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Company type | Private |
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Industry | Musical instruments |
Founded | 2004[1] |
Founder | Ho Zen Yong [2] |
Headquarters | , |
Products | Steel-string acoustic and classical guitars, ukuleles |
Website | maestroguitars.com |
Maestro Guitars is a guitar manufacturing company based in Singapore. It is best known for creating custom-made acoustic guitars and ukuleles. The founder is Ho Zen Yong, a former Singapore Management University (SMU) graduate. [2] Their instruments are used by professional Italian musician Franco Morone and were also used by guitarist Paul Ponnudorai. [3]
The founder of Maestro Guitars, Ho Zen, started off learning how to fix guitars in his father’s piano shop. [4] In 2004, he improved his guitar-making skills by learning them from an English luthier Chris Horton, in Goa. He further understudied with the famed Ervin Somogyi in 2015 in a bid to increase the responsiveness of his guitars. [2] Upon his return in 2006, Ho Zen started Maestro Guitars Singapore's workshop in Kaki Bukit. [2] [4]
The company's name, Maestro, was inspired by the Spanish word of the same spelling which translates to mean "master". In music, a "maestro" refers to someone who is a master in his art, especially a composer, conductor or music teacher.[ citation needed ]
In 2015, Maestro Guitars launched two new acoustic guitar models and showcasing a few models from their Double Top Series and Island Series ukuleles at the NAMM Show. [5]
Maestro Guitars is best known for its custom-made guitars. The guitars are handcrafted in a 100% humidity controlled facility to ensure its stability and dependability. [6] They also use new technology such as the flame-resistant material, Nomex, to craft their guitars. [2] [7]
The company is presently looking to expand to Asian countries such as Hong Kong and Malaysia. Their products are also available in Australia, Belgium and France. [2]
The company works with various companies to provide materials for their custom-made guitars, such as Elixir Strings, Grover Musical Products and d'Addario.[ citation needed ]