South Florida Luthier?????

bassgod76 · #1 07-27-2009, 02:28 PM

Does anyone know a good luthier down here in South Florida?
I've tried a few stores and people, but haven't found someone more exclusive to bass, and the attention to detail was not to my satisfaction. Any ideas?
Thanks!

NWB · #2 07-27-2009, 03:21 PM

Tom Clement

www.clementbass.com

bassgod76 · #3 07-27-2009, 03:42 PM

I'm looking for a luthier who does setups; not to buy a new bass.
Many thanks!

lowtide · #4 07-27-2009, 03:47 PM

http://www.theguitarsherpa.com/categ...ration/fl.html

http://www.repairmyguitar.com/guitar...ng=-81.5157535

lefty007 · #5 07-27-2009, 03:53 PM

Go to MAE in Davie. http://www.mae-music.com/

Ralph is the luthier/tech there. He's done work for me, including a defret, and it was great, and the prices very reasonable.

There is another guy in Ft. Lauderdale that used to setup guitars for Yngwie Malmsteen, http://www.lashbrookguitars.com/.

He did a mayor repair on my friend's Spector that was spectacular. . . I spoke with him a few months ago about a repair and he told me he was more focused on building his own guitars than simple repairs, but give it a try.

And if going all the way south, the repair guy at Guitar Center in Kendall, Alex, is a great friend and very talented.

ghostjs · #6 07-27-2009, 04:06 PM

wow. i live in South FL and i never knew these guys existed

ClassicJazz · #7 07-27-2009, 05:12 PM

Also try Palm Beach Guitar

http://www.myspace.com/palmbeachguitarrepairs

They do great work too. Just recently put in a Sadowsky preamp in my Fender American Deluxe FMT.

bluesblaster · #8 07-27-2009, 06:04 PM

If you make it up west palm beach way I believe Kevin Kaufman has a shop there, use to be Jacos go-to guy, good set ups and a nice guy. Would be curious to know if he still plays with the "White Owls" Of course I havent seen him in nearly 20 years but I know he still works in the area.

kscbass · #9 07-27-2009, 06:10 PM

+1 on Kauffman
Kauffman-Daenzer insttruments

http://www.kdiproductions.com/aboutus.htm

I've also played a bass built by Alex Petrounov and it felt very easy to play. He also does repairs and setups.

http://www.petrounov.com/

Good luck!!!!

spade2you · #10 07-27-2009, 06:15 PM

Doesn't Cliff Bordwell live in Florida? I don't know where, but I think he's somewhere there.

edmidlifecrisis · #11 07-27-2009, 07:36 PM

Another vote for Steve Siciliano at Palm Beach Guitars, he's very competent and a nice guy.

ClassicJazz · #12 07-27-2009, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluesblaster

If you make it up west palm beach way I believe Kevin Kaufman has a shop there, use to be Jacos go-to guy, good set ups and a nice guy. Would be curious to know if he still plays with the "White Owls" Of course I havent seen him in nearly 20 years but I know he still works in the area.

Kevin Kaufman also works closely with Steve and they guys at Palm Beach Guitar. Actually it was Kevin who did the work putting in the preamp for me.

ClassicJazz · #13 07-27-2009, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edmidlifecrisis

Another vote for Steve Siciliano at Palm Beach Guitars, he's very competent and a nice guy.

And he is one hell of a guitar player too! Jammed with him many times!

bassgod76 · #14 07-27-2009, 08:51 PM

I went to PB Guitars for one of my basses. Steve is a super nice guy, but seemed to shy away from bass. His work was decent, but I could tell that bass wasn't his thing. Plus the intonation on my bass was still off after taking it to him, twice. My buddy loves him and has had all his guitars serviced at PB Guitars.

I have tried to get with Kevin Kaufman, and it was a treat to talk to him about Jaco, but he's never there, and no one calls me back. I want to give him a try, but tracking him down is like trying to locate the Lochness Monster. I really want to hold out for him, but I'm going on a month that he's been out of the office. :/

I may go back to MAE. Ralph is a bit gruff and impersonal, but he did good work for me in the past. Apparently, setups at MAE are called, "Birthdays". LOL!

Thanks for your advice. Gotta love the TB community!

kscbass · #15 07-27-2009, 09:09 PM

I've used Ralph at MAE too. He did a good job on every bass I took to him.

lowtide · #16 07-27-2009, 09:22 PM

For $70 round trip plus parts and labor, I'm your captain . . .

bassgod76 · #17 07-28-2009, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowtide

For $70 round trip plus parts and labor, I'm your captain . . .

Buzzard,
Many thanks for your offer, however I want to keep my bass in Florida. Shipping musical instruments makes my stomach churn.

ajish4 · #18 07-28-2009, 06:46 PM

Call Dave Wilt....in Port Saint Lucie.

This guy is AMAZING. One man operation. Has done some of the BEST work bar none. He's not flasy, doesn't have a huge shop, and you MAY have to wait a few weeks if one of his regular customers has an emergency, but he WILL LISTEN to what you want. And when he does work on your guitar, he treats it like a one of a kind.

PM me if you want and I'll send you his phone # and address if you like. The guy does setups like none other. He REALLY takes the time to get your bass as you like it. He is the ONLY guy I let touch my Rickenbackers.

He can build you a custom bass or acoustic if you want, he'll do a straight set up if that's all you need.

bassgod76 · #19 07-29-2009, 09:40 AM

Thanks for your advice. I will give the Amp Shop a spin in WPB. I will let you know how it goes.

bassgod76 · #20 07-29-2009, 02:40 PM

So I head up to the amp shop. On the way, I decided to pop by Kaufman Daenzer to see if anyone was even there. Low and behold, Kevin walks out to his car. I meet him and Chris, in person and both seem nice. I dropped my bass off to Kevin to see what he can do. I'm not sure why they never called me back after leaving them several messages. You would think that with this economy, that they'd be hungry for income. I guess that's the price you pay when dealing with a moderate celebrity of the bass world. Anyways, I can't wait to see what they can do.