Bradley Kahabka of Long Beach on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Bradley Kahabka and have shared our conversation below.

Bradley, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me starts at 6am, coffee, some morning stretches, and just the peaceful quiet of the city before everyone else wakes up and the complications of the day arise. I used to be a night owl in my 20’s but as time goes on I’ve really learned to appreciate the quiet moments when the rest of the world is still asleep. I tend to check some news and things as well and gather my thoughts and plan for the rest of the day. Jump on the motorcycle, quick ride to work, and start booting up the shop and machinery. If I have anything major to cut on the CNC this is time I like to get it done. I’m running a custom wood shop making instruments so things like necks, bodies, and fretboards tend to take a lot of time. Doing these things first allows my mind to be able to focus on smaller details throughout the day. I just chip away at orders or custom work a little bit at a time, typically one instrument will take 3-6 weeks to do and I’ve usually got 3 to 4 going at once so it’s a lot of systems and details to keep track of. I typically will try to do multiple processes like installing frets or painting at the same time and do my best to work in batches. After work is usually the gym, and when I’m home I can focus on personal work and continue working towards a few of the paintings I’ve got going. Once in awhile if inspiration hits I will do some design work on the computer for the instruments, but I mostly try to keep work and personal time separate. It can be difficult to create all day then still try to keep that momentum going at home for my personal work, but that’s the only way I’ll ever get it done. Then it’s just dinner and I’m done. My days are interesting yet boring at the same time if that makes sense. Consistency is what pays off though, it can be hard to see the change in one’s life doing the same thing everyday, but I look back to even a year ago and the difference between then and now is impressive. Kind of like when I paint, you need to step back once in awhile to see the big picture and the progress you’ve made even though at the time it doesn’t seem like much.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Bradley Kahabka, I’m an artist, designer, musician and luthier. I started out going to school for mechanical engineering, pivoted towards music, spent some time in the Army, and landed in a BFA in Drawing and Painting at CSULB. My professional work at the moment is as the Master Luthier at a custom shop making instruments. I’m making ukuleles for the most part, but this year released a line of electric solid body ukes and basses as well, where I also am winding my own pickups for those instruments. The main focus is playability of course but my secondary goal and perhaps the more fun one is the artistry behind the instruments as well. I’ve become known for intricate fretboard designs and inlay work and just pushing the boundaries of possibility. The fretboards have an almost painterly design to some of them, which comes from my art background, and I think coming at the builds from an artistic standpoint rather than a classically trained luthier’s standpoint makes them stand out more than typical instruments. In just a few years I’ve managed to put instruments all over the globe really.

I’ve got some private stock/fancy electrics in the works, and I will be releasing a new line of electrics at the end of this month that will have custom metal flake paint jobs, reminiscent of that 70’s style aesthetic. I’ve always been drawn to older things, retro styles, and a lot of my lifestyle kind of reflects that. My daily driver motorcycle is a 1979 Goldwing that I restored and did the paint on, and some of my paintings have that older type of aesthetic as well. I’ve got plans to do some more neon sign type of paintings, and I pair these with grand landscapes. I’m still thinking of new ideas for this year, but I’ve got some more scuba/watersports type of paintings also as I’m pretty involved in those sports as well. This summer I took a kitesurfing trip to Zanzibar in Tanzania so I’m working on a few things from there at the moment that I’ve got references photos from.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
I suppose this could be counted as a series of relationships, but I think one of the timeframes in my life that helped me develop the most was during my time in the Boy Scouts of America. I had a really good troop growing up and we actually did a lot of remote/survival style camping. My scoutmaster was a retired marine and just taught us all a lot about being self-sufficient and being a good community member. It may sound corny but the values it taught me at a young age really were invaluable. Integrity is probably the biggest lesson I learned from the whole experience. Leave things better than how you found them. Not to get political but there really isn’t a choice in this country anymore. If our leaders had any integrity at all then none of what is happening in this country would be. They’re all spineless cowards who have turned the entire world and our allies against us in less than a year, all because they can’t do the right thing. The scouts taught me leadership, to be a person of honor, have respect for your fellow man, and be a trustworthy individual.

I went on to become a scout instructor at a Boy Scout camp where I was in charge of teaching wilderness survival. I remember being a 16 year old kid teaching all these things with authority, sending kids off in the middle of the night to build shelters on their own and staying up all night to watch them while they were unaware, and just being responsible for something like that at a young age looking back was pretty incredible.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
The older you get, the more you realize that a lot of people around you have suffered and been through some hard times. I won’t get into details, but I am more than acquainted with that. At one point I was basically homeless and had to just completely start my life over from scratch. It’s in the past, and I’ve moved around so much that most people in my life would never know, but it just goes to show you that even if you think you know a person that you may not truly really know them. Even if you met me now, that person who I was at that point in time is gone anyway, so I’ve learned that life isn’t a straight line and you aren’t the same person now that you will be in five or ten years anyway. It’s taught me that people will come and go as well. As your life evolves and changes, so will theirs, and your paths will eventually drift apart. Nothing will last forever and that is ok. Without bad times in your life I am not sure if one would ever really be capable of appreciating the good times, and that’s one thing that suffering has taught me. To enjoy the little things, fight for what is right, and do the best you can in this moment because that’s all you’ve really got. It’s kept me a humble person with a simple lifestyle, and I’m more interested in the work I make than the material things I have

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
I would say for the most part it is. Whether or not that is a good or a bad thing I don’t really know but I tend to just be honest and say what’s on my mind. I was born and raised in New York so that type of direct speaking and saying what is exactly on your mind is one of those traits that stuck with me. I get socially exhausted when people tend to kind of dance around a subject, worrying if they are going to be somehow offensive or protect that person by not really saying the truth. I usually find the opposite to be true, things often get lost in translation and true intentions aren’t spelled out. Probably my time in the Army has something to do with that as well. There’s been many times I’ve had to just say to people look, you aren’t going to offend me, just tell me the actual truth and lets move on. Whether that be a personal thing or professional matter where I just want to know a solid answer so I can find a solution and move on.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I think that is absolutely the only way to live. Never do anything half-heartedly, you never know what doors you will open by putting your full effort into something. If you do anything to your absolute fullest, and honestly, I think it’s something people notice even if it is subconsciously. I think because I’ve always believed that way it’s always led to other people being able to put their trust in me and putting me in positions to accel with responsibilities that otherwise you wouldn’t have access to. I feel like you tend to become a main character in your story rather than someone sitting on the sidelines just observing the world as it goes around you. A good example is my current job actually, it didn’t exist before I came along. I was just working there part time doing instrument setups throughout school, and just by doing more than what my job required of me became the warehouse manager. Not because it was a job opening but just because I was already really doing those things without being asked to. Then the idea of a custom shop came to the table, I happened to be finishing art school and convinced the boss to buy some wood and equipment so I could experiment and see what could happen. Three years later and I’ve fully moved into the shop, design and build every day, taught myself how to do it all, slowly transitioned to the full time position and now I’ve got instruments across the globe.

So no-one may praise you for what you are doing right away, but I promise you that giving anything your full effort will always pay off. I never expected anything from anyone, I always just did these things because I wanted to and felt it was the right thing to do, and it led to all of this, including getting approached to do interviews such as this one.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.Ohanacustomshop.com
• Instagram: Kahabart