Guitar Garage Talk

In this engaging conversation, Chloe shares her unique journey in the world of guitar repair, highlighting the concept of her business, Chloe's Guitar Spa. She discusses the importance of quality control in guitar manufacturing, her experiences at Sweetwater, and the vibrant music scene in Philadelphia. Chloe also shares personal stories about her guitar collection, customer interactions, and the challenges of guitar maintenance, all while emphasizing her passion for helping musicians connect with their instruments. In this engaging conversation, Chloe shares her insights on vintage guitars, the challenges of guitar repairs, and her transition to Philadelphia. She discusses her favorite guitar brands, essential tools for techs, and common mistakes made by guitar players. Chloe also emphasizes the importance of amplifiers and effects pedals in shaping sound, while expressing her admiration for iconic guitarists and their rigs. In this engaging conversation, Guitar Garage Talk and Chloe discuss the intricacies of being a guitar tech, sharing insights on rig rundowns of famous guitarists, essential tools for repairs, and advice for those starting in the field. They also explore personal favorites in music, celebrity encounters in the industry, and the importance of community and learning from others in the craft. Instagram: ⁨@chloesguitarspa⁩ Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Technical Setup 07:06 Chloe's Guitar Collection and Influences 13:07 The Story Behind Chloe's First Guitar 18:10 The Philadelphia Music Scene 22:25 Consultation Process and Customer Interaction 27:09 The Spark of Passion: From Drummer to Guitar Tech 33:29 Accountability in the Guitar Industry 38:36 B-Stock Guitars: Quality and Standards 42:47 Social Media's Impact on Guitar Manufacturing 45:38 Sustainability in Guitar Production 47:22 Building Custom Guitars: A Personal Journey 50:17 Vintage Vibes and Guitar Aesthetics 54:38 Career Transitions and Relocation to Philadelphia 56:58 Challenging Guitar Repairs and Modifications 01:03:55 Quality Control in Guitars: A Comparative Analysis 01:12:02 Essential Tools for Guitar Techs 01:14:23 Vintage vs. Modern Guitars 01:16:49 The Quirks of Guitars 01:20:36 Common Guitar Mistakes 01:25:25 Essential Gear for Beginners 01:29:48 Favorite Effects and Amplifiers 01:34:23 Dream Guitar Tech Jobs 01:38:00 Rig Rundowns: Insights from Guitar Legends 01:41:27 Advice for Aspiring Guitar Techs 01:45:27 Essential Tools for Guitar Repair 01:47:45 Desert Island Mixtape: Guitar Favorites 01:57:21 Celebrity Encounters in the Music Industry 02:02:15 Musical Influences and Personal Preferences 02:04:32 Innovative Guitar Techniques and Pedal Usage 02:06:38 Creativity Through Constraints in Music 02:08:19 The Value of Time and Collaboration 02:09:33 Exploring Punk Rock and Personal Connections 02:12:16 Sharing Stories and Building Community 02:13:37 Learning from Others in the Guitar Repair World 02:15:37 Challenges in Guitar Repair and Pricing Strategies 02:18:02 Refretting Techniques and Personal Growth Guitar Garage Talk is brought to you by Your Guitar Mechanic, servicing guitars in the Greater Charlotte North Carolina region. www.YourGuitarMechanic.com Keywords guitar repair, guitar spa, music industry, quality control, guitar maintenance, Philadelphia music scene, guitar collection, customer stories, Sweetwater, custom guitars, guitar, vintage guitars, guitar repair, music industry, guitar tech, Philadelphia, guitar preferences, effects pedals, music gear, guitar brands, guitar tech, rig rundown, guitar repair, music industry, guitar tools, advice for techs, guitar songs, celebrity encounters, luthier, guitar maintenance

Justin Eisenman of Eiseman Guitars, out of Asheville, North Carolina, is a triple threat. Not only is he a talented bluegrass musician, performing with his wife, who plays stand up bass, but he's also a skilled repair specialist and craftsman of some of the most beautiful guitars I've seen in a long while. Justin took some time out of a recent Sunday and had a sit down with me in the garage... enjoy!

Bill Tallitsch, of Humanoid FX is an electronics alchemist. I know nothing about what goes into the production of guitar effects pedals, but have always been fascinated by them. It certainly was a learning experience to sit down with Bill and have our chat. Really looking forward to seeing what more, beyond his already amazing lineup of pedals, is coming into his production flow. Enjoy!

Joining us in the garage this episode is Nik Roumell from the YouTube channel The Axe Guitar. Nik has driven a giant stake into the ground and has heartily claimed his corner of YouTube with his informative and engaging content. He has drawn the attention of Floyd Rose users around the globe with his vast knowledge of the infamous whammy bar, and reviews the latest in pedals, guitars, amps and more! Nik also peppers in a few shredding vids of his playing... worth checking out as his technique is crisp, fluid and inspired. Enjoy!

To start off season two in the garage, I had the opportunity to talk with Matt D of Guitar MD on YouTube. Matt was a fascinating chat... his YouTube channel is a wealth of luthier knowledge mixed with great clips demonstrating his playing (check out his cover of Hendrix's Machine Gun). Cool guy, and super cool discussion. Enjoy!

John Davidson, of Heavy Repping, through his passion for aesthetic design and search for personal ergonomics as a guitarist, has transcended his life as a mere creator of thoughtfully crafted picks... he has become an artist. His hope is that every player can reach their full potential with the right tools... even down to their choice of guitar picks.

Ian Davlin is a journeyman who has accumulated a wealth of knowledge and a host of comrades during his decades as a guitar repair tech. Ian then created an online outlet, for sharing this information and community vibe, titled The Looth Group. He sat down with me to chat about it. Enjoy!

Emerson is an expert juggler... moving effortlessly between professional artist showing in galleries to barista to musician in a band and then... last but not least... driving the highly explosive Instagram's @TryingToGuitar as a professional repair tech. She's got it all, and doing it in spades. I felt honored to fit into such a tight schedule. Enjoy!

Jack Brunson is a man living his dream. Jack has immersed himself in a world of guitars as a musician, collector, tech, retailer and... quite simply... a fan. Jack owns Jack's Guitarcheology in Lebanon, TN, and when I started following him on Instagram I knew I had to chat with this dude... he ticks all the boxes of a guest I'd like to have on this podcast of mine. Enjoy!

When I opened up my guitar repair shop, Your Guitar Mechanic, I knew I was in for a treat. On a regular basis, I would get to come in contact with not only some amazing guitars and basses, but musicians of all levels and styles. My tribe. Paul brought his Stratocaster in for some upgrades and the conversation began. Before we got too deep into a rabbit hole of subjects, I asked if he could share his story on this podcast. Paul Dozier, Musician... enjoy!

Daniel runs his shop out of Brainerd, Minnesota. You can tell right away, when talking with him, that he has a deep appreciation for his hometown and it resonates in his approach to his work. Discovering music at an early age by hanging out with his dad, a professional bassist, was the catalyst to get into playing and working on his own guitars. He took that mindset to luthier school and fine tuned his direction to where he is today.

I had a chance to chat with Rhett Harris of Rhett's Frets, LLC out of Nashville, TN. Being so close to one of the hottest guitar meccas in the U.S. has some names and stories, and it was great to hear about them. We had some laughs along the way. Enjoy!

Michael Russo of Big River Guitars has a deep artistic appreciation for the vintage. The roadworn, played hard, and never hangin on a wall vintage axe that always, without fail, demands to be heard. His marriage of components, visual aesthetic and designs stands alone. Enjoy!

Mike is a builder who builds things to build things. He has a designer's mind, a luthier's skill, and an artist's heart. It was cool to sit down and pick his brain about what he's creating out of his shop. Instruments that resonate his love for the instrument and his appreciation of the artists who play them. Enjoy.

One of my favorite things about this podcast is being able to chat with luthiers of all skill levels, experience, styles, genres and directions. Kyle Nelson has started Northman Guitars out of Minnesota. He is just starting to dip his toes in the water and documents his journey on Instagram. It was a cool conversation about getting started, sticking with a vision, and making it happen. Enjoy!

Jim Glinksy owns Glinksy Customs out of Austin Texas. He brings with him a rich history of builders, repair specialists and musicians. When it comes to his bench, he has practically seen it all. It was an honor, and certainly too brief a moment, to sit down with him and hear the tales. Enjoy!

Matt is a luthier who creates not only acoustic guitars and ukuleles, but art. Truly a craftsman who approaches his builds with a grounded belief in minimal use of power tools and heavy emphasis on manually hand-working woods strictly from sustainable sources. It's evident that the knowledge he has accumulated over the past few years as a musician and a luthier is deep. His story is fascinating. Enjoy!

Tom Dalia, known to the guitar community on Instagram as Frettie Mercury, is a creator. His knowledge of the CAD design and CNC construction realm of guitar and guitar parts production is deep and varied. He can tell you everything you'll want/need to know about a particular bridge, saddle, neck, body... you name it... he can produce it. His story is a journey with many names and connections. It's an interesting story. I was fortunate enough to sit with him and get all of the details of his past, where he's at now, and his vision for the future. Enjoy!

I always enjoy talking with other musicians about their process, and Jackson Harden, from Charlotte, NC, was no exception. From the first listen to his new release Dakota Blue Moon, I could tell that Jackson and his music are deeply rooted and respectful to his influences. His lyrics, vocals and underlying guitar work create a blend that's easy to listen to and even easier to get lost in. A storyteller for sure. And, from our chat, it was obvious to me that he's enjoying the journey and is looking towards the future with new and fresh approaches to his music. I look forward to hearing what's next. Enjoy!

After years of working on my own guitars for many, many years, I decided to make it a career. Why not? Why not do what I love doing, and have a career at it. So, I went online and searched for schools to learn the proper craft of guitar repair. I quickly discovered there were not many options. Southeast Guitar Repair Academy popped up, and every time I made a list of possible educational options, Southeast stayed at the #1 position. After a seamless registration process, I was up and running... and at my own pace. The instructors were Barrett and Mindy Culpepper. Barrett dealt with the luthier side of the school and Mindy created a section on how to actually setup and run your newly found business as a luthier repair specialist. They both run the Southeast Guitar Repair shop just north of Atlanta. Barrett's lessons were clear, concise and within a couple months I became "official". Despite having a onslaught of guitars going through their shop, Barrett took the time to chat with me.

When I got married in 2014, I went out looking for a guitarist. Why not? It's my favorite instrument, and this was the one thing I had creative control of for our small, intimate ceremony. A private affair with family and friends, and a subdued, solo, fingerstyle guitarist was perfect for this type of intimate event. I found the right guy. David Naidu is a guitarist, who resides in Orlando, FL., and performs for private events for hire. His list of tunes to choose from for your event was long and diverse... we went with a mix of Bach and traditional with a sprinkling of a BeeGees tune. It went perfectly. The entire time I wanted to break away and talk shop.... but this was an important date. Afterwards we chatted a bit and even friended him on Facebook. Come to find out... he had just released his first solo recording, Going Places. I reached out to David to catch up, finally talk shop, and he was gracious with his time. Here's our convo. Enjoy!

When I sent Steve an invite to be on my podcast, he responded with enthusiasm. I expected that type of response from a guy like Steve. On his YouTube channel, Manotick Stringworks (based in Manotick, Canada near Ottawa), he seems to approach every project with an enthusiasm that's somewhat contagious. When one of his videos showed up in my "curated" YouTube feed one morning over a cup of coffee, I was instantly hooked. His vast knowledge and genuine care go into every project. I was honored to have him as a guest. Enjoy!

When I decided to create this podcast, and sat down to make a list of guests I'd like to converse with, one name rose to the top- Steve (Leo) Sanders. Steve handed me my first guitar at the age of 10, and I never looked back. His wealth of knowledge of the musicians and bands he hung out with growing up in Jamestown, North Dakota in the 60s and then Minneapolis Minnesota in the 70s 'til now, is immense. He has an amazing memory for names and stories. If you're from either of those areas, and have hung out with musicians from there, you may recognize a few of them. Steve is a guitar player. He may digress and refer to himself as a "noodler", but that doesn't apply here. What matters is that, at one point in his life, he heard a guitar, picked up a guitar, and played a guitar. These are the folks I want to chat with. Those that found a connection with the guitar, in one form or another, and became a member of the tribe.

Who am I? What the heck is this about? What am I doing? Take a listen and find out. I'll discuss everything related guitar, and you may enjoy it. Thank you.