I feel the need to let the world know about RJW Guitar Repair in Tukwila.
I had just purchase a Washburn N4 from eBay used for $1100, new they go for $2000. While setting the guitar up I broke the end off of the faulty truss rod.
I contacted Washburn and they wanted $900 and the body for at least 6 months. I then got in touch with some of the ?hot shot? guitar guys in my area, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that I have dealt with in the past. Most of them said ""that?s a shame, that can?t be fixed, that?s the kiss of death for a guitar, I can?t fix it"". The one person that said they would try told me at least $700 and there are no guarantees.
I then got into contact with Stephen Davies about building a new neck; he was the man behind creating/building the very first N4?s (Stephens Extended Cutaway fame). He got back to me and said he would recommend someone if I wanted him to, of course I did.
I received an email from Richard, owner of RJW Guitar Repair telling me it would be no problem and he could certainly fix it. He told me about his history with Davies (he was his 1st employee) and all of his years of experience working with him and also on his own, I knew he was the man for the job. He quoted me a price (way less than the ones previously mentioned) sight unseen and I immediately sent my neck on a 2,500 mile journey.
Throughout the whole process Richard kept in contact with me through email (pictures) and telephone calls. He also did a ton of extra work (new frets, patch to fix truss rod trough, etc?) to make the neck repair perfect. When the job was finally done I was expecting to pay a hefty price for all of the extras, to my surprise, he charged me the price he quoted me which in my opinion was way less than it should have been. The neck is on the guitar and the truss rod and new frets are perfect! I wish I wasn?t 2500 miles away but I?m sure I will send all of my guitars to Richard whenever any work is needed.
So, to all of you people local to Seattle, you really should take your guitars to RJW Guitar Repair. It was the best decision I ever made and I?m 2500 miles away!!!!!! Thanks for taking the time to read all of this, it?s worth it, trust me.
Pros: He fixed it, all the others wouldn't even try.
Cons: NONE, ZERO, ZILCH, well, he's 2500 miles away.
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