2009 TDPRI Giveaway Winners List is available HERE

mellecaster · September 8th, 2009, 03:40 PM

Some here may know...some may not, My Full-time Occupation is String Instrument Repair...Set-up, and Building (0r Assembling ? for those that feel you must cut down the Tree, to be called a Builder)....Due to my Reputation of attention to Detail, careful Packing, and good communication w/ my Customers, I also do quite a bit of "Out of State" work, where the Guitars are shipped to me. I read a lot of posts where some areas just don't have a large pool of repair & Set-up people to choose from, so this could be an option for those in such parts of the Country....As time goes on, I will try to Post here on the Vendor Forum and tell you a little more about me, and how I feel Customers should be treated...my General take on things Guitar related, and stuff I have learned along the way of doing this for over 30 years. So in the meantime here's a quick look inside Desperadoville...USA....btw, I'm also the Mayor and the Sheriff....

Hiker · September 8th, 2009, 04:12 PM

Thanks for the tour, pard!

62_Inca_Esquire · September 8th, 2009, 04:28 PM

Nice stuff !

I'm diggin' the Blackguard .... Tele-licious !

caimi · September 8th, 2009, 05:48 PM

I always enjoy seeing someone's shop. Thanks. And I'll second the appreciation for the blackguard. Nice looking tele.

Do you limit your work to teles? Solidbodies?

mellecaster · September 8th, 2009, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caimi

I always enjoy seeing someone's shop. Thanks. And I'll second the appreciation for the blackguard. Nice looking tele.

Do you limit your work to teles? Solidbodies?

Not hardly...but this would be a little hard to Ship.....

tdowns · September 9th, 2009, 10:25 PM

Excellent!! Thanks for sharing. That looks like a great place to work on a Tele as well as other things. I bet you have seen just about everything in your years of work. Of course I can tell a lot about that from your knowledgeable posts.

Does the abundance of necks mean folks send you necks to refret or level/crown? I know quite a few folks that do their own guitar work but wouldn't dare venture down the path of doing fret work. Heck, just the investment in tools it not worth unless you do a lot of it.

Oh while I'm here, I'll extend my kindness and give you some advice. That big bass guitfiddle you are working on ain't never gonna retain "that vintage tone" if it's not glued back with glue made from the front hooves of an equine quadraped raised in Kentucky (the bluegrass state...you don't use that any thing for other than bluegrass of course). It looks like you used the new synthetic stuff which will result in a harsh grainy tone. The glue I'm talking about will render inter-transient silence and rich lush depth of field. It also helps if you scatter apply the glue (same concept as scatter wound pickups). Just trying to help.

Cheers,
Terry

pchilson · September 9th, 2009, 10:57 PM

Looks like a nice comfortable workspace Tony. Is your shop in a seperate building or incorporated into part of your home?

Looks like you have some to keep you busy there...

Ricky D. · September 9th, 2009, 11:13 PM

That Blackguard, if I remember correctly, began life as a 52RI, then became an Esquire. Very, very cool guitar.

The one that had me hypnotized for months is the third from the right in the rack on the floor at the end of the workbench. That's the biggest neck I've ever played, a Musickraft at least an inch thick with a 1.75" nut! "U" profile, really filled my hand.

rhh7 · September 9th, 2009, 11:23 PM

What an awesome shop. I really enjoy your posts, and wish you great success in your business!

mellecaster · September 10th, 2009, 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdowns

Does the abundance of necks mean folks send you necks to refret or level/crown? I know quite a few folks that do their own guitar work but wouldn't dare venture down the path of doing fret work. Heck, just the investment in tools it not worth unless you do a lot of it.

Cheers,
Terry

Thanks Terry....Level & Crown only....I share your opinion that the Investment in Tools for doing complete Fret jobs (The Anal way)...think Dan Earlwine...is just to great for the return, when you think what replacement necks go for (The genius of Leo)...I'll leave that to Rob at Fretech in NJ.
That Ole Slap Bass was actually an all Solid Wood one from Romania...so the "Grassers" woulda turned up their noses at it anyway Glue or not)...They Luv them Ole Plywood Kays....but I always enjoy your Descriptive Typing...

mellecaster · September 10th, 2009, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pchilson

Looks like a nice comfortable workspace Tony. Is your shop in a seperate building or incorporated into part of your home?

Looks like you have some to keep you busy there...

That actually was once my Living room....showed it to the Ex awhile back, and she was just rendered kinda speechless......

mellecaster · September 10th, 2009, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhh7

What an awesome shop. I really enjoy your posts, and wish you great success in your business!

Thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate that !

mickeydean · September 10th, 2009, 08:30 PM

as soon as i am not playing for a little my guitars are coming to your shop.

i will be calling soon! i promise!

madmark · September 11th, 2009, 04:27 PM

Great shop and I also love your posts always to the point and right on.. Thanks for sharing..
Mark

getbent · September 11th, 2009, 04:33 PM

hmmm, so Tony, I could just send you a neck and you could refret it, level it etc for me?

I've got one just about ready for that... boy, I'd sure like you to work on it...

great shots, I'd love to visit sometime! (but it is a long way!)

udister · September 11th, 2009, 05:29 PM

That shop looks awesome! (and full of little treasures....).

+1 on your great posts here, I've learned many things from you.

Thanks for sharing and good luck!

mellecaster · September 11th, 2009, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by getbent

hmmm, so Tony, I could just send you a neck and you could refret it, level it etc for me?

I've got one just about ready for that... boy, I'd sure like you to work on it...

great shots, I'd love to visit sometime! (but it is a long way!)

Mr. Get....As you can see from my answer to Terry up above, I'm quite Happy to do a Level & Crown...but just never found it feasible money wise to get into Fret replacement...I leave that to Rob at Fretech in NJ...but thanks for the kind words.....Tony

mellecaster · September 11th, 2009, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madmark

Great shop and I also love your posts always to the point and right on.. Thanks for sharing..
Mark

Thank you Mark....Tony

mellecaster · September 11th, 2009, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by udister

That shop looks awesome! (and full of little treasures....).

+1 on your great posts here, I've learned many things from you.

Thanks for sharing and good luck!

Thanks for your kind words udister...Tony

2tone60thAsh · September 14th, 2009, 10:24 PM

Been saying it for a while now, no need to reiterate, but I will anyways!.... Tony does the best work to guitars I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Period.

He'll make a Squire Standard Strat or Tele play better than 99% of folks' American guitars, boutique partscasters, whatever.

And the man is equally as cool as his shop looks!

WisconsinStrings · September 14th, 2009, 11:05 PM

Nice shop! I love seeing stuff like that. Thanks for sharing!

mellecaster · September 17th, 2009, 12:47 AM

Thanks Thor, and Wisconsin for the kind words.....

Awhile back I said I would tell you guys and Gals a little more about me and my mindset and philosophy on doing this stuff....It's very similar to how I started my own Harley Parts Shop back in the 70s. I was going through the process of building my 1st Custom Harley from the ground up, and was quite disappointed in the Parts and accessories places I needed to buy from (This was long before the Internet)...and tried to deal w/ some burnt out Hippie types that said they could lace up spoke wheels....It was so bad that I just learned to do it myself...and took what little savings the wife and I had, and opened up Desperado Cycle Supply in 1979. I swore then I would keep a clean well lit Store...and treat customers the way I wish I had been treated when I was building mine. Not real complicated to me ?.....I've had some bad dealings with Music Stores and repair guys myself....so when I started doing this full time as a business, I decided to continue w/ the Desperado moniker (Hence Desperadoville...USA) and treat folks the way I wanted to be treated....Again, not real complicated to me ?....I've built up Trust on Ebay over the years with 721 Positive Feedbacks and 100% Rating...and try to give a customer someone they can feel comfortable leaving their stringed instrument with....I have a strong work ethic (always have)...Love what I do...and work on as many Acoustics as I do Electrics....Have a particular Love for Fenders, but will work on most anything w/ strings on it....So now you know a little more about me than you did 5 mins. ago....Thanks for stopping by "The Ville"........Tony Mellichampe

Rubsoul · September 18th, 2009, 10:02 PM

Tony,
Where in Maryland are you located?
John in Parkville

mellecaster · September 19th, 2009, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rubsoul

Tony,
Where in Maryland are you located?
John in Parkville

John, I'm about 11 miles South of Annapolis in Edgewater on the South River.
You can reach me at desperadoville@verizon.net

Thanks for your interest.

Ignatius · September 22nd, 2009, 10:04 PM

So that's where it all happens! Tony, I've been playing the holy crap outta that Tele you worked on for me. I've been meaning to tell you that I'm every bit as satisfied with it today as I was the day I got it back from you, if not moreso.

mellecaster · September 23rd, 2009, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignatius

So that's where it all happens! Tony, I've been playing the holy crap outta that Tele you worked on for me. I've been meaning to tell you that I'm every bit as satisfied with it today as I was the day I got it back from you, if not moreso.

Thanks for that Gary...you made my day.....

MandyMarie · September 27th, 2009, 12:51 PM

I want to spend a WEEK in there right next to you! That is seriously my kind of place...I'm drooling!!

BigMike · September 27th, 2009, 01:08 PM

WOW...what an Aladin's cave, might do that in my living room, bit concerned though as might mean I end up with an ex...................

mellecaster · September 28th, 2009, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MandyMarie

I want to spend a WEEK in there right next to you! That is seriously my kind of place...I'm drooling!!

Cool Mandy !....some Pinstripes would brighten up the place.....

September 8th, 2009, 03:40 PM	#1 (permalink)
mellecaster VENDOR Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 7,655 17 Photos	A Peek inside "The Ville" Some here may know...some may not, My Full-time Occupation is String Instrument Repair...Set-up, and Building (0r Assembling ? for those that feel you must cut down the Tree, to be called a Builder)....Due to my Reputation of attention to Detail, careful Packing, and good communication w/ my Customers, I also do quite a bit of "Out of State" work, where the Guitars are shipped to me. I read a lot of posts where some areas just don't have a large pool of repair & Set-up people to choose from, so this could be an option for those in such parts of the Country....As time goes on, I will try to Post here on the Vendor Forum and tell you a little more about me, and how I feel Customers should be treated...my General take on things Guitar related, and stuff I have learned along the way of doing this for over 30 years. So in the meantime here's a quick look inside Desperadoville...USA....btw, I'm also the Mayor and the Sheriff.... __________________ Expert Repair....ReCrafting...and Set-ups Making your World a Better Place...One Guitar at a time

September 8th, 2009, 04:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
Hiker Tele-Holic Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 775 4 Photos	Thanks for the tour, pard! __________________ Hammer On!

September 8th, 2009, 05:48 PM	#4 (permalink)
caimi TDPRI Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Midwest Age: 54 Posts: 16	Desperadoville I always enjoy seeing someone's shop. Thanks. And I'll second the appreciation for the blackguard. Nice looking tele. Do you limit your work to teles? Solidbodies?

September 9th, 2009, 10:25 PM	#6 (permalink)
tdowns Friend of Leo's Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Wylie, TX US Posts: 3,107	Excellent!! Thanks for sharing. That looks like a great place to work on a Tele as well as other things. I bet you have seen just about everything in your years of work. Of course I can tell a lot about that from your knowledgeable posts. Does the abundance of necks mean folks send you necks to refret or level/crown? I know quite a few folks that do their own guitar work but wouldn't dare venture down the path of doing fret work. Heck, just the investment in tools it not worth unless you do a lot of it. Oh while I'm here, I'll extend my kindness and give you some advice. That big bass guitfiddle you are working on ain't never gonna retain "that vintage tone" if it's not glued back with glue made from the front hooves of an equine quadraped raised in Kentucky (the bluegrass state...you don't use that any thing for other than bluegrass of course). It looks like you used the new synthetic stuff which will result in a harsh grainy tone. The glue I'm talking about will render inter-transient silence and rich lush depth of field. It also helps if you scatter apply the glue (same concept as scatter wound pickups). Just trying to help. Cheers, Terry __________________ Best regards, Terry Downs http://terrydownsmusic.com Equine quadrupeds may be coaxed to the reference of specific gravity but may not be compelled to imbibe thereof.

September 10th, 2009, 08:30 PM	#13 (permalink)
mickeydean Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2008 Location: millersville Age: 55 Posts: 1,221	as soon as i am not playing for a little my guitars are coming to your shop. i will be calling soon! i promise! __________________ I'm not getting older, I'm getting LOUDER. http://www.soundclick.com/mickeydean

September 8th, 2009, 04:28 PM	#3 (permalink)
62_Inca_Esquire Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,109	Nice stuff ! I'm diggin' the Blackguard .... Tele-licious !

September 9th, 2009, 10:57 PM	#7 (permalink)
pchilson Friend of Leo's Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Loveland, Colorado Age: 51 Posts: 2,125	Looks like a nice comfortable workspace Tony. Is your shop in a seperate building or incorporated into part of your home? Looks like you have some to keep you busy there...

September 9th, 2009, 11:13 PM	#8 (permalink)
Ricky D. Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Maryland Age: 58 Posts: 1,951	That Blackguard, if I remember correctly, began life as a 52RI, then became an Esquire. Very, very cool guitar. The one that had me hypnotized for months is the third from the right in the rack on the floor at the end of the workbench. That's the biggest neck I've ever played, a Musickraft at least an inch thick with a 1.75" nut! "U" profile, really filled my hand.

September 9th, 2009, 11:23 PM	#9 (permalink)
rhh7 Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Calgary, Canada Posts: 816	What an awesome shop. I really enjoy your posts, and wish you great success in your business!

September 11th, 2009, 04:27 PM	#14 (permalink)
madmark Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New York Age: 40 Posts: 899	Great shop and I also love your posts always to the point and right on.. Thanks for sharing.. Mark

September 11th, 2009, 04:33 PM	#15 (permalink)
getbent Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Benito County, California Posts: 13,671 37 Photos	hmmm, so Tony, I could just send you a neck and you could refret it, level it etc for me? I've got one just about ready for that... boy, I'd sure like you to work on it... great shots, I'd love to visit sometime! (but it is a long way!) __________________ We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are

September 11th, 2009, 05:29 PM	#16 (permalink)
udister Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Tel-Aviv Posts: 227 6 Photos	That shop looks awesome! (and full of little treasures....). +1 on your great posts here, I've learned many things from you. Thanks for sharing and good luck!

September 14th, 2009, 10:24 PM	#20 (permalink)
2tone60thAsh Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Maryland, USA Age: 23 Posts: 308	Been saying it for a while now, no need to reiterate, but I will anyways!.... Tony does the best work to guitars I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Period. He'll make a Squire Standard Strat or Tele play better than 99% of folks' American guitars, boutique partscasters, whatever. And the man is equally as cool as his shop looks!

September 14th, 2009, 11:05 PM	#21 (permalink)
WisconsinStrings Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Arcadia, Wisconsin Age: 38 Posts: 1,135	Nice shop! I love seeing stuff like that. Thanks for sharing!

September 17th, 2009, 12:47 AM	#22 (permalink)
mellecaster VENDOR Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 7,655 17 Photos	Thanks Thor, and Wisconsin for the kind words..... Awhile back I said I would tell you guys and Gals a little more about me and my mindset and philosophy on doing this stuff....It's very similar to how I started my own Harley Parts Shop back in the 70s. I was going through the process of building my 1st Custom Harley from the ground up, and was quite disappointed in the Parts and accessories places I needed to buy from (This was long before the Internet)...and tried to deal w/ some burnt out Hippie types that said they could lace up spoke wheels....It was so bad that I just learned to do it myself...and took what little savings the wife and I had, and opened up Desperado Cycle Supply in 1979. I swore then I would keep a clean well lit Store...and treat customers the way I wish I had been treated when I was building mine. Not real complicated to me ?.....I've had some bad dealings with Music Stores and repair guys myself....so when I started doing this full time as a business, I decided to continue w/ the Desperado moniker (Hence Desperadoville...USA) and treat folks the way I wanted to be treated....Again, not real complicated to me ?....I've built up Trust on Ebay over the years with 721 Positive Feedbacks and 100% Rating...and try to give a customer someone they can feel comfortable leaving their stringed instrument with....I have a strong work ethic (always have)...Love what I do...and work on as many Acoustics as I do Electrics....Have a particular Love for Fenders, but will work on most anything w/ strings on it....So now you know a little more about me than you did 5 mins. ago....Thanks for stopping by "The Ville"........Tony Mellichampe __________________ Expert Repair....ReCrafting...and Set-ups Making your World a Better Place...One Guitar at a time

September 18th, 2009, 10:02 PM	#23 (permalink)
Rubsoul NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Baltimore County,MD Posts: 3	Tony, Where in Maryland are you located? John in Parkville

September 22nd, 2009, 10:04 PM	#25 (permalink)
Ignatius Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 1,111 1 Photos	So that's where it all happens! Tony, I've been playing the holy crap outta that Tele you worked on for me. I've been meaning to tell you that I'm every bit as satisfied with it today as I was the day I got it back from you, if not moreso. __________________ This right here is my signature.

September 27th, 2009, 12:51 PM	#27 (permalink)
MandyMarie Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Indianapolis, IN Age: 29 Posts: 3,189 64 Photos	I want to spend a WEEK in there right next to you! That is seriously my kind of place...I'm drooling!! __________________ our wacky little hillbilly band

September 27th, 2009, 01:08 PM	#28 (permalink)
BigMike Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: UK Posts: 256 13 Photos	WOW...what an Aladin's cave, might do that in my living room, bit concerned though as might mean I end up with an ex................... __________________ "You can take a horse to water, but you can't make it scuba dive"....

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