PJD Guitars, the York-based British electric guitar brand founded by Leigh Dovey, has arrived in Australia with its Origin Series now distributed locally through F. Payton & Son.
PJD Guitars started in a home workshop in the UK, founded by Leigh Dovey with tools inherited from his father. The brand has just arrived in Australia, with the Origin Series rolling out through F. Payton & Son (Paytons), one of Australia’s longest-running instrument distributors.
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Founded in 2010 and named in memory of Dovey’s late father, a prop maker at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden, PJD built its reputation on small-batch, UK-made instruments with a clear focus on playability and craftsmanship. The Origin Series is the production-built range developed directly from those custom shop models. Although the designs are more accessible than ever for everyday players, rather than stripping things back, the focus has been to keep the important details, such as body proportions, neck feel and tonal balance, so the guitars reflect original builds.
Four models make up the range. The Carey is a single-cut designed for rock, blues and indie, built around balanced tone and smooth playability. The St John is a lightweight offset aimed at indie, alternative and modern players after something with a distinctive character. The York takes a modern-cut body with an emphasis on snap and clarity, covering country, rock and blues ground comfortably. Then there’s the Woodford, a modern double-cut built for versatility across clean and driven territory.
Each model is developed around familiar body shapes, refined through careful adjustments to proportion, weight and feel. The focus throughout is on guitars that respond predictably, stay articulate across a range of playing styles, and feel natural without unnecessary complexity. Every Origin Series guitar distributed in Australia is inspected and supported locally by Paytons, who have been operating since 1881. For players looking for something outside the usual options from the major brands, PJD is worth paying attention to.
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