Welcome to the golden era for guitarists. With so many established choices in the market, the actualisation of Maestro Guitars was always going to be an uphill battle. The journey of Maestro Guitars from its humble beginnings has been fraught with endless frustration, learning, and success. The story began in 2001 when Hozen was still a young sophomore.

Ho Zen Yong, founder of Maestro guitars and affectionately known as Hozen, possesses an entrepreneurial spirit so often lacking in Singapore. Having dabbled in various business ventures during his varsity days in SMU (Singapore Management University), plunging into the guitar business was a surprise to many. His father who runs a piano shop (Renner Piano Co.) was probably a vital influence in this seemingly bold choice; especially in Singapore. Being immersed in music since young, Hozen plays some piano and guitar but has always been fond of the six string. When he was an undergraduate, he had already envisioned a line of guitars which would eventually set new standards in terms of quality and affordability.

Distinctly adroit, guitar building is a natural progression of Hozen’s inclinations. However, he struggled to find a proper workshop with the right setup. His breakthrough came when his dad provided him a space in Renner’s warehouse. There, he worked assiduously on guitar design and building; ultimately even sacrificing his grades in school. Like any other journeyman, Hozen needed a teacher; he spent three weeks in Goa with British luthier Chris Horton and this was where his foundations were built. He later established contact with several luminaries such as Kenny Hill (Hill Guitars) and Hideo Kamimoto who gave him some invaluable advice.

The biggest motivating factor behind Maestro Guitars is the frustration at the shortage of reasonably priced, high performance guitars in Singapore. Most guitars lack playability off the rack and Hozen decided to start designing and getting resources to build guitars to fulfill his dream: affordable yet working class guitars for budding and professional musicians. Maestro Guitars has constantly strive to out-do themselves as well as the competition and Maestro guitars has already moved beyond providing playability into guitars which are a dream to play as well as to own.

Maestro Guitars has grown steadily over the years and today, Maestro Guitars has four retail outlets, one overseas retail franchise in Thailand and a fully equipped production workshop.