 replication), Rebel neck pickup, Twanger hot bridge pickup, and Twin Blade Hot humbucking neck pickup with ceramic magnets.
• Icon Humbucker Pickups Humbucker pickups including Vintage 57 (1957 Patent Applied For recreation with Alnico 3), Hurricane (ceramic, jazz-friendly), Typhoon Ultra Distortion (high gain, 1979 blade-loaded recreation), and Tempest Distortion (rock/metal ceramic).
• Icon Single Coil Pickups Stratocaster-style single coils including Classic Tone '54, '57, '62 (with Formvar wire and Alnico 3), Spitfire Hot ceramic, and Alnico 3 65 Jaguar. Features RW/RP versions for hum cancellation in multi-pickup setups.
• Guitar Bridges and Tremolos Replacement bridges and tremolo systems including hybrid replacement bridges for Fender American Standard Telecaster (converts 6-saddle to intonated 3-saddle configuration without modifications), Contemporary bridges with brass saddles, Vintage steel block tremolo bridges with modern narrow spacing (10.8mm) and standard vintage spacing (11.3mm). Direct retrofit designs requiring no modifications.
• Locking Vintage Stamped Steel Tuning Machines Reengineered vintage stamped steel tuning machines featuring a locking mechanism for easier string changes, continuing the legacy of Kluson's original stamped steel designs with modern improvements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Staggered post tuning machines eliminate the need for string trees, reducing friction points for better tuning stability while using tremolo bridges
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered primary and core.

• AP International Music SupplyprimaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized US distributor for Kluson products, serving the music supply market for businesses on a global scale.
• CE DistributionprimaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized US distributor handling wholesale distribution of Kluson products to businesses.
• Harris Teller, Inc.primaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized US distributor (B2B only, no retail inquiries) providing Kluson products to the book and music trade.
• WD Music Products Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParent company (WD Music Products) owns the Kluson brand and serves as an authorized distributor through wdmusic.com/brand-kluson.html. Larry Davis, VP of WD Music Products, acquired the Kluson brand in 1993.
• Yorkville SoundcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive Canadian distributor for Kluson products, serving dealers and distributors across Canada.
• Montreux Guitars Co., Ltd.primaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized Japanese distributor for Kluson products in Japan.
• Zenbu Japan Co. Ltd.primaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized Japanese distributor providing Kluson products to businesses in Japan.
• Kluson PacificcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized Korean distributor handling manufacturer, luthier, dealer, and distributor sales for Kluson products in Korea.
• GITARIST.NOprimaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized Norwegian distributor for Kluson products in Norway.
• GUITARPARTS.SGprimaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized Singapore distributor for Kluson guitar parts and products.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Schaller Electronic GmbH: German maker of premium guitar hardware including tuning machines, bridges, strap locks, and locking nuts. Competes with Kluson across high-end retrofit and OEM channels globally.
• Hipshot Products: US maker of guitar and bass hardware including tuning machines, bridges, string retainers, and the popular KickAss key. Overlaps with Kluson's tuning machine and hardware categories.
• TonePros Sound Labs: Manufacturer of locking bridges, tailpieces, and related hardware for Gibson and Epiphone-style instruments. Directly overlaps with Kluson's bridge and tailpiece product lines.
• DiMarzio: Established US manufacturer of aftermarket guitar and bass pickups. Directly competes with Kluson's Icon Pickup line across humbuckers, single coils, and bass pickups.
• Grover Musical Products, Inc. American manufacturer of tuning machines including Rotomatics, Imperial, Sta-Tite, and related hardware. Closest US-headquartered direct competitor to Kluson in the tuning-machine category.
• Gotoh Gut Co., Ltd. Japanese manufacturer of tuning machines, bridges, and guitar hardware. Directly competes with Kluson across the same core product categories and is widely specified by OEM guitar builders worldwide.
• EMG Pickups: Manufacturer of active and passive guitar and bass pickups. Competes with Kluson's Icon pickup line, particularly for upgrade and replacement-pickup purchases.
• Seymour Duncan: Major US pickup manufacturer covering humbuckers, single coils, P90s, and bass pickups. Directly competes with Kluson's Icon series for the same vintage-accurate replacement-pickup buyer.
• Bigsby: Iconic maker of vibrato/tremolo tailpieces used on guitars including Gretsch and Gibson models. Overlaps with Kluson's tremolo bridge and tailpiece hardware offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Fender Musical Instruments Corporation: Major guitar manufacturer that also sells branded replacement hardware and parts through Fender Parts. While primarily an OEM, Fender offers tuning machines and hardware that compete with Kluson in the retrofit and reissue parts market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/klusonofficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kluson Manufacturing Company