Raised in the heartlands and tempered in the west, music has been my life since I was a kid. As a self taught multi-instrumentalist I know what it’s like to pick up a guitar with nothing behind you and trying to see where it takes you. With over 6 released albums, 25 singles, and 300k followers under my artist name “Will Ash”, learning guitar and music has changed my life. I’ve played on tour, learned 8+ instruments, and shared my gift on social media to over 10 million views a month. I want to share what music has given me with everyone personally and there’s no better way to do that than at Malibu Music.

Top 5 favorite guitarists: Guthrie Govan, Tommy Emmanuel, Django Reinhardt, Paul Gilbert, Brian Haner Jr

The one that got away: I recently had a chance at a 1953 mint Gibson J50 - if only I could sell my kidney…

I started making music in college under a lofted bed with a $50 Radio Shack microphone. While, I still think it’s more about the ideas than the gear, I have certainly learned to appreciate the good stuff. I personally like finding instruments with unique voices to add color to something I am making.  At this point in my life, I have a bunch of self produced records and a bunch of songs on tv shows, but I don’t want to ever make the same thing twice, so I am always looking for something that feels inspiring enough to pursue. I like things that feel old and wobbly and somehow imperfect enough to impart a sense of wonder.

Top 5 favorite guitar players: I have always been one of those people who thinks the guitar parts and guitarists are just there to suit the song and the song is there to fit the idea and express an emotion. Soooooo, I think it’s probably easier for me to talk about songwriters. I have always loved Neil Young, Ray Davies etc but also love the brothers from Boards of Canada and Richard D James just as much. Oh and Tom Waits…definitely Tom Waits. 

The one that got away: I know I am sounding like a bit of an annoying contrarian here, but I don’t really believe in “gear that got away”…My reasoning for that is that the most important pieces of gear to me are just the ones that inspire me to create, and if a piece of gear got away, then I couldn’t have built any attachment to it in the first place. Luckily, the pieces of gear I have spent the most time making music with are still in my possession. I kind of think that’s the idea of being in a musical instrument store though…If I help someone find an instrument that ends up being meaningful to them…then I feel like my job was done right. 

I started playing guitar in 1999 and really fell in love with it in the early 2000s. This is also the time I started reading about vintage guitars and gear. As I grew as a player and musician, so did my pursuit to acquire vintage gear. While living in Hollywood in 2014, I helped a friend move to Dallas on a whim and met my mentor, Dave Hinson of Killer Vintage. I spent nearly 10 years learning under Dave and I'm still learning to this day. When not at Malibu Music, I also tour year-round with my original project, American Mile. 

Top 5 favorite guitar players: Joe Walsh. He's not too flashy, but the parts he writes are great and he really brings more of a songwriter element to his guitar playing. Outside of him, who else but my esteemed colleagues, Will, Michael, Garrett, and Alex? 

The one that got away: Haven't felt the pangs of regret yet, but I'm still waiting for my shot at a real 1958 Les Paul.

Ever since taking my first guitar lesson just after my thirteenth birthday, I've made music a life-long passion for myself. As a kid, I would come home from school and play guitar for as many hours every day as I could make the time for. This obsession with improving my skills eventually led me to joining a touring fiddle orchestra in my hometown in Michigan my sophomore year of high school. There, I developed a familiarity with performing traditional folk and bluegrass music, as well as with producing live sound. After graduating, I attended film school in Chicago, where I studied sound and music for film and TV. Shortly after finishing my degree, I was hired at a mixing stage in Los Angeles. Looking for a project to keep me busy during the COVID-19 lockdown, I decided to order parts and attempt to make a custom guitar for myself. The more I learned through this project, the more passionate I became for building guitars—so much so that I left the film industry and started working for a few builders local to Southern California. Now, I work full-time for a high-end guitar brand in addition to spending part of my weekend at Malibu Music. There, you'll find me assisting with your guitar needs and engineering sound for our live concert series!

Top 5 favorite guitarists: Kevin Shields, Bill Frisell, David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Glen Campbell

The one that got away: Gretsch G5135 Electromatic G. Love Signature Corvette. There was one on the wall in my hometown music shop that I wanted as my first electric, but by the time my parents decided I could get an electric guitar, it had already sold.

My passion for music began around the time my dad was building his small studio in Phoenix. I was so fascinated by how many moving parts went into song writing, mixing, and even things like guitar pedals or tube mics. Right around freshman year of high school I picked up the drums after listening to a Buddy Rich album. From that point I picked up guitar and piano and began to engineer my own music. At that time having a career in music just didn't seem realistic, so serving at a steakhouse, job coaching for disabled students, and a few live production gigs was where a lot of my time in the field was spent. I studied at Glendale Community College in Arizona as a Sound Technician then landed an internship at NRG Studios here in LA. I was then hired here as part of the Media/Sales crew and it's felt like family since my first day. I'm excited for the future of Malibu Music and our amazing gear!

Top 5 favorite guitarists: Guthrie Govan, Jimmy Page, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Pass, Peter Green

The one that got away: After a band practice I left a Blues Driver pedal on top of my car. When driving it flew off and I didn't even notice until I was putting my rig back together. It’s still out there…somewhere.

My love for music has been with me ever since I can remember. I would hear stories of my dad blasting 90’s rock music while I would fall asleep in the crib when I was just a baby. I used to get in trouble for tapping my desk too much in kindergarten so my parents enrolled me in drum lessons at the age of 7. Even though I didn’t grow up playing guitar, I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of Malibu Music.

Top 5 favorite guitar players: Mk.gee, Dominic Fike, Synyster Gates, Tim Henson, Scott LePage

The one that got away: Out of the guitars shared between my dad and I in our home, we have not sold or lost any yet so I don’t share my coworkers' pain yet!

My love for the guitar began in high school when my mother gave me her Olympic white Fender Stratocaster, which was, much to my delight, looked just like the one in Wayne’s World. Since then I’ve done the band thing, attended luthiery school, got my masters in History, became a published photographer, and taught at the college level, all while putting over a decade of guitar teching under my belt. I eventually left academia to strike out on my own and founded Tone Ranger Guitars, which brought me to Malibu Music, who became my first dealer. Twists and turns along the way led me to become the store’s GM, and I can’t wait to help you find the guitar you love as much as I still love my first Strat. Party on!

Top 5 favorite guitar players: Mick Ronson, Jerry Reed, Poison Ivy Rorschach, Marc Ribot, Masayoshi Takanaka

The one that got away: Not holding onto my ‘60s Silvertone 1457 guitar with the amp-in-case I found in a pawnshop is definitely my biggest gear regret.

Top 5 favorite guitarists: Tim Reynolds (Dave Matthews Band), Carlos Santana, Billy Strings, Joe Walsh, Jimi Hendrix.

The one that got away: Bourgeois L-DBO given to a former friend and business partner.