Do you trust your repairman? What is your criteria for judging?

Me and @mavuser are very lucky to have the services of the best and most reasonable luthier on Long Island. He has a "regular" 9-5 job, and only works outside those hours and on weekends, but the work that he does is second to none. I worry about him being so busy that he won't have time for me, so @mavuser was the last person that I referred to him, and my luthier is just fine with that. When you'd that good and that reasonable, word gets out anyway.

twocorgis said:

Me and @mavuser are very lucky to have the services of the best and most reasonable luthier on Long Island. He has a "regular" 9-5 job, and only works outside those hours and on weekends, but the work that he does is second to none. I worry about him being so busy that he won't have time for me, so @mavuser was the last person that I referred to him, and my luthier is just fine with that. When you'd that good and that reasonable, word gets out anyway.

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I do feel like it's way easier to find someone great in the NJ-NY-CT area.

Like I can highly recommend a half dozen guys off the top of my head, that are all within say 45 minutes of home.

I use two sources. Gryphon is a no brainer and has been for years. Then, when I moved a little farther away and was looking to have the neck reset on my Guild, the only shop I found that wasn't phased by a Guild was a shop that did Guild's warranty work for thirty years. I had used them once for a setup on my Martin M 36. I was initially taken aback buy the owner's my way or the highway approach. Mainly no setup without a fret level. Decided to do it and was blown away. I knew my D 35's neck reset would take a while. They were slammed with major work and it took ten months, but came back playing exceptionally well.

I've been doing more and more of my own work, but what I lack is experienced judgement. After six years, my D 35 wasn't sounding quite right. Took it in and they really could not say anything was wrong, but I insisted it was different. They reluctantly said they could try a fret level, but weren't pushing it. That is what I look for in a tech, someone with so much work they don't need to look for things to do. I had the level and it did the trick.

I've worn some pretty good divots in the frets of my Texan, but have no symptoms. They'd tell me to leave it alone. It will buzz someday. For now it's fine. Talk to gigging musicians and see who they use.

l've observed that most guitar repairmen are a lot like dog breeders/handlers, especially at dog shows: they talk as if they have THE definitive answers to any question, but in the end only a few really know what they are talking about.

Haven't taken a guitar to anyone in years.

Got tired of being taken.

Our local guy here on Long Island is fantastic, as Sandy reports. we also are very fortunate to have Tom Jacobs on the east coast (any excuse for a road trip!), however he is super buried in work right now, and probably/definitely working more than he should for someone that is "retired."

@awagner has a really good luthier (or 2), also.

It's a little like finding someone to work on your car. If you know a little about cars, you're in a better position to evaluate the quality of whatever work you have done, which, if it's good, will confer a sense of trust in that repairperson going forward. If you know nothing about cars, you can only rely on the recommendations of others, or online reviews.

Same with guitars.

But the answer is not (IMO) to never have your car -- or your guitar -- evaluated and repaired, if it needs repair. If you feel like you haven't found the right person yet, I recommend you shake the bushes till you find the right person.

Recommending that you have the loose braces on your guitar repaired is NOT indicative of your repairperson being persnickety. Loose braces are a serious problem which, if left unaddressed, can lead to further damage and possibly the need for a more expensive repair down the road.

If you're not sure whether your repairperson is being straight with you, ask to see pictures of the feeler gauges under the loose braces, or ask him / her to show you. Or read what others have said about the repairperson to get a sense of their reputation.

I found my luthier by word of mouth among local songwriters. He works out of his garage, out in the country, nothing fancy, just a small shop.

But over the years, I have come to trust him to the point where I can take a chance on a dodgy guitar in poor condition, knowing he can get it squared away at more than a fair price.

It's like any other professional relationship. It is one of trust, developed over time. I have had great experiences with Barry Lipman in Connecticut and Tom Crandall in New York.

I can also say that there are others that I have used or considered that I did not trust at all.

If you have doubts, get a second opinion.

My criteria for judging is the length of time I have known him, and the work he has already done for me (and others). But that probably doesn't help you since you are looking for someone new.

This guy worked at a local music store for years, building his skills and his reputation. I got to know him over the years. He just opened his own repair shop maybe 6 or 7 years ago. A little more of a drive, but not much. He's Guild authorized. I also took a '58 Gibson ES-225 to him and later my '09 Sadowsky. You could tell from the look in his eyes that he was looking forward to spending some time with them - I liked that! He had to do some things to the Gibson to make it more playable, and let me stay in the work room with while we chatted and he showed me what he was doing. For me, that was really an educational experience.

walrus

plaidseason said:

I do a lot of the smaller stuff myself: saddles, most setups, changing tuners. But I have two guys I really trust for everything else. One is is fairly renowned (at least in Connecticut) luthier, whose even published a book on guitar care. He's the guy I lean toward for hefty work, like regluing a bridge. The other guy owns a small store that sells everything from entry level guitars to mid-range Larrivees. He's my go-to guy for stuff that I know he'll just do better/cleaner than I can do it, like reaming an end block for a pickup.

As far as what criteria I use. Other than reliable word of mouth, I really just judge people by their work, and both of my guys have continually impressed me.

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I too went to a CT repair shop to get a shifted neck on a JF30-12 fixed along with two other Guilds that needed work. I was/am very pleased with his work. It was a nice ride over from Saratoga to Groton.

Neal said:

I found my luthier by word of mouth among local songwriters. He works out of his garage, out in the country, nothing fancy, just a small shop.

But over the years, I have come to trust him to the point where I can take a chance on a dodgy guitar in poor condition, knowing he can get it squared away at more than a fair price.

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Well, buddy, you won't need him for the mega-cannon that's on its way.

The words "dodgy" and "poor condition" do not apply to what is on the Fed Ex truck headed my way from Central Massachusetts!

This ain't no "gloppy."

I remember moving into my neighborhood. Car needed brakes. I took it to a place three blocks away. There was a guy waiting on an oil change, told him I was new to the area and asked if the shop was good. He said he moved across town, still came there, as does his mother, brother, sister, son in law and half a dozen friends. They all came a distance, over and over. I lucked out. Fifteen years later, it's who I use.

A good tech is hard to find, and worth it when you do.

I better trust him, because the repairmen is usually me! Hah, for both cars and guitars. Though I acknowledge my limits because there are some issues that need a qualified pro to assess and fix. Nowadays with you tube of course, theres a how-to video to take you through pretty much anything you can think of, so lately I‘ve been figuring that I’ve got the tools, the skill, patience and just need the knowledge so watch a few videos and have at it.

Boneman said:

Nowadays with you tube of course, theres a how-to video to take you through pretty much anything you can think of…

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It’s helped me become a refrigerator repair man at home twice now

I like spending money I don’t have on guitars but I don’t like spending money on repairs but at the same time I’m skilled enough to do some but wise enough to know to hand it off to someone way more skilled then me .
I don’t care for techs because I haven’t found one worth a hoot so I go to the top tier of the guitar gurus meaning luthiers with years of build experience and repair.
I will admit rising costs has got me pushing the limits of shade tree mechanic’n on guitars but heck I love tools . Lol

Rayk said:

I like spending money I don’t have on guitars but I don’t like spending money on repairs but at the same time I’m skilled enough to do some but wise enough to know to hand it off to someone way more skilled then me .
I don’t care for techs because I haven’t found one worth a hoot so I go to the top tier of the guitar gurus meaning luthiers with years of build experience and repair.
I will admit rising costs has got me pushing the limits of shade tree mechanic’n on guitars but heck I love tools . Lol

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This very closely echoes my own “relationship” to guitar repairs. There are a number of basic things I’ve learned to do myself, but I know my limitations and know when to take a guitar to an expert.

(Next job in line for me is making a replacement ebony 12-string bridge, something I’ve not done before. I’ll be relying on my spindle sander for much of the shaping.)

My approach is simple. I just try people - luthiers, mechanics, plumbers, CPAs, whatever. If I like 'em, I stick with 'em. If I don't, I find another.

For years, I've been sticking with a guit guru up in Waterville, Dennis Patkus, and a solder slinger down in Brunswick, Joel Amsden. Both are magic.