In the latest episode of China from All Angles, host Wes Chen interviews Louis Luk, CEO and founder of guitar company Lava Music. The creator of smart guitars develops instruments and provides educational services that merge software, hardware, and humanity.
In 2013, Luk founded Lava Music on the campus of the Musicians Institute Hollywood with some friends. In the beginning, Lava mainly distributed guitars overseas to China, as the country had limited access to international guitar brands.
Later on, Luk decided to combine technology and music to make new cutting-edge instruments that could produce innovative music.
In 2017, after years of development, Lava released Lava Me, the world’s first unibody carbon fiber guitar. In 2021, the company improved upon the product, turning it into the world’s first smart guitar. With a touchscreen and apps, the unparalleled instrument enables users to customize their sound perfectly.
Lava is now one of the world’s largest carbon fiber guitar manufacturers, with more than 100 patents and seven international design awards under its belt.
In this episode of CFAA, Luk takes us back to the beginning of Lava Music and reveals some of the difficulties he has faced throughout his journey. He also reflects on the term ‘Made in China’ and how its negative connotations impact Chinese entrepreneurs.
Get to know Luk, who represents a new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs who are revolutionizing the music industry through technology.
‘China From All Angles’ is brought to you by East-West Bank, the premier financial bridge between the U.S. and China. Listen to the new podcast’s first episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, SoundCloud, and 小宇宙.
