Common Questions

Where is your store located?

Having a physical store for you to visit is one of my goals as the business matures. All work is performed in my home shop.

Also... if you're a local business owner and have a store with some extra space that would be reasonable for a small setup, please reach out!

How do drop-offs and pickups work?

There are two options:

Public location (your choice)
Pickup/Drop-off at your home

When I receive your instrument, you'll receive a repair ticket that includes your contact and instrument details, a description of the work to be performed, and our previously discussed estimate and timeline for work to be performed. We will both sign this.

Aren't you just going to steal my gear?

I understand that I'm just some random stranger from the internet. But no... I'm not going to take your stuff and just disappear.

I'm a new business, just getting started, and I have dreams of operating for years to come. I love doing this work. The Blair County and surrounding areas need more music and instrument shops. If instruments start disappearing, this dream is dead.

You'll have my name, which you can Google and find my past business, my social pages, and more.
You can also take a picture of me, my car, and license plate.

I'm open to other suggestions that provide you comfort. I can't give your trust, I can only earn it.

What's up with the (267) phone number?

I'm originally from the area, but have lived in Philly for the last 20 years. I've recently moved back to Altoona and my phone number came with me.

Is my guitar safe with you?

I was raised with the expectation to respect other people and their stuff. So whatever it is of yours (guitars, amps, etc) that is in my possession, know I'm being extra careful with it. I baby my own and yours will get the royal treatment.

If I'm doing a drop-off or pickup, I only travel with one customer's property at a time.
I travel to the customer and back home directly; there will be no middle stops. Your stuff isn't going to be sitting in my car, in parking lot somewhere, unattended. I want it back in my shop or your home as quickly as possible to mitigate any risks.
While doing the work, I don't take risks. I'll tell you when a tasks requires skills beyond what I'm capable of performing. It's not worth chancing it. If I consider anything within my skill range, but still think there are risks, we're going to talk about it before I do anything. I have definitely bought similar guitars to practice on to prove out a method, solution, etc. Your guitar isn't my experiment.

I want to have work done.

What's the overall process like?

Part 1: Getting to Know Each Other

You reach out to me and I send you to this page
I provide you with an estimate and timeline
You decide you want to proceed with the work
We coordinate a pickup location and time

Part 2: Inspection

Environment Adjustment: Once your guitar is in my home, I let it sit for a day to adjust to the environment. My house isn't your house and the temperature and humidity levels matter.
Visual Inspection - I take pictures and video of your gear from as many angles as possible in hopes of catching and documenting any existing damage (dings, scratches, etc) as well as what was provided to me (don't leave stuff in your case, back of your amp, etc). You're going to go over your stuff when you get it back and usually with a more critical eye (I do it myself). I just want to have the proof that your equipment is no more damaged upon return than when I received it.
Unplugged Inspection - For guitars, this means playing it to observe any playability issues, like buzzing frets, sharp ends, etc. For amps, I'm getting a good feel for the knobs, switches - does everything feel right?
Plugged Inspection - I'm testing out the electronics. All the knobs and switches work as expected? Feedback or buzzing?
Review Call - Did I find anything that we didn't talk about? I'm not going to do any work yet and I'm not going to work on anything we didn't discuss. If there's anything of concern, I'll reach out to you to discuss what I found, the options available, and any how the work would affect the original estimate and timeline. If I don't find anything of concern, I start the work as previously discussed.

Part 3: The Work

I perform the work as discussed
I'm happy to provide pictures as I go along

Part 4: The Return

I call you to let you know the work is done
We determine a time and location to meet up
You review the work
You provide payment