Custom Job (somewhat) narrows it’s focus! (ADHD be damned)

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Custom Job left it’s last shop in Tolland, CT in September and, with limited local shop space, has since been focusing on Lutherie, A direction that I’ve decided to make permanent so, “Hello” from Custom Job Musical Instruments!

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After years of fixing my own and other peoples stuff and thinking about it, I’ve pushed into full custom guitar, bass, and drum builds. Initially because I haven’t owned a solid body electric since the sale of my 65 SG Custom in 2011. True to my long held aim to construct instruments from scratch, I’ve constructed two prototype Guitars, Earth I and Earth II which I’ll be posting about separately shortly. The plans are drawn for a semi-hollow guitar, a solid and a semi hollow bass to follow a second version of the second prototype to be offered for sale.

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Aside from custom commission builds and hand made instrument sales, The shop will also be taking on repair and maintenance work to the tune of:

Stringed Instruments

  • Set Ups
  • Fret Work
  • Machine Work
  • Body and Neck Repair
  • Customizations
  • Electronics

Percussive Instruments

  • Head replacement and tuning
  • Contact Edge Repair and Recutting
  • Harware Restoration
  • Refinish / Rewrapping

It’s kind of a strange business to enter after all these years but, aside from being one of the things I truly enjoy doing, I’d really like to help people be better and more invested players by either making them an instrument built entirely to their specification or making their instrument function the best that it can towards their liking. Inside all of that is a desire to make things that call people to express themselves exhaustively, less with regard to tradition and trend … maybe? .. and more towards the sound that they channel. Kinda hippy, I guess. Or maybe I need to hear some new music?

Anyway, Custom Job Musical Instruments is here to help … Fabricating and Restoring the Finest Implements of Sonic Creation.

Published by Custom Job

Gavin John Sheehan (D.B.A. Custom Job) Is a Musician, Composer, Luthier, Builder, and Fabricator of 35 years. Before knowing what a luthier was, gavin took care of all his own instrument repair and customization. By the time he had his first job in finishing at a local funiture store, he’d been thinking about building his own instruments from scratch. A lot of years of repairing and working jobs, mostly related to carpentry, he picked up skills in furniture design, building, finishing and woodworking in general. Over time, as he’d encountered more complex instrument repairs, a lot of the work he’d done in the trades lent well to his work with musical instruments. After a 10 year spell living in Montreal, QC and playing all types of music, traditional and nontraditional western, eastern and experimental work, he began to fall out of love with the instruments he was playing (though he now misses a heafty amount of them). Around that time, he bought his first table saw for 150 bucks from a humidor maker which came with an almost embarassing amount of beautiful and highly figured woods. He carried at least 6 pieces of highly figured tiger maple and other odds and ends around with him for the following 15 years. Over that 15 years, he’d been doing work on other people’s instruments and building/restoring his own drumset, a combination 1948 Gretch Broadkaster he picked up in a junk shop and several other custom drums he built to go with it. He finally began construction of two Guitars (Earth I and Earth II) which would be the only electric guitars he’d allow himself to “Buy” after close to 5 years without a dependable solid body guitar. Gavin Decided to go into business in 2017, opening his first shop as Custom Job in Tolland, CT. He’s since moved to Sterling, MA and is building a home and shop down in the Quiet Corner of CT

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