Official Luthiers Forum!

As I've mentioned I'm working nights now and loving it. I also only work part time now that I'm 66 so it's about 20 hours a week.

Last week was a typical week for me and I wanted to post pics of most of the guitars that I repaired personally. Mind you Dave Collins is there full time and his production exceeds mine (sometimes LOL) (we are competitive...) so you can get a feel for just how many instruments pass though our doors. These pics are of my production and I am pretty fast at this stuff working very efficiently.

We are repair only and will not change a string or even sell a string, no retail or any other BS that takes us away from our benches and paying clients. Our minimum is a full set-up for about $100 and that is pretty comprehensive as well an can be many different things depending on the individual instruments needs. One example is a Strat I did yesterday needed it's neck angle improved/shimmed and we did that as well as the full set-up and called it a full set-up.

What you see below is one week of 20 hours of work for me, a Day In the life of Hesh so to speak.

The guitars were in for fret work, cracks, pup instals, full set-ups, electronic issues and more. Everyone gets cleaned including electronics and frets as well because of Felix Ungar Hesh here....

Nothing overly interesting this week except that there were an unusually high number of electric guitars. We usually are about 50/50 acoustic electric since we are Martin certified for warranty work.

There was one signed by Les Paul himself who used to keep an engraver in his shirt pocket I'm told and he signed many guitars. There is also a baritone and a host of other stuff too.

Lastly my story is intertwined with the OLF. I was here early but not the earliest and I met my business partner Dave Collins on the OLF even though we both lived in the same town. He was already a Master Luthier having professionally repaired at Elderly's and taught Lutherie at the Galloup School. Dave is also a trained machinist which I'm finding is one of the most useful things one can have when they approach Lutherie.

Anyway we both acknowledged that we had a lot to learn, Dave about business and Hesh about Lutherie and we went at it. We did not profess to know it all or let our egos prevent us from learning all there is to learn along the way. And by the way even with thousands of guitars under your belt there is still always going to be something new to learn. The Guild in the pics was a new one for me last week.

Ann Arbor Guitars is ten years old this April Fool's Day and we have already passed the 10,000 repaired guitar mark. We were born out of the OLF and that's why I'm telling the story here for folks who might fancy hanging out a shingle someday too.

Now, lastly here is the best part of my life in Lutherie. I wanted to build a retirement gig for myself and that's what this has been about all along for me. For nearly 20 years now I had hoped to be able to learn how to supplement my income and pass my time around Lutherie and guitars. I now have a situation where I can work as much or as little as I want whenever I want and it's also very profitable because we provide real value and charge for it too as people should.

When I can't work anymore so be it but until then I plan on working until I die Bury me with a Collings please

And some more:

And a few more and this was my production last week. New week starts today

By the way I photograph all instrument in three ways before I dive in. Two weeks ago I cleaned a clients fret board buttoning up the thing from the work I did. Under his finger jam was a defect in the fretboard that grew on the tree that way. He had never noticed it before and emailed us about it after picking up. Nice young man, my pics were there to show the imperfection lurking under the finger jam and all was well. Now he's thrilled with the work and said so.

Thanks Hesh, a few interesting looking axes here. Looks like you’re getting through plenty in the 20 hours, wish I could be as productive sometimes!


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Dave says that I am the most productive Luthier he's ever known because of my output and I do try very hard to be productive. If I pick up a #2 screwdriver everything on that guitar that needs a #2 screw driver gets hit before I put it down. I'm not rushing mind you but I do intentionally try to be very efficient from the first touch of the instrument there is a specific purpose. I also tend to move from the tip of the head stock all the way down so that eventually my eyes and hands have been everywhere and I don't miss much this way. I also do a LOT of things no one will ever notice such as rearrange the wiring inside because it was a mess and can be heard if you shake the instrument.

Early on I found out that shops let the simple jobs often have to wait for the slog, drawn out jobs because of who was here first. I put an end to that and came up with three classifications of jobs and within a classification it's first in first out, usually but the classifications don't impact other classifications.

For example the neck resets waiting on the third shelf in our shop do not hinder the promises for delivery of our bread and butter set-ups. We make more money on set-ups than anything else and we also benefit more people this way.

Any one who looks down their nose at being efficient and making money does not have a clue.... If you are a professional luthier in my view we have a duty to be successful, keep the lights on and people's valuable personal property fully insured and environmentally safe and sound. Making money is necessary to do this and these days artisan businesses not tied to retail have to be as sharp as can be about finances or they will perish.

We've done very well but I've been obsessed with being successful and we make no bones or have no shame about wanting to be profitable AND return people's instruments to them with the best possible work and in the shortest period of time. Most luthiers are rather slow in our experience so we stand out with same day service for some things and next business day service for others.

Lutherie repair work is not like sex where prolonging things as long as possible benefits anyone....

Thanks Buddy I love this work.

Dave calls me every day, we go months not seeing each other now since he's days and I'm nights. But I know what is waiting for me because of our call and I can even bring anything I need from my fully stocked home shop too.

I'm going to start doing work at home again too since I can and I have a LOT of locals where I live that my place is closer than the city shop. They also want to sit in my studio and play my collection which has greatly benefitted from how fast I work.

And I am exploring doing some house calls to collectors where I get contracted to come in for a few days and take care of collections. Sounds like fun work and I already have two people in Florida who want me to come down. Now I need someone in Jamaica that would be fun, mon....

That is a hell of a lot of work in 20 hours for sure. As a night owl myself I just might adopt such working hours when I retire from the main gig some day.

Good job, Hesh. I try to work from the headstock to the tailblock, too. Just seems "right" to me, with one exception. The first thing I check is the strap buttons. I just have a thing about loose strap buttons - can't stand 'em.

I will strongly agree that it is amazing how much you can get done working second shift. In my life as a tool & die maker, I usually worked second to avoid the masses of morons. it didn't hurt getting paid a little more, too. I miss it sometimes. I'll work all night in my dreams and wake up tired. As for repair work - I've slowed down physically, but I do a lot more work in my head. Even 40 plus years in I'm trying to work smarter, not harder.

Anyway - GOOD ON YA, BRO!

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

JF it's great working in the wee hours and no phones ringing or distractions to help me make a mistake on someone guitar. I'm three times more productive than when other are awake and wanting something from me.

It's also really, really quiet and dialing in intonation and dealing with high pups skewing the readouts is a lot easier too when there is no traffic confusing the Peterson Strobe tuner.

I listen to NPR a lot and sometimes stream CNN too when it's too quiet. Then I get in my car parked right in front and steer home around 7:00 Am.

No traffic either inbound, not so nice out bound...

Hesh,
Great to see that you have the chance to work the way you want. That has pretty much been my philosophy in life as well.

That is a lot of work you do in 20 hours, not sure I would want to be that pressed to do that much but then I don't have a business to support, I am also retired now so I wouldn't want to do that.

But Good for you that you are thriving and still able to make money after all this Covid crap... You were able to keep the doors open AND make decent money so you are blessed.

Cheers,
Bob

Thanks Chris you made my day and I was thinking of you when I posted this knowing that you could relate.

It's interesting that you start at the head stock too. My first move is to tip the headstock up and sight the neck, both sides and then do the truss rod, cover, etc in preparation for the nut slots. I typically use the existing strings for nut slots unless they look dangerously corroded and even black at times.

I've got a thing for strap buttons too and I check them with the #2 Phillips head. I also hate straps and always swear at my clients if they leave their dang strap on and it's in my way.

Anyway I thought you would appreciate what I am conveying here since we are both.... vintage repair folks now

I try to do a set-up in an hour or less and usually can do them in 30 minutes if I bust my butt and I do indeed do that. Of course there are the basket cases that drag into something else like when I mistakenly vacuum up a saddle and don't have a spare so out of the vac comes the bag and where's my magnets

I hope you are having fun Chris I certainly am and I meet very cool people too. I have a new friend Mike who brought me a Martin and we liked each other, he's 70. So he brought me another one and then I had him over to strum and then he brought be 6 more Martins and now he's bringing me his Les Pauls and more. My clients often teach me songs too and that's a lot of fun as well.

Chris and JF not that JF is there yet but I think we all have the perfect retirement gig.

It’s a service industry job foremost and the people you meet are a cool part of the gig. Ok sometimes you meet someone annoying - but they’re mostly cool and I’m constantly making friends in this job and connecting with people throughout my community who I otherwise would never meet.

Reminds me of a recording studio I was involved with on several occasions. The sound engineer would start at about 8:00PM and we’d work till 4 or 5:00 AM. No interruptions, it was great.

He had a little dorm upstairs where you’d sleep during the day.

Cool gig Hesh. Cool guitars.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

The Oneida Dust Deputy will solve that problem. Never go into that bag again. You still might need the magnet for metal items, but they are easier to retrieve out of the bucket, with just the larger items in it.

Hesh, more than anything, I'm just glad you found something you love doing -- very few people ever get to have that. And it sounds like you have close to an ideal setup with a great partner and a thriving business that rewards you economically and as a human being. Now take care of your mind, health, family, and friends and enjoy the ride for as long as you can !!!

All the Best,
Simon

Count me in on the retirement gig team…


Pierre
Guitares Torvisse

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Pierre Castonguay

Great idea, Thank You!!!

Thanks everyone.

Here are the five I just got home from doing in the wee hours. Also posting some shop pics so you can see how we are tripping literally over all the cases we are so booked these days. And some other things I found interesting.

I had three OLFers let me know yesterday that they love seeing the "real world" Lutherie since it's not something hobbyists often see. So ask Hesh and you shall receive

And a shot of part of my car and the sky when I left this early AM. Pretty sky over the People's Republic of Ann Arbor.

Lastly a couple of fun quizzes for folks to participate in.

One of the geetars was a Danny Zaeger He signs his guitars but you have to buy a guitar to get the signature.

OK for an OLF tub of lard what is wrong with this guy's nut and should he see a doctor?

And for extra credit what's wrong with these tuners?

Oh yeah forgot the guitar on the shelf in the shop pic a few posts back above Miles Davis is a Levin.... A rare Levin and it folks are interested since we have one member who will know the Levin story besides me, Roger let me know I can get it down and take more pics some time.

It's an interesting story of Martin, Levin and some sad things about our society.....

OMG, I hate those things. Self locking tuning machines aren't necessarily self UNLOCKING tuning machines. One of my well heeled clients had a bunch of Gotoh self-lockers on all his high end Taylors and Warmoths and I made him switch to HipShots. Much more calm now when I work on his stuff.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince