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South Florida Luthier?????

bassgod76

bassgod76

Garbage bassist, but I love this goofy instrument
Mar 13, 2003
5,329
1,133
South Florida
#1
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!
 
#5
Go to MAE in Davie. Link Removed

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, Link Removed.

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.
 
#8
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.
 
#12
bluesblaster said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
#14
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!
 
#18
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.
 
#20
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. :bassist:
 

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