About
About Origin GuitarsA fortuitous meeting which took place along the pathways of the sprawling Anaheim Convention Center campus on the last day of NAMM in January of 2010 – that is the true beginning of Origin Guitars. When Rob Nishida bumped into Lucian Tu after a long morning of meetings, the two friends exchanged pleasantries and discussed the comings and goings of the always hyper-paced NAMM show.
The two old friends discussed the new guitars they had seen at NAMM of course, and began chatting about how uninspired every new guitar on display appeared to be. Between the two, they had over 25 years of varied experience in the MI industry, but they were always encumbered with the task of realizing “somebody else’s” ideas rather than their own. Something along the lines of “we could do better, we should get together sometime after NAMM” was uttered by Tu and the two exchanged business cards and said their goodbyes.
A few phone calls over the next couple of weeks spurred on a meeting at a burger joint, located centrally between Tu and Nishida’s homes. This meeting took place in February and the wheels were set in motion. For the pair, it was always about the guitars, so design ideas were passionately discussed, and drawings, specs and features were furiously sent back and forth. Before they knew it, the Convergence design was born. Over the course of a year, prototypes were built, testing was done and of course, changes were made.
By the spring of 2011, a team was assembled, a business plan was put into place and Origin Guitars was quickly becoming a reality. The Convergence would continue to be refined during the year, and would become a fully realized embodiment of Tu and Nishida’s vision with the delivery of the final prototype Convergence 6-string and 7-string in early December.
What you see on this website, in the printed materials and most importantly in the guitars themselves, is the culmination of nearly two years of work from a small group of dedicated guitar professionals, who spent every waking moment creating something that, up until now, they had only dreamed of…
Origin Guitars - Our Dream, Your Reality.
Lucian Tu
Origin Guitars
Co-Founder and Principal
Lucian Tu is a Musical Instruments Industry professional with over 13 years of experience. Tu has a broad background in product design, product marketing, manufacturing, and business operations. Prior to creating Origin Guitars, Tu worked for Hoshino USA as Manager of Ibanez Electric Guitars.
Tu established Lucian Tu Design (LTD) in 2004 and has provided Product Design and Product Marketing services to many of the Industry’s top corporations including: Universal Audio, Hoshino/Ibanez Guitars, Digidesign, Zoom, Fishman, Solid State Logic, Ultimate Support, and others. Tu also co-founded guitar effects company Damage Control in the same year.
Tu started in the MI industry in 1998, joining Line 6 as the first and principal in-house Industrial designer. Ultimately, as Manager of the Visual Design Group at Line 6, Tu was responsible for establishing the original design style of many of the company’s most successful products.
Tu’s considerable history and expertise in the Musical Instruments and Pro-Audio Industry has resulted in some of the Industry’s most striking and trend-setting product designs.
Tu is also a guitar player and producer and has produced several albums including Oblique Effect released in 2001 and most recently Oblidian, released 2010. Tu holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Product Design with Honors from Art Center College of Design.
Rob Nishida
Origin Guitars
Co-Founder and Principal
Rob Nishida is a 16 year Musical Instruments Industry veteran, with a rich and varied background in Artist Relations, Marketing and Product Development. In addition to his role at Origin Guitars, Nishida is Co-Founder of Majik Box Pedals, makers of high end guitar pedals and electronics.
Prior to Origin Guitars, Nishida held key positions in various roles with MI giant Hoshino, makers of Ibanez Guitars and Tama Drums. Starting at Hoshino in 1994, Nishida began his career as an Artist Relations rep and gradually expanded his scope to include Marketing, Promotion and Product Development and Operations, eventually holding the title of General Manager, Hoshino (U.S.A.) Inc. Los Angeles office.
At Hoshino, Nishida spearheaded the development of a number of Ibanez guitars, basses and effect pedals as well as the majority of artist signature model guitars developed between 1994 and 2010. As Artist Relations Manager, Nishida oversaw the storied Ibanez and Tama artist relations program for the majority of his time there, bringing in many of the key artists that endorse and help promote the company’s products today.
Nishida is also a guitar player and producer, having recorded two CD releases with his project Outland (Avalon Records in Japan, and Frontiers Records in Europe), and another with his latest band, Jupiter Ignition. Nishida has a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Journalism from Cal State Long Beach.