YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. Vladimir Tsar, a US-based Russian real estate expert, has found an interesting hobby.

He modifies guitars for famous musicians.

Recently Tsar modified a guitar for the Armenian-American rock band System Of A Down’s (SOAD) guitarist Daron Malakian. Malakian has even used the guitar in his latest music video.

But Tsar is nowhere near stopping, he says soon he will prepare custom-made guitars for the other members of SOAD.

In an interview to ARMENPRESS, Vladimir Tsar talked about this incredible hobby, his first guitar and upcoming creations.

The beginning of an interesting hobby

I was born and raised in Moscow [Russia]. I studied architecture-construction. I moved to the United States with my family in 1991. I’ve been living in Miami in the past seven years. My main activity is very clear for residents of Florida’s coastal region, I am a real estate agent. In addition, me and my wife are also engaged in interior design and decoration. The guitar topic began a few years ago. My decorator, florist and photographer wife Katya and I began using guitars. We take a simple electric guitar and we paint it – making it another color. It becomes a piece of art, although it can be played on. At the beginning we were simply changing the color of the guitars, then imagination kicked in.  

The First Guitar

I did not know Sergey Shnurov, frontman of Leningrad [rock band], composer, poet, painter, actor, producer, showman and the most famous media figure after Vladimir Putin in Russia, we didn’t even have mutual acquaintances. I opened an Instagram account about three years ago, I began following various people, and I saw photos of Sergey who was vacationing in Santa Monica. In the comments section I wrote : “Could you sign my 1983 Fender Telecaster guitar?” I had to depart for LA with my family at that time. My comment was followed by unbelievable developments. Sergey read my comment and replied, saying he is leaving for Russia in two days, he followed me back and suggested me to message him immediately. I momentarily asked my wife to clarify for me how to send a message, I messaged Sergey the contacts of a university friend of mine who lives in LA, whom in turn I quickly mailed by guitar. Shnurov contacted her, my friend took the guitar to him and Shnurov signed it.

A few months later I personally met Sergey Shnurov after his concert in Riga. We talked about literature and music for about half an hour. In the end I told him about my idea on making a vintage guitar , and he liked it. I made a Photoshop sketch upon returning to Miami. A month later the guitar was already in St. Petersburg, at Shnurov’s. And in 2016 he played on this guitar in the Ice Palace before an audience of 18,000. Shnurov has also displayed the guitar at his individual exhibition.

Guitar for System Of A Down’s Daron Malakian

Both SOAD and Leningrad were highly popular in the 2000s. I was a fan of Leningrad, my son Alexei was a fan of SOAD. Eventually it so happened that he began liking Leningrad, and I began listening to System Of A Down, in order to understand it. My wings had grown after the first guitar story, and there was no doubt on who the next guitar will be for.

I was thinking that the guitar must be image of SOAD, and especially Daron Malakian. I’ve heard somewhere that true art is born by harmoniously combining the incompatible. That’s what the guys from System Of A Down did, when they combined heavy metal and Armenian intonation. And that’s truly amazing. And this is all that I have tried to convey on the guitar. Since 1977, Paul Stanley from KISS made the Ibanez Iceman guitar popular, and I placed the map of Armenia on this type of a guitar.

It would be too simple to draw an Armenian flag or a carpet. It is another thing to engrave the map of Armenia, surrounded by neighboring countries. There is a cross-stone on the handle of the guitar, and the reverse side says SOAD in Armenian letters. Scars on Broadway’s [rock band founded by Daron Malakian] Lives premiered online on April 23, featuring this guitar.

The idea on making a guitar for Daron was born after watching SOAD’s 2015 April concert in Armenia. This was their best concert, and the rain was multiplying the effect. SOAD artists themselves admit that this concert was the culmination of their career. And, certainly, I was inspired by Terry George’s The Promise.

How the guitar was delivered to Daron

I didn’t personally know Daron, I didn’t even know anyone who had seen him. This story is even more unbelievable than the first guitar story. I made a Photoshop sketch of a guitar and I had sent it to Daron on Instagram. He has looked into my account, he left comments and said: “This is an amazing guitar, make it!” When I had already begun making the guitar I began having certain doubts. It turned out that there are 20-30 Daron Malakian accounts on the internet. But it was too late, I decided to continue making the guitar. I finished, what do I do with the guitar? I don’t know. And suddenly it so happens that a friend of my close friend is organizing the System Of A Down concerts in Moscow in 2017. I departed for Moscow. In short, the guitar was delivered to Daron. It was a real chain of successes. By the way, I blessed the guitar in the Armenian church of Boca Raton [Florida].

Guitars for other members of System Of A Down

The sketches of guitars for Serj Tankian and Shavo Odadjian are gradually being born in my mind. Armenian theme will be definitely featured. But if I prepare the guitars there will be no repetition. I don’t know yet what I’ll do with John Dolmayan’s drums.

The next guitar

Recently I met with Paul Stanley from KISS. I have interesting ideas. I would also want to make a bass-guitar for Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. And in Russia no one else than Zemfira comes to mind.

From hobby to business

This can’t work as a business model. It is a single-edition product, I can make guitars only when the musician or the music cause emotions in me. Both of my guitars didn’t have any commercial nature, perhaps that is why they succeeded.

Author – Roza Grigoryan

Photo credit – Greg Waterman, Yekaterina Tsar Kulchitskaya

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan