[hammering] - Angela Fitzgerald: Pass by this home in Pulaski and the sound of a hammer is a familiar tune.

Whether it's hammering wood... [zipping] ...or hammering out a tune on his guitar, Ian Vanveen has a fascination with both.

[gentle electric guitar music] - Ian: I would describe the sound of an electric guitar to be very twangy, but also very warm and just unique.

I really want to connect with the instrument a lot more.

- Angela: For Ian, his connection to the guitar is a family thing.

- This one was actually my first guitar.

This was my dad's old band guitar.

[hard rock music] It made me feel like the coolest rock star of all time.

Like, carried it real low, took a basic, like, power cord, and I just, like, strummed it, volume all the way up.

It was amazing.

[laughs] - Angela: That amazing spark propelled Ian to explore the mechanics of music.

- It's such an interesting instrument.

It's so cool because it's a blend of a lot of physical vibrations and electronics, and it's so beautiful how they work together.

[power sander buzzing] - Angela: Out of curiosity, he decided to actually make electric guitars from scratch, self-taught as a teenager.

- If I want the perfect guitar, exactly what I want, I might as well just make one.

I put a bunch of wood together with my woodworking skills, and I loosely knew how to put it together.

- Angela: This is the result of Ian's hard work and determination.

- This is the first guitar I made where I actually put a lot of thought and energy into it.

But this one, I really had a lot of fun with.

I made it into the thinnest guitar I could possibly make without it warping over time.

I really like the look of this one being all rough and used 'cause it is very heavily used.

This one will always be very deep in my heart.

- Anglea: Along the way, Ian is improvising and revolutionizing the way guitars are made.

- I really like the idea of customizing.

The switches, I like to actually put 'em on the side of my guitars.

'Cause I find that to be more comfortable and you won't hit 'em when you're playing.

I don't wanna make the most basic guitar.

I wanna make it modern.

- Angela: Ian's interest in this instrument at a young age is forging his future.

- Ian: I'm going into electrical engineering next year so I can really dig deep into the circuitry of guitars and then I can make really nice, unique guitars.

[hammering] - Angela: His perspective on success is also unique.

I used to measure success in just objects, like money, cars, and stuff.

But now, I just measure success in how content you are with your life.

If you have the job that you want, if you have the people that you want, and if you're happy about it.

What I get out of this is, just genuinely a really fun thing to do.

[gentle electric guitar music]