Previously Featured Business:  The Guitar Guild

The Guitar Guild provides luthier service

by BRANDON KOCH Intern
The Amherst Bee
After 35 years in the world of physics research and software development, East Amherst native Don Goodwill has decided to devote his life to his first love — working with guitars and other stringed instruments.

At The Guitar Guild, located at 5543 Main Street near Cayuga Street in the Village of Williamsville, Goodwill offers his luthier services and expertise in precision setup, adjustment, repair and restoration for stringed instruments.

Luthier is a term derived from lute maker, which is one who constructs, adjusts and maintains stringed musical instruments, such as guitars, mandolins, banjos and violins.

Goodwill, 65, was interested in music throughout his life and began playing the guitar as a freshman studying physics at the University at Buffalo. While there, he met renowned luthier Eldon Stutzman through a common acquaintance.

"I worked for him and mentored with him, and it was a perfect union of concepts between the physics model and the acoustic properties of musical instruments," Goodwill said. "It was really interesting to notice what I learned in physics and how it applied to musical instruments."

After he graduated from UB, Goodwill spent most of his time working as a software developer for his own software contracting company. Though he was still participating in luthery part time, he wanted more, he said.

So with the decline of the economy, Goodwill decided he would retire.

"When I realized, yeah, I'm 65, I can retire, rather than disappearing into the abyss like a lot of people who retire, I wanted to stay active and involved and do something I really love," he said. "So this is the ideal retirement, I think."

The Guitar Guild, which opened last month, has received an excellent response so far, Goodwill said.

"From the first day I opened I was almost concerned I'd be getting too much business but it's kind of leveled off very nicely," he said.

Goodwill said his most common work is setting instruments.

"That's something highly important that a lot of people don't realize ... that people go out and spend a couple thousand dollars for a high-end guitar and they don't realize that it's not set up," he said. "There's a phenomenon called factory setup, but that's somewhat of a myth because they just set it up to a standard spec."

According to Goodwill, it is important for guitarists to set their instruments to their specific style. A standard setup for any instrument is $30, which is less than most of the competition, he said.

"Every instrument is different, each situation is unique, and customer needs are different, too," Goodwill said.

He has developed relationships with a few regulars so far and said that once customers bring in one instrument to be worked on, it is not long before they bring in the rest of their instruments to get looked at, or refer fellow musicians to the luthier service. He has worked with many famous musicians in the past, including Steve Miller and Peter Frampton.

In addition, Goodwill said he has many plans for the business moving forward, which includes hiring an instructor to give lessons and also opening a digital recording studio, which would be located in the basement of his office.

"I often observe the absolute joy and reward experienced by musicians when they feel the close action and ease at which difficult passages are effortlessly played, as well as the wonderful tones produced by their instruments, he said. "That is the major reward in this work."

The Guitar Guild is open from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information, call 225-8164, or visit the Web site www. theguitarguild. com.