Meet STEPHEN HARRIMAN | CEO and Founder of Belltone® Guitars

We had the good fortune of connecting with STEPHEN HARRIMAN and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi STEPHEN, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Our mission was and is to offer a collaborative partnership with guitarists who seek to build distinctive, well-crafted, affordable ‘cool’ guitars … guitars that reflect the Belltone® perspective and aesthetic, but also provide and welcome the guitarist’s creative input in the sonic and visual design of their instrument.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
– Artistic Experience … I launched the Belltone® Guitars business to be a creative and collaborative “artistic experience” between myself – the builder and presenter of the foundational design parameters and the creative desires and dreams of the customer/guitarist … the end result of this collaboration being a ‘signature’ custom guitar representing both a means to facilitate creative content creation – music! – as well as a piece of artwork, in and of itself.

How did you get to where you are today professionally?
The launch of the Belltone® Guitar business represented a dramatic departure from what I had been involved in for most of my professional career. I had spent over 35 years in the Men’s garment industry as a senior executive of a large, multi-brand apparel company. During this time, I continued to be in bands and play music as well as tinker with guitar design. I have always been creative minded, with a passion for product design and creation be it apparel, music or guitars. I consider myself blessed that I had a very successful first career in apparel that then allowed me to shift to guitar-making at this point in my life.

Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges?
Launching a new business/brand is never easy … the biggest initial challenge remains the same challenge I face currently, which is to get the brand known and recognized without having any substantial marketing funds available other than social media and word of mouth.

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
We want the guitarists of the world to know that we offer both a product and design aesthetic that is an alternative to the mainstream offering in the market while concurrently providing the guitarist the opportunity to express and provide their creative input into the creation of a truly signature custom guitar.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Miami Beach beaches late afternoon around 4PM … the Sun turns golden and more bearable, the wind pickup making it cooler as the humidity begins to recede and the color of the ocean changes color to a deeper green/blue … bring wine!

Favorite local spots for food … Silver Lake Bistro and Bernies Cafe … both moderately priced … located slightly north of South Beach

– Walt Grace Vintage in Wynwood … how can anyone resist curated vintage Ferraris, Jags, and Porsches alongside vintage Fenders and Gibsons in one location.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a big shout out Bill Goldstein, Founder /Owner of Walt Grace Vintage, a Miami/Wynwood based gallery featuring both Vintage Cars and Vintage & New Guitars.
Starting out as a very small and unknown boutique custom guitar company, Bill was willing to enthusiastically support me as a local builder by showcasing my Belltone® Guitars in his gallery. In doing so, he bestowed instant credibility to the Belltone® brand and I was able to leverage this association to land additional dealers/retailers. Along the way, with his reputation as an authority on all things guitar and his extensive connections within the music industry, he has provided me with invaluable guidance and advice. I am appreciative of his support and indebted to him for his kind generosity.

Website: https://belltoneguitars.com

Instagram: @belltoneguitars

Twitter: (20) Belltone Guitars (@BelltoneG) / X (twitter.com)

Facebook: Belltone Guitars | Miami Beach FL | Facebook

Youtube: https:// https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-SLvfQuUJ09OkOy4hcR0oA

Other: Tik Tok
https://www.tiktok.com/@belltoneguitars?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits
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