Balinews Bali Denpasar Update February 8, 2022.

Together with Gung Ade Karang and Mbak Ningrat Karang, we went to the residence of Wayan Tuges, a sculptor who finally created a new innovation, namely making Balinese carved guitars on Jalan Baruna 5, Guwang, Gianyar Regency.

    With Mr. Wayan Tuges and some of his guitars.

When the three of us arrived, Wayan Tuges was immediately greeted and invited us into his gallery which was filled with various kinds of guitars, both electric and acoustic. But what amazed the reporters was that the guitars, both electric/acoustic guitars, were all carved in Balinese style.

Starting as a carving artist, Wayan Tuges is now a person who is able to turn an ordinary guitar into a musical instrument with a high selling value. His guitars can cost hundreds of millions of rupiah and buyers come from various countries. The cheapest price is 2000 US dollars and the most expensive is 10,000 US dollars.

Wayan Tuges' success is not instant, he has been in the process since about 17 years ago.

“2005 was the beginning of my learning to make guitar. My friend, Danny Fonfeder, brought a guitar specially for me and filled it with Balinese carvings," he said while chatting casually in his gallery room.

At that time, he could not complete the guitar engraving order. In 2007, he met an American guitar artist named Josh Moris. From that artist, Wayan Tuges received diligent guidance for two years.

For Wayan Tuges, as long as you want to learn, nothing is impossible to do. Based on that belief, he did not stop exploring to create new products on his guitar, which was labeled the Blueberry Guitar.

He has produced around 2,000 guitar products which have been sold to various countries since 2007.

“At the moment most of the outside musicians are ordering and that's not my main goal. I want domestic musicians to use it,” he said.

The products, said Wayan Tuges, 90 percent use raw materials originating from within the country. It no longer relies on imported raw materials.

"Even those imports really don't exist in Indonesia," he said.

A number of musicians have used his guitar, including jazz musicians Paul Deslaurier, Golden Earing Band, and Jose Pletment, George Kooymans, Guthrie Govan, Michael Franti, Haylen Nam, Aurelio Voltaire, Carrie Scot. However, domestically it can still be counted on the fingers, such as Jun Bintang vocalist Bintang Band Bali, Iwan Fals, Doddy Hernanto, Sonata Klaki, Agres Setiawan, Dewa Budjana, Balawan, Bobby SID to former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, even President Joko Widodo. already ordered live realization.

Blueberry Guitar was also exhibited in various countries, one of which was in Canada at the MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, several times participated in the Nam show in the USA, Frankpurt Musik Mess

The carvings that adorn Wayan Tuges' guitar are not only Balinese. He received a guitar made according to the wishes of the customer.

"Indeed, the characteristics of Balinese carvings are, but if someone orders it with another model, we will serve it," said Wayan Tuges.

A monumental work is a unique musical instrument and the only one in the world, namely the Guiharpulele. The musical instrument is a combination of guitar, harp, ukulele, kalimba, and washboard. Gung Ade Karang has tried this 3 neck guitar which can produce 5 sounds of musical instruments, Gung Ade Karang was amazed when he tried it, a senior Balinese musician.

"This guitar was ordered by Walk off the Earth and the five instruments are one," he concluded.

One of the pride of the nation's children who came from Bali.

Journalists were very impressed and appreciated Wayan Tuges' work and Bali should be proud because one of the best regional sons is able to create high-quality carvings/sculpting works of art in the form of a guitar, which in every international exhibition always gets awards and extraordinary welcome from visitors from various countries.

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