Does anyone know of a good guitar technician who understands Sticks, based in UK, preferably near London?

Thanks, Max

Why, what needs doing to it?

First, checking it out to find out what needs doing. I just got this Stick, which has been played very little for a long time. I suspect it may need a good guitar tech who knows about Sticks to install a new set of fret rods (which are on their way to UK) and then set the action up. I think someone may have possibly stoned them over much at the extremities of the fingerboard - they're round in the middle of the board lengthways, graduating to really flat like jumbo bass guitar frets at the ends. Also, usual pot/pickup/wiring checks. It's a late 90's polycarbonate Stick.

Max

I would be extremely reluctant to let anyone except SE do fretwork on a Stick. Even if they claim they have the knowledge.

I'm not one of those people who anytime there is any problem/question/issue who says "Call Emmett! He's the only one you can trust" since I feel there is a big enough and effective enough body of accurate historical knowledge in this community to answer almost every question that comes up - but having actual fretwork done is completely different.

Just my 2 cents.

Good luck.

Randy

Thanks Randy: I know what you mean - although I never pursued it further, I was taught to make guitars by a complete perfectionist, and I wouldn't trust a guitar fret job to most guitar technicians! However, unless the relatively few professional level Stick players in UK always send their instruments back to California, there is probably someone here who can handle the job. I'm sure sending it to Emmett is the best possible answer, but Sticks are sufficiently hard to come by here that I wouldn't care to risk losing it in transit.

Max

I'm 99% sure that there are no stick technicians in the UK - or all of Europe for that matter! I think that the options are i) send it to SE ii) entrust it to a good luthier or repairman ii) DIY!

Personally I would never send a stick to SE as it would be prohibitively expensive for me. I do most stuff myself on instruments, including refretting a guitar and redressing frets. Not sure I'd tackle a stick fretjob myself though!

To be honest, there must be a vast amount of repairmen in the UK who could easily work on a stick. It's not 'magical' in any way, it's just another fretted instrument.

Hi there,

yes, sending a Stick from europe to SE for fretdressing or refretting is extremly expensive.

Wouldn't it be great, if SE would share their knowledge / know how with Stick-Players and Guitar/Bass-Techs all around the world?

A book with descritions and a lot of photos of every single step and tools I have to use to do the "job" (Setup & Maintenance) would be perfect. Maybe with a DVD.

I would buy this book / DVD right away....Wouldn't you?


Cheers

One possibility will be that interested luthiers get some kind of training by Emmet and after that a kind of 'certification'. This will be good for the luthiers, the stickists far from the US and for S.E. too since they can charge a fee for the training / certification label...
It would be handy to have an official Stick repair shop in Europe


Cheers, Daniel.

I'll chase this up in UK to see if I can find a guitar tech with Stick experience, and let y'all know if I find one.

Max

Hi Max

I'm in the UK and also looking for someone to help set up my recently purchased early poly-carb 10 string.

I have tried e-mailing the stick people but all the e-mails get bounced back - does anyone have a reliable alternative?

Anyhoo - let me know if you have any luck and I will do the same.

Cheers

Keith