VietNamNet Bridge – As a music lover, researching musical instruments is my hobby and I came to Ba Don Guitar Factory for such a passion. Regardless of the burning heat and urban noise outside, the studio attracted me thanks to dozens of guitars hanging all over the place.

Nguyen Van Nguyen puts the final touches on a classical guitar in Ba Don Guitar studio in HCMC’s Tan Phu District

Witnessing artisans making instruments elegantly, meticulously and attentively in stillness which is just broken by one of them adjusting the strings or playing some improvised melodies, I seemed to have a chance in a million to explore the traditional method of making acoustic guitars that may be seen easily somewhere in the city, even in my room.

“Nothing is never what it seems and guitar is also not an exception as to make them, artisans are required to have deep passion, dexterity, patience as well as learning spirit,” Nguyen Van Nguyen, the fourth child in a Ba Don traditional guitar making family, said.

While completing the final phase on a guitar, Nguyen started the conversation with a story about his family. His father was born Nguyen Van Tran in 1947 but known by the name Ba Don. He took the career by chance when he worked for a cooperative in HCMC’s District 4 in the 1960s. After the nation’s liberation, business got worse but Ba Don did not give up his passion and tried to keep it afloat by making some guitars for guests until he started up his family business in the 1990s.

“It was the first step that counted as at the time, there were not many people playing music, except artists, when people needed to earn a living first,” said Nguyen. However, Ba Don has passed down his craft to seven children – five sons and two daughters – who are all now working for Ba Don Guitar.

“We knew the craft when we were children. We learned from our father who is always our master,” said Nguyen. “We learned how to make a good guitar but also how to nourish the passion even in tough times and how to develop the sense of hearing and foster the characters of a craftsman,” Nguyen added.

Now Ba Don Guitar has over 100 people working at its factory in HCMC’s Binh Chanh District. “It takes about ten years for a worker to become a guitar artisan, so our factory now has about 20 skilled ones who can decide the quality of a product. Others are responsible for simpler steps such as cutting wood, tracing and blinding the fingerboard,” said Nguyen.

Sound is the key element of a fine guitar so making the body and tone control is an important step. “However, working in a guitar factory like going to a show,” said Nguyen Van Thanh Bach, who works for Ba Don out of his hobby. Bach as a guitarist owns dozens of guitars.

Ba Don Guitar now supplies at least 6,000 guitars for stores around the country, of which many are exported. To make good products, Ba Don uses American pine wood and tuning pegs. Ba Don guitars are priced from VND700,000 to VND15 million or VND20 million.

Ba Don also makes other acoustic instruments like mandolins, ukuleles or cai luong guitar upon customer request.

“Several years ago, we took a hit from cheap Chinese guitars that were overwhelming the local market but our premium quality has won the hearts and minds of customers,” said Nguyen.    

SGT/VNN