I'm not crazy about it. I used to have clients come in and ask me to teach them how to do guitar repair (or how to build a guitar), like I could do it in an afternoon.... Then I would remind them I would be stupid to do so, as they would no longer need me. Also, I can speak from experience that trying to even estimate a repair over the phone (without seeing the instrument), let along helping someone repair the instrument is an exercise in frustration. For best results, I need to see the problem with my own eyes! I don't mind helping once in awhile... but let's not get carried away.

Sometimes I wish I had a 900 number so at least I could bill for the free diagnosis. I have a "customer" ( I use that term loosely as this guy has never actually given me any money) who calls once every six to eight months with questions ranging from how to get better tone out of his solid state amp to why his prs se is different from the American version etc.
He is so polite on the phone it is hard to just hang up on him even I know he will never give me any business.

Can't see much harm in "Find a Luthier" sub-forum.
Thread titles like "Any luthiers near South Bend??" should create a searchable list of recommendations that would be valuable to more than a few, I'm sure.

Can't see much harm in "Find a Luthier" sub-forum.
Thread titles like "Any luthiers near South Bend??" should create a searchable list of recommendations that would be valuable to more than a few, I'm sure.

We have a battery powered, animated Frog that was a present to us from Luthier Herb David. Of course my genius biz partner David Collins can't leave anything alone.... So now our frog has been modified complete with electric guitar in hand and what looks like a joint hanging out of his mouth. When we get telemarketing calls or calls from anyone for that matter that we don't want to speak with the phone gets placed by the animated frog and it's button gets pressed.

The frog goes though a couple minute rendition of "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" and then shuts off. It dances too....

Last week one caller from India survived the frog not once, not twice, but three times so we had to simply hang up on the guy.

It's our personal assistant so to speak taking some of the administrative burden of answering the phone off us....

I'll try to remember to get a pic tomorrow when back in the city shop.

By the way back on topic here we turn business away daily. Just because one does repairs does not mean that one needs more work. We most certainly don't and have all the work that we want and need and more. When this happens, and it's a good thing, thoughts go from marketing and advertising, perhaps listings like Wud is discussing here to how to throttle the business with the meaning being "regulate" the pipeline not choke the living crap out of it....

Sounds like a noble gesture up front, but here are the potential pitfalls I would be concerned with.

1) It opens potential for competition in a community that is traditionally more focused on comradery between colleagues. Maybe not often, and the same can be true whenever someone comes in to ask for a referral on the general forum, but making it a regular reference I feel would affect this more so.

2) It seems a standard referral list would imply some sort of vetting by the forum host or general community. What objective standards would apply to earn a place on such list? Would there be a rating system or breakdown of specialties? I could foresee many cases where a shop may be placed on such a list which many members would shudder at the idea of work being trusted with. If someone needs a neck reset on their '43 Southern Jumbo and sees a referral to a shop which others know are not suited to accept such a job, what then? Bite your tongue in the name of community civility and let the guitar be butchered, or speak up and openly criticize a fellow member (who we may get along with quite well on a personal level) essentially as a hack?


A noble idea, but with no universal standards of qualifications to make the list, and the potential to put members either competing for jobs, or worse, having to choose whether to remain silent or disparage others for being overconfident and under qualified. Better in my opinion to leave that can unopened, and if people come here for referrals on occasion let it play out through PM's and on a case by case basis rather than posting a stock open endorsement list.

I hear the arguments against it, there are some fine details that can be hammered out. I still do not think it is such a bad idea to have a list of luthiers who are established, not jokers like me who are just starting, around so just maybe I can say oh Hesh lives nearby let me see if I can get him a couple shots of whiskey and maybe he will spill some secrets. (Even though I don't live near you, offer stands if I ever come through hehe)

This works well with me.....

Kidding of course... but what I wanted to add is that YOU have a standing invitation to visit Ann Arbor Guitars any time that you wish!