Emile Grimshaw and his son (also called Emile) established a company in 1933 in the United Kingdom to sell banjos. Emile Grimshaw had previously worked at the Clifford Essex company and was a reknowned banjo player and teacher - the initial focus of the Grimshaw company was to sell banjos made by Robert Blake of Finchley, London. By 1940 the Grimshaws had opened their own guitar making workshop and established a reputation as makers of high quality instruments. Initially the guitars were branded as Revelation, Hartford or Premiervox. Following the death of Emile Grimshaw senior in 1943 the guitars were branded as "Grimshaw". During the 1950s they made many archtop, acoustic and electric models - with the first Grimshaw solid body electric introduced in 1959 (the Meteor model). The Grimshaw electric guitars of the 1960s were inspired by Gibson and Fender designs, but the 1970s saw Grimshaw introduce more of its own original designs. The company ceased trading around 1980 and Emile Grimshaw Jnr died in 1987.

Grimshaw guitars were used by many of the up and coming British guitarists of the 1950s and 1960s including: Joe Brown, Joe Moretti, Pete Townshend, Francis Rossi, Spencer Davis and Alvin Lee. Jazz guitarist Martin Taylor also played a Grimshaw guitar - given to him by Val Doonican who had posed with the instrument on an album cover.

Source: Grimshaw history - Eric Sandiford

Source: The History of British Rock and Roll: The Forgotten Years 1956 - 1962. 2014. Robin Bell. Lulu Press, Inc

Source: Grimshaw catalogs 1930s to 1950s