The Workhorse series distills everything Belle Guitars stands for — PLEK’d necks, premium components, inspiring feel, and no-nonsense reliability. All at a more accessible price for serious players.

Offered in three classic styles — the Teg (single cut), Capstone (double cut), and JZ (offset). Every Workhorse model is made with the same attention to detail as our top-tier instruments. These guitars are meant to be played hard, feel and sound just right and built to keep up.

Neck

The Workhorse Series necks are built for comfort and familiarity, offering a variety of profiles with the most popular being the Soft 57V, 1965C and the Modern C. A standard 9.5″ radius gives a balanced feel for both chording and lead work, with optional 7.5″ and compound radius choices available. Each neck uses a single-action heel-adjust truss rod and is fitted with vintage nickel silver frets. Wood options include 2-piece North American maple with Indian rosewood or 1-piece North American maple, all crafted entirely in Sweden. Fretboard edges are rolled for a played-in feel, finished in an aged, worn-in style, and feature a smooth tapered headstock transition.

Body

The Workhorse Series body shapes — Teg, Capstone, and Offset — are available in American alder or torrefied pine. Some bodies are made completely in-house, while others begin as rough CNC shapes sourced from Japan before being hand-refined and finished in Sweden. No chambering is used, giving these guitars a solid and resonant feel. Compared to the Custom Series, the Workhorse models have slightly less contouring and rounding, while still providing comfortable forearm and body curves where the model requires it. Torrefaction is reserved for the pine bodies, adding extra stability and a touch of vintage resonance.

Hardware

Every Workhorse guitar is fitted with quality Gotoh components, chosen for their reliability and consistency. Tuning duties are handled by Gotoh tuners, paired with vintage-spaced Gotoh tremolos or bridges. Saddles are high-grade Gotoh as well, ensuring stable intonation and smooth response. Hardware is available in nickel, chrome, or aged finishes, with each piece carefully matched to the guitar’s aesthetic. Strap buttons are kept standard for a straightforward, professional setup.

Finish

Workhorse Series guitars are finished in thin nitrocellulose lacquer, allowing the wood to breathe and age naturally over time. The color palette includes a wide range of solid and metallic finishes, each guitar receiving its own unique character through a light to medium-light relic treatment. Hardware is lightly aged to complement the body, and subtle checking and wear patterns are added to enhance the played-in feel. While less nuanced than the Custom Series finishes, the Workhorse is designed to be a canvas for the player — a guitar that looks and feels ready to make its own history in your hands.

Electronics

Electronics are built entirely in-house, combining high-quality components with flexible pickup options. The Workhorse Series typically uses standard configurations but also serves as a platform for trialing different pickup layouts. Pickups are a mix of Belle’s own shop-wound models and carefully chosen commercial sets. The wiring harness features CTS pots, CRL switches, Pure Tone jacks, and vintage Soviet capacitors, all assembled with vintage-style wiring. For Capstones a thick aluminium shielding control plate comes as standard, ensuring a quiet, noise-free signal.

The PLEK

Every Workhorse guitar is individually PLEK’d to ensure flawless playability from the first fret to the last. Before fretting, the fretboard is planed to achieve perfect relief and radius, After fretting the fret ends are manually dressed to remove any sharpness. The bone nut and frets are then leveled and crowned using the PLEK machine, followed by a meticulous fret polish. This process is the final stage of Belle’s quality control, guaranteeing a professional setup and a playing feel that consistently exceeds its price point.