RVA Guitars: “I Approach Each Guitar as a Piece of Art, Not Just an Instrument”

In our Luthier Interview Series we dive into the world of electric guitar craftsmanship with the experts who bring these instruments to life. This time, we feature an interview with Bryant Haynie from RVA Guitars.

In his Richmond workshop, Bryant builds electric guitars and ukuleles by hand, putting intense care into every detail. His most notable creation, the “Jerrycaster,” honors Jerry Garcia’s famous guitars while adding new features.

It’s just one of the many interesting subjects Bryant discusses in this interview, so let’s dive in!

What drew you to guitar lutherie, and how did you begin your journey as a builder?

I’ve long been a deadhead and into Jerry Garcia’s gear. I was absolutely in love the first time I saw one of Doug Irwin’s guitars, but they were entirely unattainable.

The desire to have a guitar like that started me down the path of building, though it took many years to turn that dream into a reality.

What does RVA stand for in your company name – “Richmond, Virginia” perhaps? And why did you choose this name?

Yes, RVA stands for Richmond, Va. We are very proud of our city; many local businesses use the RVA moniker.

As a one-man shop in Richmond, what are the biggest challenges and rewards of handling everything yourself?

The biggest challenge is time. Building guitars by hand takes a great deal of it, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The hardest part of this is marketing and selling, and when it’s just one person doing everything, the time required adds up fast. The biggest reward is seeing an instrument I made on stage.

Your tagline mentions “building handmade musical instruments to bring the rock.” What does this philosophy mean to you?

Every decision I make in my builds is aimed at making the best musical instrument I can. I care less about trends in design or manufacturing than I do about how well the instrument will inspire the player to create great music.

I have always believed that songs exist in the universe, and it is the writer’s job to find them. I’ve learned that guitars contain songs and always need the right player to pull them out.

I take this seriously. I could make a guitar that a future rock star could use to change the world.

I notice you build both electric guitars and ukuleles. What led you to include ukuleles in your lineup?

Guitar building involves a lot of waiting on glue and finishes to dry so I like having multiple instruments going at once.

I first started making them to dip my foot into acoustic building in a way that doesn’t take up too much shop space. (I don’t have much)

I’ll start with classical guitars, using the techniques I’ve developed in my concert Ukuleles. I initially hoped also to have them sell at a lower price point than my guitars, but I am finding the market to be so saturated with affordable CNC-produced ukes that sound pretty damn good.

In this economy, selling them for several times their original price is not easy. However, I love making them, so I will continue to work on them.

Your initial build deposit is $475. At what price range do you sell most of your hand-built guitars?

Most of my guitars are in the 2k-3k range. As a one-man shop, I can only build so many guitars on spec due to the cost of hardware, so for most models, I keep a demo on hand and offer them as a special order with payments split up through the build.

I do sell my ukes for $600, but I will raise the price as they continue to improve. I keep my prices as low as possible because I’m interested in getting my guitars in the hands of musicians more than collectors.

I also offer a sizeable discount to touring musicians who make a living on stage.

I’d like to grow my business to hire help and produce more, but I’m currently limited by how much money I can afford to invest in hardware. Building guitars is pretty expensive.

The “Jerrycaster” is your highest-priced model, ranging up to $5,990. Could you tell us about the significance of this particular model?

I wanted to make a guitar with the sound and electronics of Garcia’s Irwin guitars.

These contain innovative electronics, such as an onboard effects loop that sends sound straight from the pickups to your pedalboard and back into the guitar.

The sound is then buffered and returned to your amp as a low-impedance signal so that your effects always see the same input volume. You can also turn the level down without changing how the effects work.

The original Irwin guitars are pretty heavy (as much as 13.5 lbs), and I wanted to get the sound in a more ergonomic guitar, so I made them fully chambered and used laminated wood pickup rings and jack plates to keep weight further down.

I do offer this design in a more affordable variant, which I call my “Wulf Standard,” but the full boat custom models are mostly pricey because they are covered with many intricate hand-inlaid mother pearl and custom headstock marquetry.

The hardware and electronics for one of these cost me around $1200 wholesale, which also contributes to the costs.

You offer different wood options for your ukuleles, like Bearclaw spruce and Earthtone Cedar. How do you select tonewoods for your instruments?

I’ve been sourcing my uke tops from Alaska Specialty Woods. They salvage sinker and forest floor logs, and I try not to contribute any more than I have to the trees being cut.

As for electrics, I’m not really a tonewood believer, and I try to source as much local stuff as possible. Virginia has lots of excellent maple and walnut.

I like to search for repurposed materials and look for workshop sales where I can score exotic species that are already cut and seasoned.

How would you describe your design philosophy when it comes to creating new models?

I make them as ergonomic as possible while adhering somewhat to traditional guitar design. I’d probably be more experimental, but guitar players are the most conservative people on earth regarding guitar design.

Anything much different than what we started with in the 50s is a hard sell.

What’s your typical process when working with a customer on a custom build?

First, we discuss it until we are both on the same page about what they want. Some people know exactly what they want, down to the finest detail, and can put it in words.

Some have so little idea what they want that I wonder why they want a custom guitar to begin with. It also takes a little longer to agree on all the parameters.

Then, I take a 25% deposit and start by drawing a full-size plan. Once approved, I start cutting and laminating the blanks to build with.

I usually give the customer a payment schedule and take the rest in 25% increments throughout the build. I take many pics of the process and send them along as I go so they can stay aware of the build flow.

Looking at your lineup, there seems to be a strong influence from classic guitar designs. How do you balance tradition with innovation?

As I stated earlier, guitar players are conservative, and if you want to sell them guitars, they must be somewhat traditional.

I’m not saying it’s impossible to sell nontraditional designs, but it’s certainly much harder.

How do you test and evaluate each instrument before it goes out to ensure it meets your standards?

I usually set them up, play them, take them to a rehearsal of my band and try them out under fire. I then let them sit and get used to being a guitar for a couple of weeks before doing a final cleaning, string change, and setup.

Could you walk us through your typical day in the workshop?

There are so many steps to building a guitar, covering many different jobs, that there isn’t a typical day.

But generally, it goes: Coffee, sawdust, more coffee, sawdust, sanding, sawdust, sanding, sanding, sanding, realize it’s 2 am and sleep, then repeat.

What’s the most rewarding part of being a guitar builder?

Seeing someone rock out on one of my instruments on stage.

Do you have any plans to expand your operation, or do you prefer keeping it as a one-man shop?

I’d love to take on some help and build the business a little more, but I’m not interested in ever running a guitar factory.

What do you think sets RVA Guitars apart from other boutique guitar builders and why?

I approach each guitar as a piece of art, not just an instrument. I want them to be inspiring, and I put 100% of myself into each one.

What tools or machines in your workshop couldn’t you live without and why?

My thickness sander. I specialize in multi-laminate “Hippy Sandwich” construction, and being able to make my own veneers is crucial to my process.

Second is my bandsaw. I can resaw my stock from rough lumber to help keep costs down.

How has the guitar-building landscape changed since you started, particularly regarding materials availability and sustainability?

The biggest change is that it seems like everybody who has ever thought about building is doing so now. The market is so saturated at the moment. The plus side of this is that it’s never been easier to find knowledge or supplies and parts.

The species of wood that have traditionally been used for instruments are quickly falling under city regulations, and we will all have no choice but to explore different materials in the coming years.

I’m on board with it because we really do need to stop losing our rainforest. Instrument building only contributes a tiny share of this problem, but we all need to do our part.

What are some common misconceptions about handmade guitars that you encounter?

Occasionally, I encounter a potential customer who wants something physics won’t allow. They don’t understand how much of a guitar’s design is locked in by the requirements of being playable and will want something that I know isn’t gonna work, but that’s about it.

Do you have any advice for aspiring luthiers who want to start building their own guitars?

Look at it as a long game. It will take ten instruments to know what you did wrong on the first 9 and another ten to understand how to get everything right. Just be patient and keep at it.

You learn a little more with each build, and nobody ever got it even close to perfect on their first build. taking pauses to think and rest your mind as you go is important.

Nothing will wreck a good build faster than rushing. It’s so tempting to do that next step and see it even if you’re too tired or conditions aren’t right. For example, you’re done finally sanding a body, but you’ve been at it for eight hours.

Finally, you get to see it under sealer and see the wood pop. The smart move is to sit it down, go to bed, and take it up the next day with rested eyes. But it’s so tempting to jump ahead and pull out the sprayer. Don’t do it!