We were lucky to catch up with Marcelo Wanderkauven recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Marcelo, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Since I was 12 I’ve been obsessed with guitars, there was something entrancing about them. I took apart my first guitar, which I borrowed from one of my mom’s friends. The guitar was unplayable so I tried to fix it; which didn’t turn out so well. Unhappy with my lack of skills and knowledge, but always willling to learn, I grabbed another broken guitar and successfully repaired it. That first real repair awakened my curiosity in the engineering and mechanics behind an instrument. Fast forward to 2019, after building many of my own guitars and being laid off from an industry I despised, I decided to follow my heart and do what I always wanted to. Unfortunately, by the time I had all the necessary components, including a location, the COVID-19 pandemic started. The pandemic provided significant challenges, especially for a startup business.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As a young man, you want to follow your dreams and passions, but where I come from isn’t conducive to that idea. The laundry list of limitations was endless, but I had the opportunity to repair old, wooden boats, sailboats, speedboats, etc. That job helped me learn the skills behind woodwork, especially the boat cabins which require an extra attention to detail. Later in life these skills proved handy in getting jobs, something that can be difficult for an immigrant in San Francisco who doesn’t even know where he’s standing at a given moment. To give an idea, I used to carry around a phone book with a list of city streets and a map.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Despite the long list of challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic threw at me at every turn, like having a shop before the pandemic started, extremely low budget, small amounts of advertising, the biggest challenge was yet to come. June 23rd, 2022, started as a particularly hot summer morning. I started work as any other day, calculating estimates for repairs, when something spontaneously combusted in another room and my shop went up in flames faster than I could even react. As I walked out with a fire blazing behind around me, I felt lost. I was grateful to be alive, but couldn’t grasp it at the same time. I found myself in the situation in which I was not only unemployed, but recently married and having to call my wife to tell her “dear, please don’t be scared, but I have something to tell you” For a few months I had to repurpose my backyard as a defunct workshop until I could find my own space. Months after the fire, we moved into a new house where I setup a new shop in my garage and have been working there ever since working towards the next chapter. I was blessed with the help of many people including a few musicians, local music shops, and my loved ones.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

Yes, every guitar is hand-made to order following the requirements of the client. We use all sorts of materials and lumber to provide the perfect sound and feel. As I design and fabricate my instruments, I try to provide an alternative to a popular design, always focusing on the quality of the product and ensuring that each guitar has its own personality. I believe that instruments have a life of their own.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wanderkauven.com
• Instagram: wanderkauvenguitars
• Facebook: Wanderkauven Guitars
• Linkedin: Marcelo Wanderkauven
• Youtube: Wanderkauven Guitars
• Yelp: Wanderkauven Guitars

Image Credits
Wanderkauven Guitars