our story
From a small guitar shop to a worldwide brand
The story begins in 1986, when luthier Seizi Tagima founded Tagima in Brazil after developing a passion for the art of creating and customizing string instruments.
As beautiful in construction as in sound, his instruments carried a quiet truth in their finish and tone. It wasn’t long before they began to echo beyond his workshop, attracting musicians and great names who recognized quality before the first note was even played.
Tagima-san began bringing to market instruments crafted with the mindset of someone who listens before they speak: products where quality was the starting point, allowing authenticity and personality to meet and shape the soul of each Tagima instrument.
But every song has its moments of tension. In the early 1990s, Brazil underwent a process of trade liberalization, suddenly, these well-established and widely desired brands gained more visibility and presence, and domestic brands found themselves needing to reinvent quickly or risk losing the stage entirely.
This is where Ney Nakamura enters the picture. In 1996, following severe financial turbulence at Tagima, Marutec Music acquired the rights to the brand, and Ney, a man forged in the world of business, took on the mission of transforming that respected, handcrafted sound into a brand with structure, scale, and the stamina to compete.
The point here isn’t about buying a brand, it’s about taking on a legacy. Ney didn’t bet on shortcuts; he bet on professionalization, processes, consistency, people, and great products.
Under his leadership, Tagima began to organize itself as an industry, thrive financially, expand its product lines, gain market reach, and grow — all without abandoning its DNA.
Tagima continued to grow, but the need to reinvent itself remained. The brand understood that evolving means knowing how to create. In 2006, Márcio Zaganin, one of the most prominent names in Brazilian lutherie, was invited to lead development and production, turning intention into sound: blending ergonomics, playability, and sonic quality at the heart of every Tagima instrument.
But a great artist always leaves their mark, and Zaganin was no different. Signature shapes like the Jet Blues, Rocker, True Range, Rupture, and many others are proof that Tagima goes beyond being just an instrument option. It’s a brand built to leave its mark on the hearts, identities, and ears of those who truly live music.
No guitar becomes history on its own. From the very beginning, Tagima has strengthened its identity alongside artists, because it’s on stage that promises become truth. Names like Arthur Maia, Joe Mograbi, Kiko Loureiro, Mozart Mello, Lari Basílio, Djavan, Gilberto Gil, and Marisa Monte helped write the history of the past, alongside names still writing it today, such as Juninho Afram, Edu Ardanuy, Marcinho Eiras, Cacau Santos, Roger Franco, Sandro Haick, Nelson Faria in Brazil.
And in other countries, artists like Fer Velasco in Mexico, Aanika Pai in India, and Sus Vasquez, an exceptional guitarist who has performed on major stages around the world with Karol G, Benson Boone, represent the brand with passion and excellence, alongside many other remarkable talents across the globe.
This direct connection with the musician is so intrinsic to the brand that in 2005, Marutec Music created the TDT, short for Tagima Dream Team, initially conceived as a celebration and tribute to musicians. However, the event grew to massive proportions and quickly transformed into the main meeting point for retailers, brands, and
artists in the Brazilian music industry.
In 2009, the event opened its doors to the first partner exhibitors, a pivotal moment in its expansion. In 2025, celebrating its 20th anniversary, TDT stands as the largest event in the Brazilian music market, hosting around 50 exhibiting companies and over 5,000 visitors, an event that rivals the world’s largest musical instrument trade show, the NAMM Show held in Anaheim, USA.
Speaking of the United States, the world’s most developed music market, Tagima’s internationalization has earned a chapter of its own. In 2017, the brand officially established Tagima USA, bringing the Brazilian soul into a dedicated North American operation.
At US HQ, ideas take shape before they become instruments. It’s where select lines are imagined and brought to life, like the US Assembled Limited Edition, a meeting point of origins and craftsmanship.
In this series, Brazilian woods carry the soul and resonance of their homeland, while American hardware adds strength, precision, and character.
This move reflected a vision that had always existed: Ney Nakamura had always set global expansion as a goal for the brand. Since then, Tagima has extended its presence to markets including Canada, Italy, the Philippines, Japan, China, and several Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia, and Mexico, including with products developed specifically for those markets. The brand is present in more than 18 countries, headquartered in Brazil with offices and factories in the United States and China.
With a global presence, widespread acceptance among musicians, and a place at world-class events such as the Grammy Awards, Lollapalooza, Rock in Rio, and The Town, it’s important to recognize that, even with scale, exports, and new creations, Tagima continues to play the same tune: respect for the musician and for quality preserving its heritage while adding creativity, innovation, and elegance.
