Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Bullock
Hi Paul, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m very fortunate that I found my passion and purpose very early in life. The intersection of the guitar as my voice in the world, and the thirst to build and create things for myself and for others. These interests have stuck with me from my earliest teenage years through to today. Combining these two passions provides an endless supply of inspiration and creativity. It keeps me coming back to build the next “best guitar” that I can possibly create.
Honing my skills as both an active player, and as a builder, has given me the opportunity to know exactly what a great guitar feels and sounds like, but also how to craft it from rough blocks of wood, metal and shell, such that it also looks amazing.
My guitars, first and foremost, must sound fantastic and be dialed in to play effortlessly for the discerning player. Yet they must also tell the player’s story and be the artistic focal point of a room. Playable artwork. That’s my goal.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been a long road, but also a satisfying journey. I’ve been playing and building guitars consistently over a span of about 40 years. However, along the way I also picked up bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering, which led to a career in the technology sector focusing on fiber optics and high-speed networking equipment. Throughout this time, I still managed to produce at least one or two guitars per year as a side gig. My passion for building guitars never wavered.
Turns out that the engineering background really helped hone my creative design skill and gave me some unique skills in electronics. I’ve been able to incorporate some quite intricate wiring configurations for the pickups, active electronics and switching systems within my guitars. I’ve also been able to push the visual design boundaries with the use of microcontrollers to operate integrated lighting systems withing the guitar fretboards and bodies. This really creates a new level of “wow” factor that can captivate and delight an audience during performances.
Furthermore, my career in the corporate sector provided me with several useful tools for sales and marketing, processes for managing a chain of suppliers, and the discipline to design a product with precise specifications and repeatable quality.
Although I’ve been building guitars since my earliest teen years, I formally launched Bullock Guitars LLC in 2016 and transitioned to a full-time guitar builder in 2020. I’m able to create about 10 completely unique guitars per year, but the quality and complexity of each guitar has compounded significantly. I am fortunate to make other people’s dream guitars come true by combining my lifetime of craftsmanship, musicianship, technology, electronics, into Bullock Guitars.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My clients come to me because they want something that is totally different. Something that isn’t available to the masses. A guitar that is so distinctively perfect for them and that they will cherish and play throughout their lifetime and eventually pass on as part of their legacy as an heirloom.
Clearly, I’m not in the business of mass production since there is only one of me doing the guitar building. This allows me to build a connection with my clients. My goal is to discover what makes them tick. Not only am I trying to understand the sonic and functional aspects of the guitar that I’m building for them, but I also want to understand their story so that I can capture it visually in the inlays and imagery.
Like a child, each guitar that I create is truly unique. In fact, I give each guitar a name (or collaborate with my clients to come up with a meaningful name). Sometimes it’s about bringing out their family heritage (Hern Galaxy, The Bostonian), celebrating their vocation (Red Baron, Union Jack, Lady Justice), reveling in their inner geek (My Precious, Scorpion Child), or saluting their musical influences (Red Zeppelin, Atomic Punk).
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
In the context of being creative and crafting boutique art guitars the thing that matters most to me is making exactly the right guitar for the player. One of my greatest joys as a builder is when I make a true connection with the player and craft the perfect instrument for them – combining the sonic qualities, physical touch, and aesthetics to tell their story (or provide a story) visually in the artwork.
Earlier this year one client told me “It is said that there are things and there are experiences. As we get older, we tend to value experiences over things. In my case, with this guitar, I have been given both, and each is an 11 on a 10 point scale. The guitar is a work of art! It’s beautiful.”
For a player, the right guitar can help them play beyond their perceived capabilities and inspire them to find their musical voice when writing or performing with it. It can also be a source of positive energy simply by hanging on the wall in their home, office, or studio; much like a fine piece of artwork. There’s not just one aspect of the perfect guitar. Rather it’s the combination of multiple contributing factors that are so closely intertwined with the specific player that the guitar is destined for.
Pricing:
- My Precious – $9,000
- Typical Custom Guitar Price Range – $6000 – $15,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bullockguitars.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bullock_guitars/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bullockguitars
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bullockguitars
