String theory
KOCHI: To any musician, the instrument they hold is probably worth more than everything else they own. For Thiruvananthapuram-based artist Vivian Varghese, who started playing drums and guitar as a kid, building the string instrument on his own was a dream. An alumnus of Swarnabhoomi Academy Of Music, he has now launched Kerala’s first and only premium guitar brand. Guitarist and composer Rex Vijayan launched the official logo and website of Aurelia Guitars online on Friday.
The idea came to him in 2016, when he went out looking for someone to repair his guitar and realised there is no one he could trust. “It was around the time my daughter was born – the brand is named after her. I went online and started learning the process, and also caught up with luthiers abroad. There wasn’t anyone I could train under locally, so it took some time. Eventually, few of my students started enquiring if I can fix their instruments, and that was a start,” says Vivian. He discussed the idea with long-term friend and artist Rex, who came home one evening with his Gibson guitars and asked Vivian to fix them.
“It is hard to find people who can take care of premium guitars in Kerala. They are tricky and delicate. But the way Vivian handled them made me confident,” says Rex. “Afterwards, I went back to ask if he can make a guitar with specifications that suit me - customised fretboard and radius,” he adds. One of the three custom designs Vivian is launching is based on Rex’s specs.
Vivian’s career in music that spans over a decade helped him pick and choose what sounds and feels best, and then blend those to create Aurelia’s designs. He was planning on releasing the finished guitars, but the lockdown delayed shipping of materials that were to come in from around the world.Once you place an order with Vivian, he lets you choose from his three custom models, and then customises specifications like pick-ups and fretboards. “I have two companies I source from and they offer a range of pick-ups. Once you make the customisation, I transfer the digital model to my CNC machine to start with the crafting. The process ideally takes around six months,” he says.
Apart from mahogany that is sourced locally, Vivian also uses a variety of wood from around the world – purpleheart, maple, walnut, poplar, ash, pine and even extremely rare ones like Tasmanian blackwood sourced all the way from Serbia.
“When I was a kid, I remember having to borrow guitars from friends and mentors to play shows, because the international brands were too expensive. For now, my designs are handmade and cost over a lakh, but by 2022, if all goes well, I plan on setting up a workshop where I can make these premium guitars available for less than H50,000,” says Vivian. Learn more on aureliaguitars.com.