The freelancer network did an interview with Karan on their Facebook. Here is what they had to Say:
Featuring Karan Singh on this month’s TFN-Featured. Karan is a luthier and is currently residing in Goa. He is the founder of Bigfoot Guitars – a one-stop-shop for custom-made guitars and repairs, check it out at
www.bigfootguitars.com. He started it as an experiment to repair personal guitar when he was a training consultant and now has built a full-fledged guitar workshop. Apart from the usual Karan has built instruments using woods like Mango, Monkey Pod, Jackfruit, Spalted Tamarind, Padauk, and Indian cedar. He also loves traveling to different countries in his quest for learning new skills from the best luthiers out there. We are really happy to have you featured on TFN-Featured.
Interviewed by Akshatha Patkar
Let us have a look at what he had to share…
1. Have you been interested in guitars since your childhood?
“I started playing the guitar during my college days at St. Stephen’s, Delhi.”
2. Tell us about your journey from a consultant to a professional luthier.
“I spent 8 years in the consulting space, running workshops on Leadership Development and Team Building for various corporate entities. The job was fun, but kept me traveling for half the month! In 2014 my son was born, and I decided to make a shift, in order to be able to spend more time at home. A few years prior to this, I developed an interest in repairing and making guitars, and over a few months I set up a small workshop in my home basement. By the time I became a father, I was pretty sure that I wanted to give this new line of work a serious shot.
In the summer of 2014, my wife, 3-month-old son, and I went to Ireland, where I apprenticed with a luthier (guitar maker) for several months, building guitars under his guidance. Since then, I've made it a point to head out of the country every couple of years to upgrade my skillset, learning from the masters in places like Canada, the USA, and even the far east!”
3. They say, ‘Practice makes a man perfect’. How has the practice changed your work overtime?
“I think in this line of work, perfection is an aspiration!! Building a guitar involves completing a number of steps with almost zero tolerance for error. It's only when everything is done just right' that the end product is something truly special. There's absolutely no substitute for doing the same tasks over and over again, till it becomes second nature. Over the years, the focused practice has helped me improve my efficiency and speed while improving the quality of the final product.”
4. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
“From my ex-boss in consulting days, while I was contemplating my future - "You're only 30, and you seem really interested in guitars. You should go ahead and give it everything you've got. Worst case, if it doesn't work out in five years, you can always come back to consulting!" “
5. Tell us about your experience building different varieties of guitars.
“I build acoustic, classical, electric, and bass guitars. Each one has its own set of challenges and needs to be approached differently. Also, every guitar I build is custom-made for the player, so no two pieces are ever identical. My clients range from enthusiasts to pro musicians to collectors from all over the world, so I never know what to expect! Occasionally there are some really crazy demands, but then I also get clients who challenge me creatively, and I love that. A guitar is simply a tool. My job is to make it feel like an extension of the player, so it's comfortable to hold, easy to play, and gorgeous to hear!”
6. Tell us how you organize, plan, and prioritize your work.
“I'm going to keep this brief otherwise people will fall asleep reading it! I try to maximize my efficiency in the workshop since I work alone. Setting up fixtures for each task takes a lot of time, so I tend to batch process a number of items. For example, I will glue up and prep all the tops and backs for my entire year together, so that they're ready for use as I build in the coming months.
I live in a very humid state (Goa), so I have complete humidity and temperature control in my workspace in order to ensure that the wood stays stable and doesn't warp.”
7. How do you manage to stay enthusiastic and focused during challenging situations?
“Frankly, the fact that I decided to make guitars for a living in a country like India means I’ve prepared myself for a lifetime of challenges!
I tend to lose myself in my work and focus on what is in my sphere of control. If unforeseen circumstances arise, as they always do, I prefer to take time out from work and focus on enjoying time with the family, or travel for a few days. It's way more fun than wallowing in self-pity.”
8. What is the time period to build a guitar?
“Takes me around 3 months to build a guitar.”
9. What are the factors to be considered before building or repairing a guitar?
“The main things are the musician’s playing style, choice of woods for his/her ideal sound, body shape and size, scale length, and what kind of environment the guitar will live in.”
10. What is that one thing that you wish you knew earlier?
“Nothing, really. I enjoy the process of learning, and look forward to soaking in information from anyone who wants to have a serious chat about guitars
”
11. What message/advice do you want to give to your followers?
“Get yourself a Bigfoot!”
Follow him here:
1. Instagram Page:
www.instagram.com/bigfoot_guitars
2. Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/bigfootguitarsindia
3. YouTube Channel:
www.youtube.com/channel/UCuaJ4ctXamvdeRIHdsTP0uw
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