Testimonials

Testimonials

Rob May does exceptional work. I've had refrets done by famous guys in New York City and Rob's attention to detail and perfectionism is beyond anything I've seen before. Before he even took the work we communicated by email several times to decide on the details of the job and he suggested refinements which turned out to make a huge difference in the final result. I had originally wanted to change the radius on the fretboard to 12 inches for instance, Rob suggested a "compound" 10" to 14" shape. This was something I wanted to try but I was afraid to ask about the cost, Rob did it for the same price! Talking about prices, Rob's prices are beyond reasonable and he doesn't surprise you with any additional costs after he gets your guitar neck.

Rob also suggested a high-tech material called Nylatron for the string nut since I use the whammy-bar on my Strat. All I can say is that I did a gig last Thursday and put the guitar in it's case when I was done, when I picked up the guitar on Saturday at another gig it was still in tune! I don't think I even tuned it during either gig and it was still in tune after two sets on Saturday.

Rob also suggested finishing the fingerboard on my maple neck with Super-Glue. At first I was sceptical but I thought about it for a while while and decided to go for it. I'm glad I did because it's better than the original Polyurethene finish was. The Poly was kinda sticky and looked pretty sloppy where it was sprayed over the frets like Fender does. Rob put the finish on before he pressed in the frets and it looks much better this way. The Super-Glue is also harder and more slick feeling than the Poly and I really like the way it plays now.

Rob also uses a fret wire that he gets from Germany. He says that this wire is harder than the stuff Dunlop uses and I assume this means it will last longer. I hope so, because this guitar is going to get a lot of mileage.

My only criticism of Rob's service is that it takes a long time to get your guitar back. Well, what can I say about this except that this is part of the cost of this exceptional service. A friend of mine used to paint houses and he told the customers they could choose two from a list of three things:

1- Good

2- Cheap

3- Fast

Most people, including me would choose #1 and #2.

Mac Bowne, Osaka Japan

Rob,
This fret job is incredible! Absolutely perfect...not a single flaw anywhere! I knew it was gonna be perfect all along to be honest... I've never experienced customer service like this from anyone ever before, and that is the truth. So many people are so into making a quick buck. It's nice to know that there are people you can count on to do really good work. This was soooo worth the wait to me and I'd do it all over again without hesitation.
Heck, the bass even sounds better than my previous #1 too (that's right...this one is it now) and I thought all these things sounded the same! I am not exaggerating here...it sounds more focused and has more harmonics. This is a whole new instrument now...it just came to life! It is amazing that what I used to just "throw" in the corner (not really but you know what I mean) is now going to be my favorite and main guitar.
The frets are crowned so perfectly and the fret size is so perfect. It plays so effortlessly now and it feels soooo much smoother. I will be using this live from now on and it will be on our recording. I start bass parts tomorrow. It will be used on the majority of the album. It sounds phenomenal through my Bass Pod XT and my Trace Elliot rig.
You did such a pro job on this neck...I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I have gotten such crap from other luthiers. I was ignorant of what good fret work and attention to detail is supposed to be like. You've got to do my 6 string and I'm sending it tomorrow!

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Rob,
Got the 6 string up and running today.
The action is great and the bass sounds fantastic. I'm using it on saturday at our X-mas show. Thanks sooo much the frets are perfect...The guitarist in my band was blown away again by your work and all I could do was say "I told you this is the best!"

Chris Blubaugh, Concord CA
(Band : The Hipwaders )

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Rob,
.... it plays like a dream... Everyone can't believe how great this thing plays...I want to send you another neck that needs fret-work...It's hard to find guys who do this kind of work as well as you do...You do great work, and thanks for working with me.

Mike Coe, Oakland NJ

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Rob has done three re-fret jobs for me. I was extremely pleased with his work. The first re-fret job he did was on a Guild-V (in 1988). We discussed a scalloped board but he suggested this really tall skinny fret he would like to try. I agreed to be his "test subject" and was glad I had. Even on the lower frets my fingers never touched the board. It was like floating on air. The next job was an old acoustic with very high action. I said to do what you can with it and was very pleased with the results. The third was a short scale squire stratocastor. It plays great what more can I say ? I love his work and am sure you won't be disappointed. Make sure you follow any instructions he gives you on care and service.

James Erxleben, Arnold MO

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Hey Rob,
Received the neck yesterday. I instantly bolted it up and restrung it. It really is just perfect ! I love the big frets, and you really did a great job in every way. It plays so smooth. I compared it to the guitar with the small frets that I mentioned that I also wanted to refret, and I don't even want plug that guitar in again until you have worked on that one, too. Thanks for such fine work.

Kim Henke, South Bend IN.

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Hey Rob….Just laid some money down on a Breedlove aj250 SF 12 string….and was thinking I might buy some of that amazing fret wire that you put on my Tacoma chief and ship it down to the Nashville based dealer.
Hope all is well and am enjoying your work immensely !
Nick Burke, Warwick RI