There are some tools, and fixtures, and gadgets that we have and use every day that have been here for so long, and are so much a part of what we do and what we might need to do every day, that where they came from or how long they’ve been here are lost in time. Hand tools small and large (and some are very small); standard shop power tools; specialized jigs that we’ve made. I could go on forever about this but a few examples are: the chisels I bought in the 1960s that I still keep razor sharp; the dental picks that my dentist gave me, wonderfully handy for removing microscopic slivers of wood to be put back in place, for instance on a 1903 Martin that suffered an embarrassing accident; the very pointiest tweezers, came in quite handy on that same 1903 Martin job and so many others. Lessee now: the pair of pliers (one of so many different types here) and a long narrow screwdriver that were my Dad’s. Dad was no mechanic but attempted the occasional simple chore at home, and when I was very young I was always sent to fetch them, made me feel part of the process. A bench grinder and drill press that I bought new in the 1960s for my first shop, both “Made in USA” and both still 100% reliable. A little metal stand with four alligator clips that can be positioned in place, so handy for holding wires to be soldered and small parts to be worked on. And of course, how could we ever leave out the famous "Opti-Visor”? How could we ever live without that? It’s a pair of magnifying goggles that get held on with a head band and can be flipped up and down at will, totally invaluable for that detail work that needs to be perfect. My own pair has been here forever and they've been on the market for even longer. I keep, tacked up over my workbench, the instruction sheet that came with them that shows the nerdiest-looking 1950’s guy ever, wearing them. Inspiration!
We pride ourselves on the perfection of all the work we do here. Getting the frets of your treasured Les Paul or Strat so perfectly done that it's a joy once again to run you fingers over them; repairing the cracks in the fine acoustic guitar that's been in your family for generations; finding that pesky loose wire buried in your ES-335 that’s cutting in and out at the most inconvenient moment; all this and more. I’m proud to say that some of our customers have been coming back for twenty, thirty, or even forty and fifty years because they know that the job will always be done right, and thoroughly, and perfectly. Like it's been said before, it's all in the details.