Orion Guitars was formed in February 2005 with the single and simple intention of designing and building guitars specifically for Heavy Metal. Such a design brief, I felt, could easily stray into the all too familiar territory of being too pointy, too outrageous and ultimately just stupid.

I have tried to avoid these clichés by creating visually aggressive guitars whilst retaining many of the design principles of the “classic” guitar shapes.

To this end the Orion SGV was born, hybridizing the design of a flying V and an SG. The design incorporates simple, sweeping curves in an unusual shape to create a bold, uncompromising guitar.

More importantly the Orion SGV sounds as aggressive as it looks, ideal for Heavy Metal. The 5-piece maple/mahogany through neck gives unrivalled articulation and sustain. The sound is bright and accurate which compliments high gain distortion.

The Orion SGV was the first of several guitars being developed at Orion Guitars. This guitar is being followed with a 7-string which will introduce the Orion Guitars headstock and a hugely ambitious fanned fret 8-string.

It is impossible to thank Phil Allen enough for his constant help and advice without which Orion Guitars would still be just a drawing on the back of an envelope somewhere. Massive thanks must also go to Scott Telfer who has generously donated his time, energy and expertise to generating the CAD models of the forthcoming instruments.