'Osiris Guitars': Handcrafting country’s first electric sound from native wood

In the hands of Mahbub Alam Siam, a guitar is more than wood and strings – it is a living story. 

"The better it is crafted, the more remarkable its journey becomes," says Siam, founder of "Osiris Guitars", Bangladesh's only electric guitar brand.

He is also the country's first and only luthier – a specialist in crafting stringed wooden instruments.

Band music has been a defining feature of Bangla-language songs. Since independence, pop icon Azam Khan and his band "Uccharon" inspired nationwide enthusiasm, embraced by generations from millennials to Gen Z. 

Recently, the band Warfaze was awarded the Ekushey Padak, while the late Ayub Bachchu received the honour posthumously, underscoring the enduring legacy of the genre. Central to this music is the guitar – a six-stringed instrument historically imported into Bangladesh. 

Siam poses with a handcrafted Osiris Guitar at his workshop on Tajmahal Road, Mohammadpur. Photos: TBS

Siam defies this reliance on foreign instruments, blending locally sourced wood with imported electrical components, each guitar handcrafted by him.

A childhood passion woven in wood

Growing up in Dhaka in a culturally inclined family, Siam was exposed to music in both local and international forms. 

At six, he worked as a presenter on "Kochikachar Ashor" in 1998, one of Bangladesh Betar's most popular programmes. He first encountered a guitar in 2003 at his aunt's home and fell in love with its sound. 

In 2007, while in seventh grade, he saw a guitar at a friend's house and convinced his family to buy him one – a locally made instrument.

In 2008, after performing poorly in a mathematics exam, his father broke the guitar. "That remains the worst memory of my life related to music," Siam recalls. 

"I sat on the floor trying to piece the broken parts back together." For four years, he learned using friends' guitars. 

In 2009, he began formal guitar lessons at Bulbul Lalitakala Academy and later formed the band "End We". 

Siam also nurtured a passion for drawing, studying Fine Arts at Jahangirnagar University, though he left after the first year. 

The start of an entrepreneurial vision 

Siam's transition from player to builder was organic. While his friends played, Siam would draw on their instruments at their request. 

In 2009, he began experimenting with an acoustic guitar, modifying the nut, bridge, and colour to suit his preferences. By 2012, he attempted to build his first SG-shaped guitar with a local carpenter. He quickly realised that while the body was simple, the technicality of the neck and fretboard required deep study. 

For the next four years, he focused entirely on learning guitar-making online. To support this dream, Siam launched several successful ventures, including "BluesDen Guitar Care" in 2015 and "BD Kahon" in 2016, a percussion business that sold nearly 100 units monthly. 

He even established a practice pad that hosted Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal of Guns N' Roses. By 2019, after years of trial and error, he successfully crafted his first professional electric guitar. Production continued until 2020, when Siam shifted focus entirely to guitars. 

The pad closed in 2021, allowing Siam to dedicate himself fully to guitar-making. 

Repair services continue under "Guitar Care Bangladesh", the rebranded BluesDen Guitar Care. 

Resurrection of Osiris 

Siam's fascination with Egyptian and Greek mythology inspired the name "Osiris".

His goal was to create a cost-effective guitar company. "When I tried to make my first guitar, I realised the local market lacked good-quality materials. Sourcing raw materials was extremely difficult," he says. 

By 2019, Siam was well-known in Bangladesh's band scene. 

Within a year, he received 46 orders for guitars, all handcrafted by him at his Tajmahal Road workshop and a smaller facility in Mohammadpur. 

Production paused between 2021 and 2025 for personal reasons, resuming in September 2025 with 20 orders currently underway.

Osiris Guitars offers four main lines: the Rodeo series (Tk26,000–45,000), the Modern Player series (Tk45,000–90,000), the Heritage model (above Tk100,000), and the Ultra Modern series, fully custom-shop guitars tailored to the player's style, tone, wood, body, and neck dimensions. 

Siam has crafted signature guitars for Ibrahim Ahmed Kamal, Bakhtiar Hossain, Navid Imtiaz, and Shishir. 

A special acoustic guitar, the "Rupali Guitar", is planned in memory of Ayub Bachchu. 

Handcrafting Osiris 

Osiris Guitars are created through a five-step process. 

First is wood preparation: each guitar requires at least three types for the body, neck, and fretboard. Siam sources and processes all wood domestically, though thin, high-quality wood must be seasoned. 

A single tree costs Tk15,000–20,000, with around 60% wasted; the remainder requires up to two years of seasoning. Seasoned wood costs Tk5,000–6,000 per square foot, meaning a raw piece costing Tk300 can rise to Tk7,000–10,000.

Mahogany is the primary choice, alongside gamari, shirisha, teak, neem, gab, jackfruit, and palm wood for fretboards. The second step is shaping the body and neck to model or customer specifications, followed by sanding and fretboard installation. 

Fourth is finishing with spray-painted colour, and finally, electrical components – including pickups, nut, bridge, volume and tuning keys, and strings – are installed. Each guitar takes at least 10 days, with 80–100 hours of work from raw wood to finished instrument.

'Only authentic luthier' 

Siam identifies as Bangladesh's only authentic luthier. 

Globally, luthiers work for major brands and custom shops, advising on tone, wood, and style. Siam explains that a luthier does more than repair: they select the wood, design the guitar, and shape its tone based on the player's style, habits, and context. 

"After years of studying, building, and selling guitars, I formally began working as a luthier in 2019. I realised Bangladesh is not fully prepared for a custom-shop luthier culture, mainly due to cost," he says. 

Internationally, custom guitars start at $2,500 (Tk2.5–3 lakh), with luthiers charging $30/hour. Siam charges Tk1,500–2,000/hour, with a minimum custom-guitar luthier fee of Tk100,000, excluding electrical components. 

The road ahead 

When looking to the future, Siam shuns the idea of a conventional commercial shop. 

He believes the commercialisation of guitars has often hindered young dreamers from accessing quality music. 

Instead, he plans to create an "experience zone" where musicians can try instruments and connect with the craftsmanship before making a purchase. 

Currently, Osiris guitars are available through their official website or by visiting his "Bluesman Guitars" Tajmahal Road workshop.