Oxford Guitar Supply was featured in the First Fret section of the December 2024 issue of Vintage Guitar Magazine.

Article Transcript*

The Covid pandemic forced immeasurable change on humanity. Much of it involved temporary adaptation, but there were also plenty of new norms. And there’s no shortage of people like Don Culig, who, after losing his, was given the opportunity to chase a dream.
Laid off in the summer of 2020, Culig pon- dered his options and decided to focus his energy on some element of the guitar-making process. But what, exactly?
“Finish work has always been my favorite part of the craft,” he said. “And in Canada, we didn’t have many options for good old-fashioned nitrocellulose lacquer.”
To fill that gap, he started Oxford Guitar Supply in Windsor, Ontario. We asked him about the details.

Safe to say that from day one, you were giving your new company full-time effort?

From the get-go. With our first baby on the way, a mortgage, and my wife soon to be on maternity leave, I had just a few months to bring home the bacon. I respect anyone who can make a side-hustle work for them, but I’ve always had to throw myself into a project full-time.

What was your premise?

Our focus was specifically having the origi- nal custom colors, all available in nitrocellulose lacquer. Many colors, especially into the ’60s, were an acrylic lacquer that was then top coated with nitro. We’ve formulated all our finishes in nitro, to best serve the instrument.

What were your first offerings?

We started with about 30 of the original Fender and Gibson colors – Surf Green, Shell Pink, Lake Placid Blue, and offered our lacquers in aerosols as well as cans of lacquer for finishers with spray equipment.

What guided your decisions as the business grew?

During the last three or four years, so many people fell in love with guitar for the first time or were diving further down the rabbit hole. There’s been a host of new builders popping up as well as many people getting into repair work or DIY projects. To support that growing market, we expanded the line to about 60 colors along with finishing supplies such as tinted grain fillers, polishes, and dyes.
We’ve also partnered with Solo Music Gear, an online retailer that offers a catalog of parts, materials, and electronics for guitar builders and players. Ara Pekel and the team there have been vital in our growth. It seemed like the perfect fit for Oxford since it’s a one-stop shop for anyone looking for parts and supplies.

How many people are on your crew?

We have a core of four including my wife, Jessica, doing admin and finance, Brendan does marketing, and Joel and Fred handle production. I handle R&D, shipping, and customer service.

How do you strive to set Oxford apart?

Well, you can find nitro at many big-box hardware stores, but most are a modified, modern product. We spent the first two years of our existence reverse-engineering and testing various blends that would ultimately become our Vintage Formula Clear lacquer. The solvent blend is based on a formula from the ’50s that still adheres to today’s guidelines. The lacquer is free of any plasticizers, and as a result, it dries very hard and thin. It’s susceptible to finish checking if exposed to extreme temperatures, but it can also be preserved if well cared for-just like the finish on vintage instruments.

What are your hopes for the future of guitar building?

There’s amazing work coming out of the boutique builder world. Some pay homage by crafting stellar examples of legacy designs, while others are developing unique body shapes with innovative hardware and runway-worthy aesthetics. Every city has at least a few up- and-coming builders, and we’ll look back on this time as a golden age for innovation and creativity.

What are your goals for Oxford?

There are so many amazing opportunities with colors and finishes- flip through a color- swatch book at your local body shop (laughs).
I love the finishes we’ve come to know as the original “custom colors,” but that’s only about 50 colors if you total up all the brands and decades. I’d love to add to the palette and offer it in a nitrocellulose base, as I feel it’s still the best finish for stringed instruments. There’s a reason that manufacturers are still using it, decades later.

– Ward Meeker VG

Thank you to Vintage Guitar Magazine