The company first built guitars in Millington Tennessee in 1961. Moved to Imperial, Missouri in the fall of 1963, sharing space in the corner of a race car garage, the company remained idle until 1967 when four solid body prototypes were built to obtain financing. These early models were finished with automotive paint products and sported tremolo tailpieces created by re-machining obsolete parts, once used on race cars. Unable to find suitable backing in the Midwest, most of the equipment was sold off and the patterns and designs moved to California. In 1982, a few instruments were built in California prior to the final move to Florida, in June of 1983, when North American Instrument acquired control, developed the high quality and unique philosophy of manufacturing fine instruments, moving the custom instrument line to a small facility in Florida.

Not satisfied with production guitars, North American Instrument established its line as all hand-made, custom designs for a unique, niche market. The company produces only an exclusive, specialty line of electric solid body guitars and bass guitars, many of which are designed and custom built to order, to meet the specifications and playing preferences of a particular artist/customer. These custom building techniques, developed over many years, offer a player the opportunity to have and play his/her own "Signature Series" guitar or bass. The program is designed to create, especially for a player or performer, one or more selected, hand-made, solid or semi-solid body, electric guitars, which incorporate the favorite characteristics and features, which the customer/artist most desires in a personal playing instrument. These specialty instruments are designed primarily to meet the demands and desires of recording or performing artists, who are experiencing a degree of success, usually with recording, performing, and/or touring schedules, with the specific wants and needs of the performer carefully built into his/her instruments. The best woods and hardware are utilized, along with the artist’s choice of electronics. Most instruments are offered in a choice of "Bolt-On, "Set Neck" or "Neck-Through" designs. In the case of "Signature Series" guitars or bass guitars, just before the instruments receive the final finish, the artist’s signature is applied to the instruments, thus creating his/her own "Signature Series" guitars. The final coats of finish are then applied and, after sufficient cure time, the instruments are delivered. Each instrument is hand crafted, exclusively by a luthier, from beginning to end, using no helpers or apprentices.