Polin Guitars was founded by Chris Polin in the summer of 2019, in Manchester, UK. Born in Belfast in the late ‘80s, Chris started playing guitar at 12 years old, and under the watchful eye of master luthier Alistair Hay (Emerald Guitars), he built his first acoustic at the age of 16.

In a somewhat circuitous turn of events, Chris spent the following 12 years in academia, earning a doctorate in medical physics and nanochemistry and honing his engineering skills by designing and building experimental apparatus and machinery.

The pull of luthiery always remained however, and he decided to buy some chisels and a block of walnut, and set up a small workshop in his garage.

From the beginning, Chris’ mantra has always been uncompromising quality above all else. The guitars are built using a hybrid approach, drawing on age-old traditional hand-tool luthiery techniques, and his extensive experience in modern precision engineering. Every design, process, material and hardware choice is made entirely to serve the resulting instrument, over ease or cost of manufacture. As a gigging guitarist himself, Chris has first-hand experience of what really matters to a player, both in the studio and on stage.

This mindset and dedication has seen his guitars and basses in the hands of working musicians all over the world, and their trust is hard-earned and not taken for granted. He was awarded the prestigious Emerging Makers Grant from QEST in 2024, and has shown his instruments in the London V&A museum and Guildhall, to name but a few.

When Chris isn’t building guitars, he enjoys riding motorcycles, brewing beer, or spending time at home with his partner and cat.