The smallest guitar university in the world
It’s a chilly February morning in Sofia, and snow has piled up at the Mladost 3 residential entrances, one of which houses Ilko Mishov’s luthier workshop, or “the smallest guitar university in the world,” as he refers to it. He came up with the name because he believes that the people who come to him are not his customers, but rather people who share his passion for music, and in addition to the services he provides as a luthier, he strives to help them by sharing his knowledge of his favorite instrument, the guitar.
Guitars became his obsession around the age of twelve when he begged his single mom to buy him his first guitar — a red one with black stripes. It cost more than half of his mother’s monthly salary, but she bought it because he really wanted to play music like the Beatles — his favorite band. “I like all kinds of instruments as a musician,” Ilko says, laughing, “but the guitar is one of the few instruments that you have to hug to play.”
Hundreds of guitars are stacked in the workshop, some awaiting repair and others to be picked up by their owners. The smell of wood and glue is crawling from every angle. Some guitars have been creatively repurposed and turned into tables or key holders. “I’d never throw a musical instrument; it’s just not possible. I have a lot of broken guitars, and since not all of them can be repaired, I just find another use for them. Some become “donors” to other guitars, while others become decorations. There’s always a way to give them another chance, don’t you think? “, Ilko says, as he examines a guitar brought by a teenager who wants to learn to play the guitar.
Ilko carefully examines the guitar, which has clearly seen better days, as several holes and scratches can be seen on the body, and a couple of strings are broken and swinging away. The young boy shares that he discovered the guitar in his basement and that it once belonged to his grandfather, who passed away recently. Ilko promises to look into it and get back to him with more information. The teenager walks away, and Ilko smiles at the guitar as he notices a small carved inscription on the back of the fingerboard. It says “Кюстендиль 1956” (Kuystendil 1956).
„See, this guitar looks old and has suffered a lot of damage. Just by looking at it, you can tell that there’s a lot of history behind it. The wood that guitars are made of holds memories. Luckily, we can see the inscription, which I guess hints us at the place and year it was produced, “ says Ilko.
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Ilko comes to his workshop every morning and spends the day drinking coffee, listening to music, and working on the guitars. It’s his manhunt, his escape from reality, as he calls it. Ilko is a musician, touring on cruises for a couple of months out of the year where he entertains the passengers with his band. Ilko hasn’t been able to travel for the last two years because of the ongoing pandemic, so he’s been focused on being a luthier instead.
What was once a hobby has now become his main job. “I’ve always liked to repair my own guitars, and when I worked in Sweden 15 years ago, I met a luthier who taught me everything I know. I became his apprentice. When I wasn’t working on the ships in the winter, I would work in my garage and help out friends. Then more people started coming, and I decided to rent this little basement. But I don’t do it for the money, even though I need to now. I just love guitars and it makes me happy to fix them, “shares Ilko as he prepares his desk for work.
One of the most common repairs the guitars in the workshop require is just a clean-up and a change of strings. The guitar dropped by the teenager requires extensive repair. Following the inspection, Ilko determines that the guitar primarily needs woodwork. “I try to keep them as close to their original state as possible. It is vital to consider what kind of wood they are made of. That’s why I don’t like to make major changes to the main body,” Ilko explains.
He then begins his work by sanding the wood to try to hide the vast bulk of the scratches. The holes will also be filled and sanded. The guitar should be set up once the body has been completed. This is very precise work on the guitar riff, with everything being perfect to the millimeter. “The setup is what makes a low-budget guitar sound amazing, rich, and at its full potential. It could take several days. A faulty setup may cause your guitar’s tone to be excessively high or low, which you do not want,” Ilko explains.
After the set-up is finished, the guitar is cleaned and polished, and the strings are tied. Before the guitar is handed to its owner, Ilko personally tests the instrument to ensure that it looks and sounds great. Once the final approval is given, the guitar goes home.
Many people bring incredibly old guitars that have no value and are typically too expensive to repair, but Ilko understands that people are sentimental about them, and what is not valuable to him may be valuable to someone else. “I also don’t like selling my own guitars or giving them away. I cry for them as if they were my own children, “shares Ilko.
He’d never considered becoming a luthier because he’d always known he wanted to be a musician since picking up his first guitar. “I wish I could still perform on stage. I like it there. Ilko, despite the COVID-19 measures and the cruise ship industry’s crisis, continues to play occasionally in bars but has focused on repairing rather than playing the guitar.
In the few hours Ilko has been in the workshop, more than ten people have stopped by to see him. Some people bring him coffee and breakfast, while others simply stop by to say hello. Ilko makes a point of greeting everyone and inviting them to stay. “One of the reasons I don’t call it a workshop is that I want people to feel welcome when they come. This is why I have a lot of chairs for them to sit in. We can discuss music or life. They can see what I’m doing. I’m not bothered, “shares Ilko. As he lights up another cigarette, he looks at the many guitars stocked up near his desk. He has carefully put all of them in protective foil to make sure they won’t be harmed by the humidity. He reaches for his most recent restoration, a ukulele he has named “Ilkolele”, after himself. “Guitars, like people, appreciate being heard. They also have a lot of memories. In some ways, they are even superior to humans. Because, if properly cared for, they can outlive us,” says Ilko.
