I first discovered Manzer guitars about five years ago I saw Bruce Cockburn in Boulder, Colorado.  I have heard many times that when it comes to guitars, we listen with our eyes.  Let’s just say that with a Manzer guitar your eyes won’t be disappointed.  They are beautiful!  The tone is exquisite and a joy to listen to.  I also helps that  Bruce really knows how to make it sing.  Other notable Manzer lovers are Pat Methany and Carlos Santana.  Methany owns the famous Pikasso(Pictured right),  which is an intimidating instrument to look at it, let alone play it.  As you can see, the craftsmanship on these guitars are first rate and with such high quality of guitars made, the popularity and demand increases.

When I first dreamt about owning a Manzer, there was about a 12 month waiting list because she only makes about 15 guitars a year.  Next thing you know, it’s an eighteen months and today, the waiting list is closed so she can “catch up.”   One day, I was tooling around on the Internet and stumbled on the Dream Guitars site.  I noticed that they had a Manzer in the used list.  For grins, I checked it out and see how much it would cost.  $17,000!  Now you know why it’s only a dream.  Whether or not this is a ridiculous price or not is best left for a different post.  You can bet that you will not see a post about my new Manzer unless I get the winning lotto numbers.

So what is your dream guitar?  Is it attainable or will it always be a dream?

Links:

Manzer Guitars

Dream Guitars Manzer Listing

First Thoughts:

After I started reading this book, I began to think that I might have went a bit over my head.  With some chapters like “Disassembly and Reassembly of Guitar bodies,” “Pearl Inlay Technique” and “Finishing and Refinishing”, I was wondering whether I would be able to use any of this information.  This book was definitely meant for someone with some experience in woodworking.

What I Found Useful:

After getting over the initial intimidation, I did find some chapters that I could use for myself.  I was able to utilize “String Action and Tension Rod Adjustment” and “Intonation and Bridging” to tune up and lower the action on my Seagul S6.

Final Thoughts:

This book is obviously meant for a more experienced repairperson with more than a basic knowledge of guitar repair.  If you are curious about some of the techniques and tools used for some of the more extensive repairs, you might find this a good reference.  It has certainly increased my knowledge/appreciation of my instrument and the Luthiers who repair them.

Links:

http://www.repairmyguitar.com/

I have a new friend through Twitter who provides great help in finding such guitar repair shops.  It is repairmyguitar.com, which is a searchable database of repair shops throughout the United States.  All you need to do is visit the site, choose your city, state and you will be given a list of local repair shops.  I would say the list is pretty decent for the areas that I looked up and I’m sure that it is growing everyday.  In the future, I hope to see an option to search for luthiers.

If you are looking to repair, setup or just do some standard maintenance on your guitar, check out repairmyguitar.com and find a local shop.  They currently have a promotion where if you can win $50 if you submit a review of a shop that you used.  Reviews will give us even more confidence in using this search tool.  If you own a shop or repair guitars, visit the site and get listed, it’s free and a invaluable tool to promote your business.

Links:
www.repairmyguitar.com