My name is Valentin Khudyntsev. I live in Murmansk, where I repair and restore stringed instruments and build my own classical guitars under the name Arcaya.
It all began in 2013, when I started working in a music shop. Little by little, I learned to play, understand instruments and set them up. I wanted to know how things worked and what could make a guitar sound better and feel more comfortable to play. That curiosity led me to repair and restoration, which I began practising in 2019.
I taught myself through videos, hands-on work and advice from fellow makers across Russia and neighbouring countries. I am grateful to the people who took the time to answer my questions and share their experience. That is why I try to be just as open with others.
Restoration led me to building. After replacing my first soundboard, I remember thinking that making a whole instrument might be within reach. I started my first guitar in 2023 and finished it in 2024. Since then, I have wanted to keep going, try new things and understand more about where that special sound comes from.
There is so much I enjoy about wood: its variety, its grain and the character of each piece. Watching separate pieces of timber gradually become a beautiful musical instrument, ready for someone to pick up and play, is a particular pleasure.
I like a spacious sound with a long decay, as though the guitar has its own natural reverberation. I explore it both by listening and through measurements: tracking soundboard thickness and weight, recording responses during the build, and comparing constructions and finished instruments. I experiment with bracing, materials and design, learning which choices make an audible difference and how to bring the sound closer to what I have in mind.
Much of the joy in this work comes from people. I enjoy meeting fellow makers in person, visiting their workshops, talking about our work and sharing discoveries. Those encounters have taken me to Petrozavodsk, Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Pyatigorsk. Each trip is a chance to learn something and meet someone who shares a love of instruments.
Supporting young musicians matters to me too. My guitars have been contributed as prizes at the Guitar at Gnesinka and Constellation of Guitars competitions, and I would like to keep taking part in projects like these. It is rewarding to know that your work can help someone take their next step in music.
If you would like to ask a question, get acquainted, arrange a meeting or suggest a joint project, please feel free to write to me on social media. An idea does not need to be fully formed before we talk. I am happy to connect and help where my time and resources allow.