San Francisco Bay Area setup specialists needed

Steve Swan · #1 07-23-2008, 08:49 AM

The San Francisco Bay Area needs another great setup specialist. A couple of them would be better. Since Michael Olivola left with his family for New Mexico, many of the jazz and orchestral players that I know here have been singing the blues. The best setup and repair guys are overbooked and/ or are located too far away to drive comfortably. Jeff Sahs up in Sacramento is 101 miles away and Matt Bohn of Felton is a 60 mile drive. There is a lot of work waiting for a luthier that has honed his/ her craft in a large established bass shop and wants to strike out on their own. HELP!

hdiddy · #2 07-23-2008, 11:00 AM

Steve is on the money. There is definitely room for a skilled specialist here. Esp someone who's got East coast style setup/repair skills.

damonsmith · #3 07-23-2008, 11:02 AM

I use Greg at Best Instrument Repair. He always does a good job.

swpyne · #4 07-23-2008, 11:11 AM

You might want to consider Harry Fleishman.

http://www.fleishmaninstruments.com/

He's a bit north but he does fantastic work!

JDubbleyoo · #5 07-23-2008, 02:27 PM

If ever your travels take you to the Eureka/Arcata area (about 5 1/2 hours north of SF on Hwy 101), please visit Bob and Geoff Daugherty at Daugherty Violin Shop--

http://www.stringrepair.net/

For a bass set-up, they are worth the trip.

hdiddy · #6 07-23-2008, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swpyne

You might want to consider Harry Fleishman.

http://www.fleishmaninstruments.com/

He's a bit north but he does fantastic work!

Umm... he's a guitar builder, not a DB luthier. Nice work tho!

JeffKissell · #7 07-23-2008, 07:41 PM

Hey Steve,
Did I miss something? Is Alex Friedman still working on basses in S.F.?
-J
BTW, the Shen willow you sold to my friend Mike sure is a beauty!!

rgr · #8 07-23-2008, 07:59 PM

Yes, Greg at Best Instrument Repair is a great guy. Very helpful with very reasonable prices.

Dennis Kong · #9 07-24-2008, 12:53 AM

The folks at Kamimoto Strings in San Jose are good.
They 're pretty fast & reasonable. They patched a 1/2 hole
in the bottom rib of my King bass in a week and I was back in business !

Steve Swan · #10 07-27-2008, 02:54 PM

I'm not kidding. I can feed them 2-3 setups per week and various bread and butter repairs. We are in dire need of a great setup person on the San Francisco penninsula.

Kevin Hsieh · #11 07-28-2008, 08:04 AM

Alex Friedman was still in the Bay Area when I checked last month.