Tommy Byrne

We started BJ & Byrne Guitars in 2006 in London, mostly because of an investment banking client of mine from 2004 which had developed an interesting technology which hardened soft woods such as Pine, organically. This, of course, would mean creating a sustainable hardwood resource in which to make, among other things, guitars. My future Partner "BJ", a thoroughly accomplished Luthier, was teaching me how to make acoustic guitars using this “Green” wood technology. What we found out was that the wood had some fantastic tonal qualities and looked great. The problem, however was the wood did not tool very well and made for some challenging carpentry. So we began exploring other similar wood technologies trying to capture that perfect combination of increased density, dimensional stability and workability with enhanced tonal qualities. Finally, we came across a technology which ticked all of the boxes and then some. This ‘Green’ technology has allowed us to produce some extraordinary electric guitars that are lighter than their natural hardwood cousins but with sensational tone, resonance and sustain. This technology increases the density of Pine by about 25%, making it as hard as woods like Maple or Mahogany as well as increasing its stability threefold. "With an intentionally Seventies British vibe, they're the antithesis of modern posh guitars !" - Dave Burrluck, Guitarist Magazine, November 2006 In 2018 we moved our workshop to The Anchorage, a Colonial Virginia plantation from the 1690s and my ancestral home in Wicomico Church, Virginia. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay, it is surrounded by early American history, where famous family names, like Washington, Lee, Ball, Carter and more, began making history. We are actually located in Ball's Neck (Mary Ball was Geo. Washington's mother).

In 2000, Mr. Byrne was responsible for orchestrating a Management-Buy-Out of BlueStone Capital Partners (UK) Ltd. At the time BlueStone was 25% owned by ABN AMRO. The Company's business focus was dedicated to both Corporate Finance and Asset Management. ACP's first fund was managing a UCITS, absolute return fund for Laing & Cruickshank, which ranked No. 1 on Lipper's league table on its first anniversary. ACP also acted as Risk Manager for a global Water Fund based in NYC. The Company which has a long history in the global fixed income markets, also advises another advisory firm in the Asset Backed Securities ("ABS") arena that concentrates on consumer / esoteric ABS. The Guitar Fund was conceived and structured by Mr. Byrne. It was designed to invest up to $100 million into the vintage and memorabilia guitar markets. This vehicle is structured with Generational Wealth Managers in mind and is now being offered to family offices and private banks as a private equity alternative investment vehicle. Since 1997, Mr. Byrne has been structuring private equity deals and raising funds for early stage to pre-IPO companies primarily in the US and Europe. He has years of experience in helping to build companies in the following sectors; Aviation, Music Industry, medical devices, biotech (including rapid biological warfare detection systems), B2B software, MEMS and Energy. In addition to his ability to get early stage companies and their products around the bases, Mr. Byrne also has over 35 years of fixed income expertise in the corporate bond market and has not only the ability to structure capital raises but he also speaks to most of the major bulge bracket bond dealers in the capital markets on a daily basis, assisting in the distribution of these deals. Mr. Byrne has lived and worked in the US and Europe and has travelled extensively around the world. He is also the third generation of his family to spend time growing up and going to school in the Far East.