Giving young musicians a helping hand

FROM C1

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The guitar donated by singer, songwriter and actress Inch Chua stands out from the rest in the Gift A Guitar initiative because it is a Les Paul Goddess, a limited-edition Gibson model marketed to women as it was less bulky than the standard models.

Chua received hers in 2008, when she was a brand ambassador for the company.

“On paper, it sounded like Gibson’s attempt to make the guitar world more inclusive. In practice, it felt a bit like being handed a ‘ladies’ screwdriver’. Admirable intent, questionable execution,” the petite 36-year-old tells The Straits Times.

“A lot of people found that marketing patronising, and fair enough. But here’s the twist: It’s actually a fantastic guitar. For someone my size, it felt like the first time a guitar wasn’t fighting back.

“It’s light, elegant and a little misunderstood, like most women who play guitar, honestly. I didn’t care that it was ‘for women’; I cared that it didn’t weigh as much as a small boulder.”

Chua used the 3.4kg guitar when she was living in the United States and recording songs for her 2013 album Bumfuzzle.

A fan of guitarists such as Japan’s Ryosuke Nagaoka, American musician St Vincent and Graham Coxon from English band Blur, she has five guitars that she actively uses and another seven that are either in storage or loaned to friends.