ViK Guitars | Passion vs Business: The Path I Chose

There’s a very specific way I see ViK Guitars as a brand, and luthiery as a profession in general. It's a perspective that's quite different from what's expected by the wider public and the so-called "guitar community" en masse. But let’s start from the beginning. We’re going to look at this through the lens of two major forces: art/passion and business, and the constant tension between them.

Unlike some other well-known builders, I didn’t get into luthiery because I loved woodworking. I didn’t start this as a business venture to make money. What brought me in was a pure obsession with guitars — and the simple fact that I couldn’t afford a decent one. So I started learning, wrestling with garbage gear. That forced me to understand the technical side, the construction, the flaws. But I was always purpose-driven. I cared about the result, not the process.

Luthiery is not an easy profession. It takes a million micro-skills, an endless appetite for knowledge, and years of dedication to produce truly great instruments. The only thing that kept me going was the unwavering passion for creating something special. That moment when a fresh guitar gives off its first sound — or when an artist breathes life into it through their music — that’s the drug. That’s the high.

An Analogy

There are two main types of professional guitarists: those who excel at playing others’ music — studio sessions, cover bands, pub gigs — and those who write and perform their own music, focused and original. Both paths are valid. But this same divide exists in luthiery too. Many builders start in repair work. Some move on to copying classic designs. And a few develop their own vision.

Once a builder gains a following, they usually face a fork: keep taking custom commissions (secure, but draining), build their own stock and sell it directly (difficult unless your brand carries serious weight), or scale through dealers (which requires higher output and sacrificing 30% margin). Most get stuck in the custom phase. It feels safest, until it doesn't.

The real issue for me came down to two things. First: I never wanted to be a custom shop. Like the guitarist who writes their own music, I always had more than enough ideas to keep creating for decades. Second: the guitar business is brutally hard. You can be amazing and still only scratch out a modest living.

Passion. The luthier's bug.

It keeps you chasing that high, year after year. That’s why one day I made a decision: I would not walk the dead-end business path. I chose to treat guitar-making as a passion — not my survival plan. That freed me to build what I want, when I want, how I want.

That’s why you can't place a custom order for a ViK. You can only buy or reserve one when it's nearly done. No wait lists. No stress. No miscommunications. And for everyone who gets it — thank you!