So, How'd This Start?

Hi! I’m Aaron. I’m the founder and creator of Guitar Nut Tees. I'd like to share with you how this guitar T-shirt thing got started.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, I found myself suddenly working day-to-day from home. My man cave, which includes eight guitars and many other cool things I've amassed over my life, became my new home office. After two months of dealing with the stress and unpredictability of the lockdown, I found myself needing a fun, creative project.

So, whutta you do?

I've been a Graphic Designer since 1997, though I've branched into the field of Digital Marketing in 2015. I’ve been nuts about guitars since I was a kid. I’m also a lover of all things graphic tees. It's been a dream of mine to start a clothing brand. I sat down at my MacBook one day and said, “I want some of my favorite players’ guitars on a T-shirt. I don’t want to use photos of the player. I don’t want their name or their band’s logo anywhere on the shirt. I want to solely focus on the guitars. I want someone to see the shirt and recognize who’s guitar it is based on the artwork alone." I wanted to create a clothing line dedicated to the amazing guitars used by my favorite guitarists of the '70s and '80s.

I got to work and started designing a few shirts. It evolved overtime and took a while to get them right. By the summer of 2021, I had a wardrobe full of fun, cool, guitar T-shirts purely for my own enjoyment. But now, I wanted to take it a step further. I didn’t want to keep what I had created to myself anymore. So, Guitar Nut Tees was born.

So, what happened next?

At the beginning of 2022, I starting doing a lot of research. I worked hard. I'd design T-shirts into the wee hours of the morning. I called people. I booked consultations with people in the know. I emailed people. Sometimes I emailed FAMOUS people. I sent my designs around. I sent shirts to anyone who welcomed them. I kept at it until I got responses, and I found that the majority of the responses I got were overwhelmingly positive! People really seemed to like what I was doing. Then, in the summer of 2022, I got a response from someone I’ve admired since I was a kid...

“Aaron. Kulick here! I have your shirts. I am very impressed.”

One of the many people I contacted was former KISS guitarist, Bruce Kulick. I’ve loved KISS since I was four years old. I grew up in the midst of KISS’s non-makeup years. Makeup or no makeup, they were always my favorite band and still are to this day. My mom (RIP) took my brother and I to see KISS for the first time at Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena on April 12, 1986 - the last date of the KISS “Asylum” tour, featuring Bruce Kulick on lead guitar. I was 8 years old.

So, what's happening now?

Guitar Nut Tees launched on December 1, 2022, and as of early 2024, we have eight amazing artist partners who include: Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot / Whitesnake / Ozzy), Eddie Ojeda and Jay Jay French (Twisted Sister), Reb Beach (Winger / Whitesnake), Bob Kulick (KISS / session player), Canadian guitarist Sean Kelly (Crash Kelly, and a host of other groups), and our first artist partner, Bruce Kulick (KISS). In February 2024, we were contacted by the family of the late KISS drummer Eric Carr to offer shirts and other products to continue his legacy - something we were deeply honored to do. It’s my goal to establish partnerships with other renowned guitarists, bringing their iconic guitars on some of the coolest T-shirts to fans like us! Enjoy!

Sincerely,
Aaron G.
President, Guitar Nut Tees

 

  

Photo 1: The ticket stub from my first Kiss concert, signed by Bruce Kulick, April 2000.

Photo 2: My 18-year-old self with Bruce Kulick at the Kiss Convention Tour, Pittsburgh, PA, 8/1/95.