My name is Erik Ulven, and I’ve been working professionally as a guitar designer and luthier since 2014. Before that, I studied Industrial Design at Iowa State University. After graduating, I packed up everything I owned and moved to Nashville, TN, where I started working as a guitar repair and paint technician. The environment was intense—I had to work on a minimum of 8-10 guitars per day, and everything had to meet high-quality control standards, or I was out the door.

In 2015, I started my first business, focusing on repairing guitars and building custom electric guitars. Three years later, I moved to Daytona Beach, FL, with my wife and two children, and founded Sunland Guitars. Over the years, I’ve encountered many challenges within the guitar industry, leading to burnout at one point. But as my name got passed around and Sunland Guitars grew, I began changing how I did business by really listening to my clients and creating solutions tailored to their needs.

Now, I offer a boutique setup and repair experience so my clients can trust that their guitars are done right every time they walk out my door. No more waiting weeks or months for work to get done, no more gatekeeping maintenance tips, and no more wondering if anything was even done to your guitar. With over 8,000 guitars under my belt, I’m happy to share my knowledge and experience, helping my clients become better prepared to take care of their own guitars—or at least know when to bring them to me. I take pride in knowing that my clients are some of the most knowledgeable guitarists in the world when it comes to repairs and setups.

Looking ahead, I’m excited to share even more knowledge through online courses, private coaching, and in-person workshops to continue educating guitarists all over the world. My ultimate goal as a designer is to create the next iconic guitar model that stands the test of time. I help guitarists find their identity in a guitar, whether it’s through mods or a full signature design.

To me, building classic guitar shapes feels like a musician only playing covers. While I have nothing against it—it's a great way to earn a living—I need to make my own mark on this world by designing my own guitars. I also can’t understand why guitarists are content with playing other people’s guitars, which is why I created my motto: Original guitars for original musicians.