Helping You Rediscover Your Inner Troubadour

Larry Davidson: On Music

How many of you have a guitar in your closet that you used to play, or that you thought you'd put time in learning to play someday? That's a lot of hands that just went up! I thought as much.

Waitsburg's newest artisan business - Joe's Guitar Repair Shop - can work miracles on that dusty old gem hiding in the shadows behind your old winter coat. You know which one I'm talking about - the one that you haven't worn for the last 10 years. Resurrecting that old guitar is what Joe does, and like a phoenix from the ashes it can go from a dusty relic to a star performer. I do need to offer up a caveat here - as with all things in life there is a limit to the magic that Joe can perform - though his juju does run deep!

I first heard about Joe Patrick from a mutual friend of ours who has known him for a very long time - since college days in fact. Joe's now a wiz­ened 70 so you do the math.

"Joe is a great guy, fantastic guitarist, and a re­ally good luthier" our mutual friend assured me. That was the bullet-point bio introduction I was given but there is much more music to Joe than just this short list of positives. His history in the music industry runs from college radio, working as a manufacturer's representative (Washburn and Kramer guitars and Seymour Duncan pickups) for a ten-year stretch, to opening up Joe's Music Shop as proprietor, teacher and guitar tech on Whidbey Island many years ago. It is well-known amongst musicians as one of the best shops in the region.

You may have learned from last week's col­umn by our publisher, Imbert Matthee, a little bit about what a luthier does. But if you missed it, a luthier historically is an artisan/craftsman who builds and repairs lutes. There is however not much of a call for lute building, tune-up and repairs these days.

The invention of the guitar supplanted the lute as the instrument of choice to take to parties, fes­tivals, dragon slayings, maiden-rescue gala balls and the like. The guitar in fact destroyed the lutes' chances of ever being played behind the back by a long-haired rocker in tight leather pants to a big bold beat or set on fire at an outdoor rock festi­val to the screams of thousands of adoring fans. However because all stringed instruments share a common past - especially the guitar and the lute - the term luthier has stuck through the ages as the title for the go-to guy when your stringed instrument needs some tender loving care.

Instruments warp and tweak over time. From clarinets to pianos to saxophones to guitars, they get wear and tear just like everything else. Changing moisture levels, temperature swings, changing strings, how old the instrument is, even playing the instrument - all of these things and more lead to the fact that your instrument changes over time, and never for the better. Not only that - you can't stop it.

You probably bought your guitar way back when and lost interest in it solely because it be­came uncomfortable or even impossible to play. More likely than not it was never set up properly in the first place, or through years of playing and/ or neglect (as is often the case) when not in the case - your instruments' dynamics morphed into something resembling a cheap plastic toy with all the resonance of a toaster. Be honest - when was the last time you changed your strings? This is why luthiers have survived all these years - your abusive relationship with your instrument ensures ongoing job security. Someone has to doctor and mend all the neglect you've thrown at your guitar.

I've been a guitarist since I was very young, so the possibility of having someone here in eastern Washington - and even better, right here in Waitsburg - who actually knew what he was doing with good instruments intrigued me. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical. I had entrusted my acoustic guitar to a luthier only once in the past and was not thrilled with the results which is the reason for doing it only once. Shortly after I got my guitar back I undid much of the work that the person did on my guitar because when I finally got it back after a month and a half it was set up terribly for the way I play.

In hindsight I realized that they never actually asked at the time what I needed done for my guitar other than clean it up and even out some minor fret wear. That was an expensive lesson - coupled with the month that I didn't have my guitar - which I never wanted to go through again. In that light I set out to learn how to care for my instrument myself which I have done with something akin to religious fervor over many years. It is through my own experience of caring for my own instru- ments that I immediately understood just how good Joe is at what he does!

I can easily say that with confidence (and back it up) because when I visited his shop I was allowed to play a guitar that he had set up. I've played many amazing instruments in my life both off and on stage, but I had never played a neck that was so incredibly responsive that I over-played everything. To be honest it was pretty em- barrassing. The closest ex- ample I could use is it would be like driving an old manual steering automobile from the 1940's, taking it for a spin on an old dirt road and then hopping into a brand new luxury sedan replete with all the amenities and power assisted everything then tak- ing it for a spin on a freshly paved modern highway. That's how good his work is!

Joe came to guitar repair via the roundabout, because both his music shop and manufacturers rep business- es required him to do much of this work himself. Having to set up all the new guitars that came into his shop as well as offering basic setups for existing customers led him directly into and down the luthier rabbit hole.

As with all things that we are passionate about, we all tend to delve deeper down until we become somewhat masterful. Joe's knowledge coupled with a hands-on working history along with a unique understanding of why guitars do what they do have served him and his customers well to the point reached today where he is one of the finest set-up guys I've ever encountered. His services include everything from neck cleaning, straightening, fret work, bridge and nut work, hardware and body repairs, setting play action, installing new strings and more.

Please understand though that while Joe really is a magician of the highest caliber he really cannot work miracles. That instrument that's been hanging on the side of the barn for ornamentation since the 70's? Probably needs to stay right where it is.

To date, Joe's new busi- ness has been taking off nicely by word of mouth, but you can now schedule an appointment with him at maxyourguitar@gmail.com. Since he doesn't have an open storefront, it's the best way to get in touch with him. Who knows, he may even fix that lute you've been holding onto all these years.

With over a dozen clients so far and more on the way through referrals, it seems that Joe's "retirement" busi- ness might wind up keeping him busier than when he was "working". That, unfortu- nately, is the price one pays when you're really good at what you do. Welcome to the neighborhood Joe - I look forward to seeing you el- evate my guitars to a higher plane too.