[Paris Patt | Daymaker Music]

I would look to the Hartford, it’s cheap and they have musical instrument specific policies that can often be included gratis for small businesses, my policy on a 500 sq ft retail and repair in WA is $900 a year with $25000 per instance instrument insurance (theft, fire, flood, etc).

[Paris Patt | Daymaker Music]

I would recommend getting an account with a few wholesalers. That’s trickier if you’re a sole proprietor and don’t have the FEIN and reseller permit but that’s all obtainable. I also recommend not being a sole proprietor because you get screwed on self employment tax, but I digress.

Wholesalers make it easy. You charge your client tax when they purchase. You don’t have to double dip in that way (you buy online and pay tax, and the presumably charge tax again to your client).

Wholesalers will charge you roughly 50% less from MSRP or MAP depending. As suggested you figure out your own margins (shipping and admin) and price accordingly.

Clients can also bring in their own strings and parts; when I was a small shop and just starting out this was my preferred route, as some of the companies require business references/hoops to jump through for sure. Some also have buy ins — usually $500-1500, and not annual (once you’re a dealer you’re always a dealer)

If you’re in the US I’d look at LPD and Daddario. Very easy to work with and have relatively low buy ins. Gives you enough options for strings and things and if they have their own brand they prefer they can source it themselves and typically do. Whether or not they are providing strings is part of my digital intake process so they can come prepared.

Stringjoy is another easy one to work with.

[Paris Patt | Daymaker Music]

Looks fun!

[Paris Patt | Daymaker Music]

In art conservation we use Epotek and Hxtal, you can source them from talas. Definitely look up how to use properly, both are thinner than water and require proper damming on the back of the pickguard / celluloid material. Both can be tinted with various dyes etc. I usually make sample colors in pill containers and use a syringe to inject, you can also mix to different viscosity depending on penetration desired.

Tend to prefer Hxtal it’s less exothermic than epotek.

[Paris Patt | Daymaker Music]

Mike Hawelu at McCabes in Santa Monica — his speciality (and joy) is ukuleles and heritage instruments.

[Paris Patt | Daymaker Music]

Hard to source — a few years ago I used Addicted to Tone to source some odd takamine parts. He’s very responsive and can usually source what you’re looking for (defunct as these preamps are).

https://www.ebay.com/str/addictedtotoneinc

I’ve also found if you slice some hard foam with double stick and put it on the butt of a 9V (if it’s the 9V version and not the AA) can help add that additional pressure you need.

ebay.com

addictedtotoneinc | eBay Stores

Thank you for checking out my eBay store! I own and operate the music store where I started taking guitar lessons back in 1971. I have 45+ years of experience repairing & modifying guitars! This sets me apart from most … Continue reading

[Paris Patt | Daymaker Music]

When is it the looth’s responsibility when an accident happens despite following best practices

In my opinion and practice, it’s always best to be upfront, honest, transparent, and humble when it comes to accidents or mistakes (or bad luck). I don’t let it linger; I don’t try to figure a way out of it. I dial the number and call the customer and let them know what happened; often I will arrange a time for them to come in so we can discuss it in person and figure out a solution/way forward.

So many aspects of guitar repair and restoration are unpredictable. We often find ourselves working with solvents, varying conditions (both of the shop and the instrument) and aspects that are entirely outside of our control. The best we can do is have high and strict standards, have documented and followed procedures, have a breadth of experience that includes “Little Tips” that help mitigate disasters before they occur, and have a community to apprise when we run into these situations that are outside of our understanding or control.

9 times out of 10, when I have had either a mistake or an uncontrollable condition that arose, a frank conversation with my clients has ameliorated all of it. Often, the luthier is far more worried about what something looks like or what has happened while the instrument is in their care — perhaps rightfully so. It is after all our responsibility when an instrument enters the shop that it leaves in better condition than when it arrived. But — big but — we are human, instruments are (typically) made of organic materials, and we can only play God so far in the scheme of things. Most of my clients have understood this and met me on the level and we figured out a way forward.

Of course you will have an upset customer now and then who isn’t interested in a way forward; they think you’ve seriously messed up and want to rake you over the coals. That is unfortunate. Take it on the chin, wish them the best luck, and move on.

But I think you will find most people are understanding and will try to figure out a way forward with you and the repair/restoration; they will appreciate the candor and involving them in the situation, rather than deflecting or ‘trying to protect them’ by doing a surreptitious drop-finish repair or other cover-up work without apprising them.

how do people manage customer expectations and handle missteps

I’m very upfront with clients about structural repairs, finish work, and the generally ‘unpredictable’ nature of certain repairs. I will tell them that I aim to obviously repair/restore an instrument to the best of my ability (particularly making sure it is structurally stable/sound and very playable).

However — When it comes to aesthetics — I am very upfront and clear that one person’s ‘red’ is not another person’s ‘red’. Color matching is incredibly subjective and you cannot predict what level of scrutiny one person will have compared to another.

I don’t perform ‘ding work’ or ‘just finish work for finish work’s sake’ in my shop; I learned a while ago that it is a race to the absolute bottom, and you tend to work with some of the more psychologically manipulative or abusive clients by performing this work exclusive to any actual structural/playability issue with an instrument.

I don’t use the word ‘perfect’. I don’t oversell my abilities or capabilities. I don’t tell people ‘you’ll never know it happened’. From my experience in the art and sculpture conservation world, it’s actually typically considered dishonest to make your repair/conservation work blend in perfectly with the original work. This hasn’t really penetrated the guitar repair zeitgeist, but I think it gets many luthiers in hot water when they either oversell their ability to make damage ‘disappear’, or find that their best work is not up to the standards of the layman instrument owner.

This is the main reason I only perform finish work when it surrounds structural repair.

and how do folks anticipate and mitigate these kinds of things in advance? I can think of 1 or 2 other repairs gone wrong over the years that stressed me out, and I’d love to have a more solid sense of how to handle it rather than falling down the rabbit hole of anxiety and lost time in the event that a file slips, tape pulls up a chunk of finish, a fretboard is exceedingly brittle on a refret, etc etc.

Documentation, communication, preparation, and avoiding distractions.

By documentation — I mean don’t leave things to chance or anecdotal skill. Reduce the unknowns by documenting what quirks you have run into, and what fixes you have found either prevent them from happening or help mitigate potential damage.

Write an operational ‘Manual of Repairs’. Document how you perform a fret dressing or a refret. Document how you perform a setup. Put in exact measurements for you to follow. Reference it while you are completing a repair; it will keep you present and in the moment with the work you are performing. It will keep you from getting distracted.

Never rush, even if you are under a deadline — the worst that happens is you are a little late. If you are running out of time on a project, speak with the client before it is late, and ask for a bit more time so you can do the job properly. I find many of my mistakes are made when I am rushing and not thinking clearly and feel pressured to complete a job ASAP.

Don’t work while you are answering the phone, or doing other tasks. If you need to speak on the phone, take a break from the bench. Being distracted is a recipe for dropping your screwdriver on a guitar, slipping up, hurting yourself, or hurting an instrument.

Speaking of tools — Keep your bench clean before and after (and during, most of the time) any and all repairs. Vacuum often, especially if you are working with any sort of metal, be it clipping frets or filing them. The quickest way to scratch an instrument is leaving a tool (or metal shavings) on your bench. I personally keep all tools off to one side and no longer have any tools over my bench.

A lot of potential issues can be perceived at drop off and communicated to the customer. It’s part of why I do a very in depth consultation and deep dive on instruments when they are brought into the shop; even if the client has 4 of them or more, I take time with each one, so I can go over what repairs/restoration we are setting out to do, and what quagmires/potential issues we might run into.

The more you can label problems or potential issues up front, the less surprised your client will be if something does in fact happen, and the less stressed/worried you will be if they do happen.