Meet the Bench

The hands, habits and history behind BadMonkey Music

Forty-plus years around guitars, repairs and players. Straight diagnosis, practical fixes and appointment-only bench time for instruments that need to feel right again.

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The short version

This Monkey Has Seen Some Things^TM

Through the years, thousands of guitars have passed over this bench: setups that fought back, wiring mysteries, fret problems, acoustic movement, tuning issues, hardware surprises and repairs that needed a clear head more than a sales pitch.

40+years around guitars, repairs and players

1:1appointment-only attention, not a counter shuffle

Bench Notesreal repair lessons from real instrument problems

GuitarWorks roots

Old-school bench experience, current-day service

BadMonkey Music^TM carries forward the old GuitarWorks spirit: players, gear, repairs, setups, rebuilds, straight talk and a shop that actually cares how the guitar feels in your hands.

The point is not to make every instrument fit the same spec sheet. The point is to listen to the player, inspect the instrument and make smart repairs that improve the guitar without wasting money.

Some guitars need a simple setup. Some need fretwork, wiring, a nut adjustment, bridge attention or a deeper look. Some need somebody to say, honestly, that the expensive repair is not the right move.

How the bench thinks

What "straight bench advice" means

No mystery. No one-size-fits-all setup. No pretending every guitar needs the same repair.

Listen first

The symptom matters, but so does how you play, what changed, what tuning you use and what you want the guitar to do better.

Measure honestly

Relief, action, nut height, fret condition, pickup height and hardware all tell part of the story.

Repair practically

The best repair is the one that solves the actual problem without wasting your money or changing what you already like about the instrument.

Appointment-only repair

How to get better help from the bench

The more useful the intake, the faster the problem can be understood.

Describe the symptom

Buzzing, tuning trouble, high action, dead notes, scratchy electronics, bridge movement, cracks or anything that changed suddenly.

Include the setup details

Make/model, tuning, string gauge, playing style and whether the problem happens plugged in, unplugged or both.

Send clear photos

Photos help with cracks, bridges, hardware, wiring, fret wear, broken parts and anything hard to describe.

Get the right next step

Sometimes that is a setup. Sometimes it is fretwork, wiring, acoustic repair or a simple adjustment. The bench will sort it out.

Ready when your guitar is

Tell me what it is doing. I will help figure out what it needs.

Photos, tuning, string gauge and a clear description are the best place to start.

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