Bastian Kanbach has completed his vocational training to become a stringed-instrument maker from 2003 to 2006 at the BFS for instrument making in Klingenthal (Saxony). After his training he worked for 2 years for a renowned electric guitar maker where he was involved in the complete production, and mostly in charge of producing custom instruments of which he completed more than 100 pieces during his time the shop.
In 2008, Bastian returned to his hometown of Kaiserslautern and began to build guitars under his own name at first.
Soon after, in the year 2010, Bastian founded “Zeal Guitars” in his own workshop in Siegelbach, near Kaiserslautern in the heart of the Palatinate Forest.
After the first exhibition and reviews in guitar mags, the first orders came in and the company grew slowly, but steady.
Today, with the help of employee Jürgen Müller, over 300 instruments are being repaired and serviced each year and about 20 guitars are being built. A highglight was to receive the award for the best German electric guitar – “Deutscher Musikinstrumentenpreis” – in 2021. And so the story continues…
Bastian Kanbach has completed his vocational training to become a stringed-instrument maker from 2003 to 2006 at the BFS for instrument making in Klingenthal (Saxony). After his training he worked for 2 years in Siggi Braun’s shop in Göttingen where he was involved in the complete production, and mostly in charge of producing custom instruments of which he completed more than 100 pieces during his time at Siggi Braun.
In 2008, Bastian returned to his hometown of Kaiserslautern and began to build guitars under his own name at first.
Soon after, he met Oliver Reich, a passionate craftsman, independently working in wood production for over 10 years. Since both of them were/are still active musicians (Olli playing bass guitar and Bastian guitar) soon the idea was born to “join forces” and to create Zeal Guitars together. Thus, they could put their manual and technical skill as well as the knowledge of the matter wood to use and make Zeal Guitars what it is today.
