words rachel mok

A local guitar maker’s show will demonstrate why he is a favourite with the super stars.

After Eric Clapton’s Unplugged became the biggest selling unplugged album in history back in 1992, the two hand-made Martin acoustic guitars used in it were the most sought-after instruments of the time. One of them was auctioned for US$791,500 in 2004, setting the highest record for a Martin guitar ever sold; and two similar signature models were made under the musician’s name. This can mean different things to different people, but to any guitar builder one thing is obvious – if a rock star someday knocks on your door, it very likely means your time has come. Still, fame and wealth did not fall on local guitar maker Sha when he first met Canto-pop rebel Nicolas Tse
in 1999.

Sha had quit his full-time job as an interior designer after the economic downturn in 1998 and opened his own workshop for mobile phone graphics. He had been interviewed by the media a few times and had caught the eye of teen idol Tse. When Tse finally made it to the shop, he was struck by a flame-shaped electric guitar Sha had spent nine months making and polishing during his studies in Australia in the ’80s. “He immediately said he wanted to buy it and asked for the price,” Sha says. The guitar was not for sale, but Sha agreed to custom-make a few guitars for the popster’s coming shows.

One thing led to another and instead of mobile phone graphics, Sha has ended up creating guitars. “They say my custom-made guitars cost $100,000 each,” he says, “but it is actually around $10- to 20,000. Some rich people did come up and check out my guitars and said ‘Oh, it is not worth it.’” And the rest were simply scared by the sky-high price. “It took me longer to get people to understand my work,” says Sha.

And how long is that? After starting to build custom models in his backyard in 2000, he moved into a factory in 2004 and now has a studio in Wanchai, but it won’t be until this September that Sha will showcase the guitars and basses in an open display event under his label RWG (Riverwood Guitars). He has worked with artists of various genres and generations over the years, from Eugene Pao to Paul Wong and The Wynners to Soler, and some will be demonstrating the instruments and playing in a free jamming session during the exhibition. Although Nicholas Tse has long vanished from our music scene, Sha’s signature flame-shaped is still sitting comfortably in his studio. He wonders if this debut work should be shown on the night. “Look here,” he points to where the neck of the guitar doesn’t perfectly fit the fretboard. “There are many little mistakes like this.”

Considering he was only a teen when he built the guitar, one cannot complain too much. Growing up in Australia under the influence of classic rock bands like Kiss and AC/DC, Sha wanted his own ‘special guitar’ like those he saw in magazines. Failing to find one in Australia, he worked in a sawmill and later a guitar factory where he learnt the craft, that ultimately led to all the beautifully crafted instruments in his studio. “I think a guitar must be played, because its sound can only get better that way,” he says. He thinks people who buy a guitar to hang on the wall just have too much money. “Putting it there, it is just… dead. It is like knowing someone but not saying hi. There is no communication.”

And what if someone smashes his ‘baby’ on stage? After all, Nicolas Tse was his first client. “I don’t think that will happen because I think my clients treasure their guitars,” he opines. But he wouldn’t mind if it happened. “They will come back to me after that,” laughs the “carpenter with an artistic element” as he describes himself.

The Riverwood Guitar Exhibit Event will be staged at Grappa’s Cellar on September 2. Doors open at 4pm and entry is free. A RWG new model demonstration will commence at 8:30pm, followed by a jam session.