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On Guitars

@onguitars

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Musical instruments designed by Christoph Noe.

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Some news you don’t enjoy writing, but it needs to be told: On Guitars will close at the end of 2026. There will be no more handmade instruments from me. And yet this isn’t a sad post, because sometimes you have to let go so that something new can emerge.

I won’t beat around the bush: in six years I haven’t managed to turn On Guitars into a sustainable business. Founded in the Corona year 2020 and accompanied by one crisis after another, the appetite for my handmade instruments has lately not been as strong as I had hoped.

But that doesn’t change the fact that I crafted every bass, every guitar, every Dohle and every guitar conversion without compromise and with great attention to detail. It has brought me an incredible amount of joy, every single second of it.

What many people don’t know: On Guitars has always been a side project. My main profession is designing software interfaces, and I do it with the same passion I put into building instruments. That field has changed massively through AI — new possibilities are opening up that want to be explored, and it takes intense effort to keep landing exciting design projects. So that’s where my full focus goes now.

Don’t worry, I won’t run out of ideas any time soon. I’m a designer, and I’m sure the future will bring one or two more concepts for innovative instruments that carry my signature.

But I haven’t said the most important thing yet:
T H A N K S to my wonderful customers. Without you the On Guitars journey would never have been this much fun, and it would have ended much sooner. I’ve experienced unforgettable moments with you, and I’m grateful that today I can call many of you my friends. Hearing and seeing my instruments together with you on stages around the world will put a grin on my face forever.

And thank you to everyone who followed this project with so much enthusiasm — on social media, at trade shows, on workshop visits and at concerts. Your feedback on my work and my instruments has been a huge inspiration. taken in Munich, Germany by @onguitars

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a month ago

Which one is your favorite?

When it comes to cool guitars, the guitar straps matter too! @mr.strapsky guitar straps accompany me quite a while now and over the years, I'm grateful to call him a friend. We talk music, pedals and life.

I really dig the obsession with fabric that never quits and the great eye for design. And each does look so cool with the @onguitars Elster!

Still dreaming of a Harris Tweed guitar strap :)

#gearlove #mrstrapsky #onguitars by @onguitars

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a month ago

I just finished this beauty of a Pitpit bass, and it’s a special one for two reasons.

First: it’s the first 32“ medium scale Pitpit I’ve ever built. The 3+1 headstock is borrowed from the shape of the Pitpit Five. Now that I’m holding it and playing it, I’m wondering why I didn’t build one earlier. The sound and feel are just phenomenal. It’s loaded with an amazing sounding set of @nicksilverpickups Mr Iggy humbuckers.

Second: it’s the second to last custom instrument built in the On Guitars workshop. Yes, that’s true. At the end of the year I’ll close the doors on my business as a guitar builder. I’ll make a dedicated post soon so you can learn more about what led to that decision. For now I’m still putting all my love and energy into my instruments, and I think this bass is the perfect example of that.

One more to go, and it will be colorful, fresh and a Pitpit. Exactly what you expect an On Guitars instrument to be.

#onguitars #pitpit #mediumscalebass #customguitar taken in München Germany by @onguitars

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2 months ago

Christoph poured everything into @onguitars – craftsmanship, care and an eye for details. We met at the Bliss Fest in Amsterdam 2025 and what started as a conversation about gear turned into friendship.

Now I can barely believe to get to say this: I get to play his beautiful Elster, loaded with incredible @nicksilverpickups Swan humbuckers. It's my holy grail guitar – a dream come true!

1,000,000 thank yous, Christoph!

It's bittersweet, because On Guitars is closing its doors. I'm endlessly grateful, and so proud to carry a piece of that legacy every time I play!

#onguitars #nicksilverpickups #Elster #holygrailguitar #tonematters by @onguitars

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2 months ago

The new Elster by our friend Christoph @onguitars, featuring a @nicksilverpickups Swan Overwound in the bridge position, now in the hands of @davidmertz_.

Thank you guys for your trust!
#nicksilverpickups #onguitar #humbucker #handmadeguitar #guitarpickups by @onguitars

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4 months ago

I just finished this new Elster, and it might be the most metal guitar I’ve built so far.

@davidmertz_ picked a breathtaking combination of materials and parts for this one:

Roasted swamp ash body in metallic Pearly Green
Black sparkle linoleum pickguard
European maple neck
A beautiful walnut fretboard
And just one pickup: a @nicksilverpickups Swan Overwound in the bridge

That’s it. So simple - so beautiful.

I honestly can’t wait for David to come by the workshop and hear him pull the first sounds out of this thing in Drop G#.

Once that happens, I’ll definitely point a camera at it and show you how massive this guitar sounds.

Welcome to the heavy side, Elster.

#onguitars
#elsterguitar
#customguitar taken in Munich, Germany by @onguitars

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5 months ago

Welcome to the On Guitars family, @jizzymorello .

We created this custom Fink in Summer Blue with an oxidized Walnut neck. The wood has this deep, almost smoky character with a fresh and vibrant body color that fits perfectly to what Philipp aka „Jizzy“ does on stage with his band @slopegang

Pickup wise we went for something special. A @nicksilverpickups Charlie Christian underwound in the neck and a Swan overwound humbucker in the bridge. From warm and woody to raw and punchy. A pretty wild and powerful sound palette.

Philipp, thank you for the trust and for giving me the opportunity to build this unique instrument. It means a lot.

You can catch him with Slope on festivals this summer and on tour in autumn. Go see them live. It is intense, I promise!

#onguitars #slopegang #customguitar taken in Munich, Germany by @onguitars

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8 months ago

Hi! 💖 We’ve just released our live session with @idadaismus, recorded at @onguitars to celebrate their 5th anniversary 🎉✨

🥭Link in bio 🥭

#itsmangotango #soul #livesession by @onguitars

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9 months ago

New Maby Baby live recording drops this Wednesday (Jan 21, 2026) with the amazing Ida Wutzler.
Recorded at On Guitars Munich for their 5th anniversary. We can’t wait! ✨

#itsmangotango #birthdaycookies #livesession taken in Munich, Bavaria, Germany by @onguitars

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9 months ago

@onguitars
The latest completed build and the last one leaving the shop this year. In a few days it heads to its new owner in the UK.

Pitpit Five 451 UW Herby in Flamingo Pink with a yellow linoleum pickguard in a terrazzo look.
32 inch medium scale five string bass that feels compact but still solid.

Custom underwound @nicksilverpickups Mr. Iggy humbuckers for a bit more vintage vibe compared to the more modern standard set.

Alder body paired with a beautifully flamed European maple neck. The black headstock ties in perfectly with the black bridge and tuners.

Strung with @labellastrings flatwounds and finished with custom made plastic parts like knobs and pickup covers in a black and white terrazzo look.
Packed up safely in a Gator ICON gigbag.

A few days ago I recorded a demo with @paul_guitar_prem . You can catch a small impression in the last picture. Full video demo coming very soon.

If you feel like it, jump over to the customizer on my website and build your own Pitpit Five.

#onguitars #pitpitfive #custombass #boutiquebass #realbassfam by @onguitars

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10 months ago

The latest completed build and the last one leaving the shop this year. In a few days it heads to its new owner in the UK.

Pitpit Five 451 UW Herby in Flamingo Pink with a yellow linoleum pickguard in a terrazzo look.
32 inch medium scale five string bass that feels compact but still solid.

Custom underwound @nicksilverpickups Mr. Iggy humbuckers for a bit more vintage vibe compared to the more modern standard set.

Alder body paired with a beautifully flamed European maple neck. The black headstock ties in perfectly with the black bridge and tuners.

Strung with @labellastrings flatwounds and finished with custom made plastic parts like knobs and pickup covers in a black and white terrazzo look.
Packed up safely in a Gator ICON gigbag.

A few days ago I recorded a demo with @paul_guitar_prem . You can catch a small impression in the last picture. Full video demo coming very soon.

If you feel like it, jump over to the customizer on my website and build your own Pitpit Five.

#onguitars #pitpitfive #custombass #boutiquebass taken in Munich, Germany by @onguitars

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10 months ago

Two weeks ago I had the amazing chance to meet the incredible bassist @tone_whitfield . He was in Germany playing with @bilalmusic at the @nuejazz Festival in Nuremberg.

It was a real honor to be invited by Tone to the soundcheck and the concert. Talking with him was truly inspiring. He has such a deep musical understanding and a very warm personality.

During the soundcheck he tried out my Pitpit Five, and later that night he played it on two songs. I was so happy to hear my bass becoming part of that unique sound of this band.

Bilal is still on tour across Europe until mid-November. If they play near you, go see them. You will love it.

#Bilal #ToneWhitfield #OnGuitars #PitpitFive #NuejazzFestival taken in Nürnberg, Bayern, Deutschland by @onguitars

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a year ago