Rising Stars: Meet Chuck Wilson of Redondo Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chuck Wilson.

Hi Chuck, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Chuck Wilson

In 2012, I embarked on a journey of designing guitars alongside Ken Kim of Muse Inc in Incheon, Korea. Gradually, Bootlegger gained traction in Los Angeles, thanks to word of mouth and YouTube videos. Our guitars are known for their high-quality craftsmanship and exceptional value.

Initially, my designs were inspired by vintage styles, which Ken and I meticulously updated to cater to the preferences of modern players. While we achieved success, I felt a sense of dissatisfaction and decided to reevaluate the direction of my company.

Drawing from my background as both a race car driver and race part performance designer, I adopted a similar approach to my guitar designs. I aimed to create innovative and potentially unconventional designs that may not be commercially viable.

I then begun to believe guitars are an art form, not a mere commercial product. I believed that they should be appreciated for their artistic value, even if they may not be widely accepted. Therefore, I embraced the risk of creating unique and unconventional designs, such as headless guitars with distinctive shapes and tones inspired by original headless builders, while still incorporating my own creative elements.

Initially, I introduced the Spade headless guitar, which quickly gained popularity. Subsequently, I moved on to the more exotic Absinthe model. We also expanded our product line by introducing both the Ace and Absinthe headless bass models.

While Ken Kim continued to build our guitars, we received requests for various pickup configurations, finish options, custom guitars, and basses. However, it became impractical for Ken to build one-off guitars, so my team and I decided to establish our Bootlegger Lounge and USA build shop. We began building blanks sent to us from Ken and now have our own CNC machine to cut in-house bodies. We exclusively custom build our designs and respectfully decline generic guitar build requests.

Our unique showroom’s was successful prompting us to invite our friends James Trussart and Jim Renken of James Tyler to join us in our lounge. We are now authorized dealers for Tyler and Trussart and proudly showcase their guitars alongside our custom builds.

We continue to refine the original designs and push the boundaries of innovation, working closely with the talented Bootlegger team of Sera Fae, Jason Schulberg, Roger Kohrs nd Matt Leu.

After 14 years of dedication, I am proud to announce that we have achieved the distinction of being both a USA Boutique Builder and a guitar luthier.

Chuck Wilson

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Simply growing a brand, learning how to become a innovative builder and artist

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Design and sell unique electric guitars. Design of headless guitars

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
A great professional music instrument

Pricing:

• Our professional guitars range from $90o to $1800n

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Bootleggerguitar.com
• Instagram: @bootleggerguitar
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BootleggerGuitar

Image Credits
Roger Kohrs
Sera Fae