East L.A. Luthier Built Olivia Rodrigo’s Tour Guitar

A custom pink heart-shaped guitar has become the defining visual instrument of Olivia Rodrigo’s Unraveled Tour, but the one-of-one creation did not come from a major manufacturer’s artist relations department. It was built entirely by hand in a small repair shop in East Los Angeles by Luis Muñoz, a luthier and guitar technician who recently retired from touring to focus on his family.

Muñoz spent several months crafting the instrument after Rodrigo’s team requested a custom build for the tour supporting her third studio album, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love.” The process required five separate prototypes before he finalized a body shape that balanced stage aesthetics with professional playability. He worked late nights after regular shop hours to complete the guitar, which had to meet strict standards for tone, comfort, and reliability under live performance conditions.

For an artist at Rodrigo’s commercial level, bypassing major guitar corporations to commission an independent builder is rare. Companies like Fender, Gibson, and PRS Guitars maintain dedicated teams specifically to place instruments with high-profile pop and rock artists, often offering lucrative endorsement deals and unlimited technical support. A custom build from an independent luthier carries higher risk because there is no corporate safety net if the instrument fails during a show. Muñoz acknowledged the pressure publicly on Instagram, noting that despite having access to every guitar company in the world, Rodrigo trusted a small East L.A. shop instead.

The commission represents the peak of a career path Muñoz started after moving from El Paso to Los Angeles in 2009. He enrolled in guitar repair classes in Hollywood to break into the music industry, driven by a childhood fascination with Slash after seeing Guns N’ Roses videos on MTV. He taught himself to play using his father’s old guitar, experimenting with string tension and setup mechanics long before formal training.

His entry into professional touring came through singer-songwriter LP. Muñoz admitted to overstating his technical abilities to secure the position as a guitar technician, relying on determination to master the job once hired. In live music production, guitar technicians are responsible for tuning, restringing, maintaining electronics, and swapping instruments between songs, often working in near-darkness backstage while managing intense time pressure. A single missed cue or out-of-tune instrument can derail a broadcast or arena performance.

That initial role led to touring positions with Smashing Pumpkins, Deftones, Bush, Anthrax, and Fall Out Boy. Working across alternative rock, metal, and pop-punk genres requires a technician to understand vastly different signal chains, amplifier configurations, and playing styles. Heavy bands like Anthrax demand extreme durability and precise intonation for down-tuned guitars, while pop-oriented acts prioritize flawless transitions and consistent wireless signal integrity.

Muñoz secured the position with Rodrigo through his wife, the pop star’s former bassist, who informed him the tour needed a new guitar tech. The resulting heart-shaped instrument quickly became central to the Unraveled Tour’s staging, alongside other theatrical elements including a flower-covered set design and a dissolving dress worn by the singer.

The luthier has since stepped away from life on the road to spend time with his 18-month-old daughter, Rosie. He continues operating his independent repair shop in East Los Angeles.