Farida
Latest Farida guitar news, new electric and acoustic guitars, signature models, artist collaborations, and releases tracked by Guitar Radar.
Guitar Radar follows Farida through 1 story and 1 product release, covering new gear, launches and company news as they happen. Most of it sits under gear. The most recent story, from Sep 14, 2026, is “Farida and former Fender Master Builder John Cruz launch the limited-run JC-1”. The newest product in the releases catalog is the Farida JC-1.
About Farida
Farida is a Chinese guitar brand, launched in 2004 according to Wikipedia, that belongs to Grand Reward Education and Entertainment (GREE) in Guangdong. GREE has built guitars under contract for other brands since 1995, and its factory is said to make around 13,000 guitars a month, most of them for the United States.
The UK distributor Dawsons began working with Farida in 2004 and in the US, Elderly Instruments handles distribution. The brand is probably best known for its Old Town series of acoustic guitars and ukuleles.
In 2026 John Cruz, a Fender Custom Shop master builder from 1987 to 2020 who later ran his own guitar company until 2023, announced a limited run of Stratocaster-inspired guitars with Farida, starting with the JC-1, an S-style electric; Farida called it the first time a Chinese guitar brand had brought a world-class master builder on board. Guitar Radar follows these Farida and John Cruz releases.
Sources: Wikipedia: Farida Guitars · Guitar World: Former Fender master builder John Cruz joins Farida · Wikipedia: John Cruz (luthier)
