It’s always nice to see the face behind a business, so say hello to Kelly from Alchemy Instruments! Let’s learn a little more about Kelly’s varied experience as a bassist, luthier, and guitar technician in Bristol, Cardiff, and the surrounding areas.
Interviewed by Tansy Dando, April 2023.
First things first, when did you start playing bass?
I started playing bass when I was 15 - so just over 20 years ago. I chose it over guitar because my favourite riffs at the time were played on bass: Bullet with Butterly Wings by Smashing Pumpkins, PDA by Interpol, and Disorder by Joy Division.
Have you always fixed your own bass guitar or was this something you learned later on?
I learned this later on. I was terrified of trying a truss rod adjustment for the longest time until I brought it to a luthier and stuck around for the process. I realised guitars are instruments of mixed tolerances; tension, action, relief, etc and the trick is understanding how all of these interact with each other. It was still pretty daunting doing my first repair, but when your choices are ‘fix this or no gig tonight’ then it’s amazing how focussed you become.
You have a passion for both woodwork and music; how did this lead you to luthier work?
It’s the crossover of the two that maintains my interest. Both are really fun pursuits on their own, but when the two are combined you learn more about both. I never understood why quarter-sawn wood was necessary for instrument building until I started making instruments, and similarly I learned how to improve the tone my instrument delivered for my music by learning about scale lengths and string gauges.
Ultimately, the two complemented each other and accelerated my abilities in both separately. I also think having a guitar tech who is also a performing musician provides a service that is always up-to-date with the latest developments and solutions.
Speaking of, there’s often confusion over the difference between a luthier and a guitar technician. How would you distinguish these roles?
Put simply, luthiers can make instruments from scratch. The term is the French word for ‘lute’, and was often attributed to individuals who made that instrument and others, such as violins. Guitar technicians are highly skilled individuals who commit to mastering the maintenance and repair of different types of guitars; electric, acoustic, bass, etc.
The two frequently converge, and by combining these two skills it enables the luthier-guitar tech to offer the widest array of services available.
What’s the most common guitar problem you see?
The most common maintenance jobs I undertake are guitar setups, so the most common problems are instruments that have reached the limits of their tolerances. Perhaps the intonation needs adjusting due to performing heavily, or the neck relief has increased after a winter of not being played, and a truss rod adjustment is needed.
The most common guitar repairs are neck breaks and electrical issues. As repairs go, these require a fair bit of time and extra knowledge that only comes from experience, so these issues are common problems on my workbench because the DIY options are difficult and not guaranteed to last very long.
Do you have a favourite guitar repair job?
Definitely fretwork. It’s not a glamorous task, but fret levelling, fret dressing, and polishing are extremely satisfying. I had a 78 Telecaster guitar come through the shop recently that had very wonky and oxidised frets. It’s very pleasing to level, dress, and clean the metal to a mirror shine from a dull brown state. It’s a way of quantifying your hard work with a great result!
What about a favourite guitar string brand?
I default to using Ernie Ball Slinky’s because they’re affordable and consistently good quality, and most of my clients prefer them. I find some of my clients prefer Elixer strings because they are also reliable and high-quality strings. So it’s between those two brands for me.
What’s your advice for anyone who would like to become a guitar technician?
There’s a plethora of information that wasn’t around when I started. You have Dan Erlewine uploading great content with his team online for Stew Mac - and it’s great advice from a person who has been building and repairing guitars for generations.
I would say that there’s no substitute for shadowing someone with knowledge because a huge part of this work is problem-solving. How do I make a nut if my slotting files are elsewhere? What products can I use of a nitrocellulose guitar finish as opposed to a polyurethane finish? These are issues you don’t think to look up before you get them, so seeing an experienced local guitar tech deduce the correct method and solution is a worthwhile skill to possess.
What guitar setup and repair services do you offer?
My setup services are competitively comprehensive. They include:
Restringing
Hardware inspection and cleaning
Electronics inspection and cleaning (if necessary)
Cleaning and conditioning the fretboard
Fret polishing, truss rod adjustment
Matching string radius to the fretboard
Adjusting string height (string action)
Filing and lubricating the nut slots
Intonation adjustment
Setting tremolo/Floyd Rose bridge tension
Checking pickup height
For repairs, I specialise in Gibson and Epiphone neck breaks and general hardware upgrades such as pickup swaps and component changes. However, players will know that the unexpected will always present unique problems. Waking up and finding your nut is in two pieces, or an acoustic guitar has a split in it... It’s an awful feeling to see such things, but it’s likely fixable and something I’ve seen before.
Even if I haven’t, I love problem-solving, and will work to repair or reverse issues where I can!
Looking for a guitar technician in Cardiff or Bristol?
Whether you’re looking for a comprehensive guitar setup or have a mysterious issue with your instrument that you just can’t get to the bottom of, contact Alchemy Instruments.
As an experienced guitar technician offering a range of instrument repair services across Cardiff and Bristol, Kelly will be happy to help. Take a look at the Alchemy Instruments price list for more details and get in touch today.
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