Why I Do What I Do

I didn’t set out to become a guitar builder and repairman because I thought it would be a good business.

It started much more simply than that.

I had spent more than 10 years working with wood, I had many years of experience as a professional guitar player, and I had developed a pretty good understanding of what made guitars work—and what made them not work. I could see problems from a player’s perspective because I was a player myself.

I began realizing that I could put those things together and help other musicians with their guitars.

And that’s really where Haywire began.

My own education in guitar setup and repair started back in 1974 in Berwyn Heights, Maryland. I took a Gibson ES-335 to Danny Gatton for what was my first real guitar setup.

Danny could have simply adjusted the guitar, handed it back to me, and gone on with his day. Instead, he took the time to show me what he was doing and explain why the guitar needed those things done.

That made a lasting impression on me.

He wasn’t just fixing a guitar. He was teaching me how to understand one.

Danny put me on the path toward learning quality lutherie techniques, but he also taught me something that has stayed with me all these years: the person working on a musician’s guitar has a responsibility to that musician.

Your Guitar Isn’t Just Another Guitar

That’s something I think about every time someone brings a guitar to Haywire.

I know what it feels like to hand your guitar to somebody and wonder, “Are they really going to take care of this thing?”

Because it’s not just an object.

Maybe you’ve had that guitar for 30 years. Maybe it was your first good instrument. Maybe you bought it with money you worked hard to save. Maybe you’ve played a thousand gigs with it. Maybe it belonged to someone important to you.

Or maybe it’s simply the guitar that feels right in your hands—the one you reach for when you want to play.

Whatever the reason, you care about it.

And if you’re going to leave it with somebody, you have to trust them.

I’ve always thought that asking a musician to leave their guitar with you is a little like asking a surgeon to operate on their own child. You know something needs to be done, but that doesn’t make giving up control any easier.

That’s why I don’t believe in treating guitar repair like an assembly line.

Before I do anything to a guitar, I want to understand the player, the instrument, and the problem. I want to know what you’re feeling when you play it. I want to hear what you like about the guitar—and what you don’t like.

And if I think something needs to be done, I’ll tell you why.

If I think something doesn’t need to be done, I’ll tell you that, too.

I’m not interested in doing work simply because I can do it.

Musicians Helping Musicians

That’s probably the simplest way I can explain what Haywire is all about.

We’re musicians working for musicians.

I know how important a guitar can be because I’ve spent my life playing them. I’ve made the mistakes, fought with difficult instruments, searched for the right feel, and learned that sometimes a seemingly small adjustment can completely change the way a guitar responds to a player.

I also learned a long time ago that good guitar work isn’t about showing someone how much you know.

It’s about making the guitar better for the person who plays it.

That’s the standard I learned from Danny Gatton, and it’s a standard I’ve tried to carry with me ever since.

When you bring your guitar to Haywire Custom Guitars, you’re trusting me with something that matters to you.

I don’t take that trust lightly.

And once that trust is there, that’s when the real work begins.

“We are musicians working for musicians”. Thanks for letting us work for you.

Digital Calipers in Haywire Custom Shop for help finding neck shave thickness

Guitar repairs, maintenance, modifications and upgrades:Acoustic and Electric Guitar Repair Services ✅

 The Haywire Custom Shop You’ll Get:
Acoustic and Electric Guitar Repairs, Guitar Modifications, Guitar necks
Improvements for better playing guitars and best of all diagnosis of all guitar problems in addition to:

Guitar Neck Shaving

One Day Urgent Guitar Services
8-Point Tune-Up
Recessed Heel Crest option
Treble Bleed Circuit
Guitar Pickup Replacement

Shaving A Guitar Neck at Haywire Custom Guitars

Restore and Re-build Acoustic Guitar Repair Services Myrtle Beach Area ✅

Guitar Neck Refretting
Replacement Guitar Necks and Back up Guitars
Guitar Neck Repair
A Faster Guitar Neck

Extensive electronic repair, modification, and restoration for electric and acoustic guitars 

Guitar Headstock Repair
Repair A Broken Guitar Neck

Haywire Custom Guitars: broken Gibson Les Paul guitar headstock in Haywire Custom Guitars Shop for repair

Players are kept in the loop and informed with progress on their custom guitar all along the way. Sometimes they think of things they want to do but forgot to ask.

A guitar setup requires more than meets the eye. Older guitars need more care because of heavy use. It may be that the frets need to be leveled. Then, after a fret leveling job your guitar frets need to be re-crowned (round back the tops of frets like new). If your frets have divots (string dents from heavy handed playing) most of it can be removed when we are leveling the frets. Fully removing all divots requires fret sanding. We try and take the least invasive method to save you fret wear, and excessive fret loss. Guitar fret crowning brings back the rounded shape to the tops of all your frets. It’s truly a lot of work but very much worth it as it allows lower action without fret buzz with better tuning and intonation results. Isn’t your old guitar worth it?  We think so.

Haywire Custom Guitars before repair photo of a damaged acoustic guitar.

Haywire Custom Guitars “after repair” photo of a damaged acoustic guitar

We’re building as close to a perfect instrument as possible.

Acoustic and Electric Guitar Repair Services ✅

Your guitar needs to be comfortable and lightweight enough to play for hours at a time in any situation without fatigue.  The sound has to be clear and the tone has to be great. It has to be built to withstand the rigors of being on the road whether touring or playing in local venues. It has to feel good to you when you play it.

The action and feel need to be consistent all the way down the neck so you won’t be forced to alter your playing technique as you travel around on the fret board.  A guitar players instrument needs to be in tune on every fret.

Haywire Custom Guitars repairs and restores Gibson guitars

Martin guitar repairs done at Haywire Custom Guitars

We pay careful attention to the intonation settings.  It has to look good for you and represent your sense of style. The finish has to last for a long time to protect the wood from absorbing moisture from the atmosphere as well as sweat from direct contact with hard working hands.

Acoustic and Electric Guitar Repair: 

Action and feel need to be consistent all the way down the neck

The neck needs to have a truss rod that is easy to adjust for seasonal variations in temperature as well as the ability to transmit sound and add extra sustain for players.  Strings added need to be a comfortable gauge without too much resistance thus making it easier to push down to the crown of the frets.

Get: Truss rod adjustments, guitar tune-ups, repairs on electric and acoustic guitars, new pickups, electronic repairs, guitar neck shaving, re-fretting, light weight guitars, intonation settings, adding proper guitar strings, re-build guitars, modified guitars, lower action on guitars, great playing used & new guitars, custom built guitars, guitar trade-ins, guitar neck straightening, guitar neck replacement, treble bleed circuits, guitar headstock repair, recessed neck heels and more…….. ease of playing guitar, new controls added, extra light guitar bodies
Women’s Electric Guitars, Special attention for disabled musicians, Loaded guitar bodies
Any and all brand pickups available,Guitar cases,Used and new guitars,Urgent Care-One Day Guitar Service and many more services. These are just some of the things that we think about every day to make your custom guitar GREAT! 

All Guitar Repair:

Options & Neck Shaving

Super-wide Neck Replacement 1-5/8 to 1-7/8″
Guitar Neck Shaving
Super-slim Neck Replacement
Guitar Neck Replacement
Custom Guitar Neck Contours

Acoustic and Electric Guitar Repair Services:

Haywire Custom Guitars: broken Gibson  guitar headstock in Haywire Custom Guitars Shop for repair

image from Haywire Custom Guitars service center of a Gibson with broken headstock after repair

We perform: Guitar Neck Replacement, Fret leveling, Nut filing
Custom Guitar Neck Contours, custom guitar neck shaping, thinning and profiling

Our services include; but are not limited to:

Acoustic and Electric Guitar Repair Services ✅

in addition:

Guitar Repair
8 Point Tune Up
Guitar Modifications
Custom Neck Building and Reshaping
Full Set-Ups

Fret Installation and Polishing
Fret Leveling, Re-fretting and Fret Crowning
Guitar Pickup Replacement
Special Circuits
Custom Guitar Repairs
Volume and Tone Mods
Recessed Heel Crest
Guitar Re-fretting
Heel Crest Reduction
Treble Bleed Circuits

Acoustic and Electric Guitar Repair Services: Mariner from Haywire Custom Guitars building a Backup Guitar

                                                             Acoustic and Electric Guitar Repair Services