Frequently Asked Questions

Our instruments are available direct from us or through select authorized dealers. In the past we've worked with Chuck Levin's Music Center in Maryland, Flipside Music in Denver, and Northerner Guitars in Canada. Dealer inventory varies, so if you'd like to purchase through a dealer, we encourage you to reach out to them directly and they'll be in touch with us to check availability.

Each Badlands guitar is produced in limited batches. At checkout, you'll have the option to pay in full or place a 50% deposit to reserve your build slot. Guitars ship in the order they are placed. Early orders can begin shipping in as little as 45 to 60 days, with an estimated completion window of up to 6 months for the full run, barring any unforeseen delays. For deposit orders, we'll contact you within 2 weeks prior to shipment to collect the remaining balance before your guitar ships. Want to know where your guitar is in the production queue? Contact us anytime and we'll give you a more precise estimated completion date based on your order sequence. If anything changes on our end, we'll reach out to you right away.

We do everything possible to ensure every instrument meets our standards before it leaves the shop, but if something isn't right, we're here to help. Just reach out and we'll do whatever it takes to make it right. We respond to emails promptlyWe're happy to get on the phone And while you're at it, follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our home page. It's the best way to stay up to date on new runs, announcements, and everything Badlands.

The short answer is yes! Now that we own our own manufacturing facility, anything is possible. That said, our limited runs benefit from production efficiencies that come with building the same model for many customers at once, which is a big part of what keeps our prices competitive. A fully custom one-off doesn't have that advantage, so expect the price to reflect that. If you have something specific in mind, reach out and let's talk. We're always up for a conversation.

Badlands Guitar Company is a passion-driven pursuit. Our goal has always been to produce the highest quality, true-to-era instruments using the most accurate components and design elements available. Keeping our runs limited is what allows us to maintain that standard.That said, now that we own our own manufacturing facility, our capacity and predictability have grown considerably. Who knows what the future holds.

We believe our guitars deliver exceptional value compared to other custom shop instruments, and our limited runs are the best way we can offer that value. Building in the USA means paying our employees a living wage with full benefits, something we're proud of and committed to. That's not cheap, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Compared to other custom shop guitars at this level, Badlands instruments can cost anywhere from 20 to 50% less. So while we understand that our guitars aren't within everyone's budget, there are hundreds of thousands of guitars out there, new and used, that can fit any price point.Badlands is, as they say, "if you know, you know." And we honestly believe our customers know exactly what they're getting. That trust means everything to us.

Badlands guitars are built at SunSmith Manufacturing, our own guitar and bass production facility in Glen Arm, Maryland. As co-owners of the shop, we have direct oversight of every instrument that comes off the build floor. SunSmith also builds for other brands, which means our facility operates at a professional OEM level, not as a boutique side project. Our pickups are hand-wound in Kent County, Michigan, by our dedicated pickup builder, who works exclusively for Badlands Guitar Company. They are not rebranded or sourced from another manufacturer. Every Badlands pickup is built from the ground up, for us and no one else.