Company History
THE MAVERICK STORY
ORIGIN
Maverick Guitar Company was a British guitar brand active from approximately 1998 to 2006. The guitars were designed in the UK and manufactured in Korea — a model common to many European brands of the era that allowed British design direction with Korean production quality and pricing.
The brand was built around a collaboration with Trev Wilkinson — one of the UK's most respected hardware designers, whose name appears on bridges, tuners, roller nuts and locking hardware found on instruments from manufacturers across Europe, Japan and Korea. The Wilkinson hardware DNA runs through the Maverick range at every level, from the Floyd Rose-licensed tremolos to the roller pots and Wilkinson-branded fixed bridges that appear across the catalogue.
THE RANGE
Maverick targeted the rock and metal player: players who wanted a serious instrument without paying for a US-made guitar. The F-Series superstrats — the F1, F3 and their variants — formed the commercial backbone of the range, competing directly with similarly-priced Ibanez RG and Jackson Dinky models. The F1 in particular became the guitar most associated with the Maverick name.
Beyond the superstrats, Maverick extended the range into Explorer/Mockingbird-influenced territory with the X-Series, offered a Les Paul-format with the set-neck G-Series, and produced distinctive standalone models including the X-Treme and Matrix. The Streetfighter (SF-1) — a retailer-commissioned limited run with a reverse headstock and fret vents — stands as the rarest production instrument the brand made.
Bass guitars appeared in the 2001 catalogue with the B1, followed by the S4 and S5 four and five-string instruments in 2002. The bass range extended the same British design philosophy and Korean manufacturing to the low end.
END OF PRODUCTION
Maverick ceased production at some point in the mid-2000s. The exact circumstances — whether through closure, acquisition, or a decision to discontinue the brand — are not fully documented in the archive. The guitars have since become sought-after instruments within the UK collector community, valued for their specification, hardware quality and the relatively short production window that limits supply.
This registry exists because Maverick guitars deserve a proper record. If you have information about the brand's history, production, or the people behind it, the archive wants to hear from you.
This account is built from catalogue evidence, physical examples in the registry, and collective knowledge gathered from the Maverick community. Where the record is incomplete, it is noted as such rather than filled with speculation. If you have information that extends or corrects this history — contact the archive.
Primary Sources
SOURCE ARCHIVE
Scanned catalogues, magazine features, advertisements and other primary source material. All items are verified against physical originals before publication.
Placeholder for values that are generally accepted as fact but where formal source documentation has not yet been identified or added. Replace with the actual source material when found.
Values confirmed through direct physical inspection by owners and community members who have handled original Maverick guitars. Each citation should note the specific model and observer where known.
4/5 star online review of the Maverick F-4 published 28 November 2007. Confirms: two-piece American alder body (hand-carved perimeter manufacturing), dark honey grade Canadian maple neck, composite V-to-D neck profile, rosewood fretboard 305mm (12") radius ivoroid binding rolled edges, 22 frets, H/S/S Alnico V Wilkinson pickups (body-mounted, RWRP middle), GraphTech nut, custom Wilkinson bridge with stainless steel saddles, Wilkinson Schaller-alike tuners, £649. Parts made in Korea, assembled in UK. Design inspiration cited as John Suhr.
Total Guitar September 2007, Rocked & Rated section. News article: "Maverick Guitars takes a step back from the industry." Mark James confirms Maverick ceasing trading but states intention to return. Establishes production end date as 2007. Company described as UK-based, covering X-Series, F-Series and Species lines.
Total Guitar magazine, June 2006, Issue #149, pp.132–134. 5-star Best Buy review of Maverick F-1 by Henry Yates. Confirms Gen 2 specs: 1-piece maple bolt-on neck with shallow C profile, two-piece Canadian basswood body, A-Type humbuckers, LP-1 Floyd Rose, 25" scale. Left-handed available (£529). Also contains exclusive preview of Species 3 (pre-production, single cutaway, basswood, 1-piece maple, £449). Physical copy pending scan.
Gear review of the Maverick F-1 by Henry Yates, published in Total Guitar magazine Issue #149, June 2006, pages 132–134. Awarded 4-star Best Buy badge and 5-star TG Rating. Includes interview with Maverick founder Mark James and an exclusive preview of the Species 3. Key spec data confirmed: LP-1 Floyd Rose / HT-1 hardtail bridge naming, A-Type humbuckers, 25" scale, one-piece Canadian maple neck, two-piece centre-joint basswood body, AAA Indian rosewood fingerboard, 16:1 diecast machineheads. Finishes listed: Red, Blue, Black, Silver. Left-hand available at £529.
Total Guitar magazine April 2005 issue. 5-star Best Buy review of the Maverick F-1 by Henry Yates, pp.148–149. Confirms Gen 2 1-piece kiln-aged maple neck, Gen 1 3-piece neck, basswood body, Gotoh black-nickel tuners, left-handed No, £499 RRP.
Total Guitar Summer 2005. Dual Best Buy reviews of Maverick Species-1 and X-1 by Henry Yates. Confirms Gen 2 specs including basswood bodies, 1-piece set/bolt-in maple necks, LQ-6 humbuckers, left-handed No, £499 RRP each. Includes LQ-6 technical sidebar: ceramic base, 6mm soft iron pole-pieces, developed with Ray Wilkinson from 1999.
Official Maverick Guitars product catalogue 2004. 8-page publication covering F-1, X-1, F-3, Species-1 and S-4/5. Key document confirming Gen 2 specifications including one-piece carved Canadian Maple neck, new pickup naming (A-Type, LQ-6, MSC), F-3 bookmatched alder body with neck/headstock binding, and new colour range. Address changed to Grimsby.
Full Maverick Guitars product catalogue, 2002. Primary reference source for model specifications and descriptions.
UK Intellectual Property Office registered design protecting the physical appearance of the Maverick MatriX guitar neck — specifically the diagonal split fingerboard combining Indian rosewood and Canadian maple, and the maple neck with central bubinga reinforcement strip visible on rear. Filed and registered 4 March 2002, expired 4 March 2007 (not renewed at first 5-year term).
UK Intellectual Property Office registered design protecting the physical appearance of the Maverick Evolution Single Volume System — the single-roller variant of the Evolution recessed control system as used on D-Tox series guitars. Distinguishes from Design No. 2096867 which covers the dual V&T roller system. Filed and registered 4 March 2002, expired 4 March 2007 (not renewed).
Single-page F-1 review in Guitarist Magazine October 2001 Electrics Round-Up. Documents mid-2001 improvements to the F1 including revised Evolution pot travel and new A-series humbuckers. Also references F-3 (HSS, £599, alder body) — interpreted as pre-production sample ahead of 2002 catalogue launch.
Dual gear review of Maverick SF-3 and X-Treme by Simon Bradley. Pages 65–67. Full spec check tables for both instruments. SF-3 £999 inc case, X-Treme £749. Includes build details and quote from Mark James on UK assembly percentage.
Official 6-panel product brochure. Features SF-1, X-1, B-1, F-1. Establishes Gen 1 specification including 3-piece Maple/Bubinga neck, Black Pearl hardware, Gotoh tuners, double action truss rod, and Gen 1 metallic colour palette.
UK Intellectual Property Office registered design protecting the physical appearance of the Maverick Evolution Volume & Tone System — the recessed scooped body channels housing knurled roller volume and tone controls. Filed and registered 24 October 2000, expired 24 October 2010.
Official UK Intellectual Property Office record for registered trade mark UK00002242035 — the Maverick stylised cursive script logo used on all Maverick Guitars instruments. Filed 09 August 2000 by Maverick Guitars Limited; registered 19 January 2001. Assigned from Maverick Guitars Limited to Mark Vincent James personally on 10 April 2006 (registered 5 May 2006). Currently active — renewed 19 August 2020; next renewal due 09 August 2030. Class 15 (Musical instruments). Directly confirms the period in which the ® registered trademark symbol could legitimately appear on instruments: post-19 January 2001 for Class 15 goods.
Community
ARTICLES & TESTIMONIALS
Written pieces, first-hand accounts, and testimonials from the people who made and played these guitars. The registry is in contact with former Maverick employees — their accounts will appear here when ready.
CONTENT INCOMING
Articles and testimonials from former Maverick employees and the wider collector community will be posted here. If you have a story, experience, or knowledge to share —
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