Lost faith in my local guitar repair place

mike1100

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I ask folks constantly if they know of a luthier they like. I recently drove two hours to drop off a guitar to a new guy recommended to me. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, not just for the guitar, but because I would really like to have a luthier somewhat near to me I trust.
 

dapmdave

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Sorry, Dave!! I was thinking of Tom Jacobs and also of you and I kinda mixed the names up!! I'd trust my guitars to either of you, though. Sorry about the mess up. Sometimes my fingers type what's going through my head at the moment!!

No apology needed, Tom! I knew what you meant but I wanted it clear to LTG that the luthier at Jacobs Custom Guitars is Tom Jacobs. (nobody named Jacob, friends) He's also the owner. I do work on some guitars, but I don't do complex repairs or finishing work. I also do the retail stuff up at the front.
 

Rayk

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I hope to do some more guitar tech work in the coming years . I certainly enjoy it and there’s no doubt I love acoustics lol

When I did contractor sales for a lumber company I did everything In my power to get them what they needed if we didn’t carry it or couldn’t get it I’d do the leg work for them So they where go and have the materials ready to go .

I’ve always enjoyed a CS Attitude that went above and beyond . My dad got me selling cars in my teens grant it I wanted to hang with my friends more the run a shop but I was always honest about the cars the repairs if any etc even had folks out of state coming to buy a car dang why didn’t I keep that going , stupid kid !

I guess I’m saying I look for honest people ones then eat crow every once in a while and admit they don’t know something or screwed up .

Hi I’m Ray my I fix your guitar ? Lol
 

fronobulax

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You shouldn't and your thinking is valid. Would you trust your Mustang to somebody who was prejudiced against Fords?

Why yes. Yes I might. I will pay attention to deeds as well as talk and just because someone trash talks Fords doesn't meant they lack the skills and integrity to do a fine job repairing one.

Perhaps it is just because I routinely run across people who trash talk brands but it is just a persona. They are fine mechanics (or guitar techs, or luthiers or appliance repair techs or whatever) and once they have said their piece they do their work and it is a fine job. In many cases what sounds like trash talk is actually based on a familiarity with the brand. "I'd rather not work on a Frigidaire because they use a metal back plate and screw all sorts of crap on to it so if I need to get inside I have to take the plate off and then disconnect a whole bunch of fiddly stuff before I even can get inside."

Note that I am making a difference between trash talk and technical ignorance concerning a brand. The latter is a deal breaker but the former is not. Also note that the original tech under discussion would have lost my business the instant I heard the comment about humidification.
 

adorshki

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Why yes. Yes I might.
"Might" being the operative word.
It isn't quite an appropriate comparison since luthiers aren't as common as auto mechanics, but given a choice between a guy who openly voices his dislike of a brand, and a shop across the street that specializes in that brand, and reasonably comparable pricing and turnaround, who would be most likely to get your business?
Let's toss in another complication:
The guy who hates Fords is quoting $200.00 less for an ABS repair than the Ford specialist.
When you ask the guy who specializes why that is, he can explain what it is about Fords that justify his price.
It's how I wound up with my RX-7 and Ford mechanics for many happy years (and they were actually cheaper than the dealerships, ex-dealer employees themselves).
I did get what you meant about folks who have the integrity to do good work even if they wouldn't own the brand themselves, but what I should have said is "Why take the chance if you've got an alternative?"
 

GuildFS4612CE

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Yes, it is David Neely. Is he one of those back up until next year kind of shops ?

David is a small shop...but even big jobs have downtime while things set up/dry etc. Give him a call and ask him if he can fit you in.

Have you read his bio on his site? He's a very interesting gentleman.
 

JohnW63

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He said he could make time to do it. Just call before hand. I may go down on my next med week day off.
 
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