“The first factory she introduced me to was one I had never heard of before — Kepma, which, as it turned out, was owned by her brother-in-law,” Moscal recalled. “She told me, ‘This factory was never going to do business outside of China. They’re huge, but strictly focused on the domestic market.’” Curious, Moscal traveled to China to see Kepma’s operation firsthand, and what he found he described as nothing short of astonishing. “This place had lasers, robots, CNC ma- chines, and it seemed to go on for miles. I was in awe,” Moscal said, adding when he asked how many guitars they produced each month, he was floored by the response. “‘About 30,000,’ they told me. I was shocked. I said, ‘You make 30,000 guitars a month, and nobody has ever heard of you?’” When Kepma Guitars USA expanded into the U.S. market in 2019, the brand intro- duced its Premium series with six models and later on, added more higher-end guitars. “Our decision to expand was driven by the product quality — it was simply too good to ignore,” said Brandon Foster, managing director of Kepma Guitars USA. “When the guitars arrived, I was floored. This wasn’t the kind of Chinese guitar I was expecting; it was something entirely different. The craftsmanship was outstanding, far beyond what was typically associated with Chinese manufacturing. When Tony told me the price points, it was a no-brainer. Introducing these guitars to the market just made sense.” MARKET DISRUPTION Kepma has carved out a niche by offering professional-grade instruments at prices accessible to everyday players. From the moment a player picks up a Kepma guitar, the craftsmanship is evident — from the precision-cut tonewoods to the smooth, hand-finished details. But beyond the construction, Kepma is also pushing the envelope with technology that enhances the playing experience. “I think we have to start with the build quality of the instrument, but we have some other features, like our pickup system,” Fos- ter said. “It’s called the AcoustiFex, and it gives the player reverb to land a chorus when they’re sitting in their living room just playing and not plugged into an amp. Then, you can also plug it into an amp and you get a microphone and undersaddle plays a pickup with a blend control so that you have a really great, well-balanced sound.” But Kepma doesn’t stop there. Some of the brand’s newer models now feature
Bluetooth audio streaming, letting players stream music from their phones directly to their guitars, making it a great teach- ing tool. Additionally, its Elite series is a lineup that not only features solid tops but also incorporates torrefaction — a process that mimics the natural aging of wood to enhance resonance. “Most companies that have torrefied tops typically buy their torrefied tops from various wood suppliers,” Moscal said. “We actually now have a guitar that we intro- duced at The 2025 NAMM Show that has a torrefied solid spruce top for $249, so
you buy our solid top and get the rest of the guitar for free.” Kepma’s latest offerings, which pre- miered at January’s NAMM show, fea- ture the Fenix series of grand auditorium acoustic guitars and its FC Mini series, the brand’s new three-quarter-size gui- tar series. “Our goal is market disruption,” Fos- ter said. “We [are continuing to plan our] expansion in the U.S. and then eventually [are looking to] get into more international expansion. But, primarily we’re focusing on market disruption.” MI
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