Today we’d like to introduce you to John Dienhart.
Hi John, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have been a carpenter/cabinet and furniture maker my entire adult life. I started playing guitar in 1966 and have been an active musician on and off since the late 1970’s. I started working on my own guitars since the beginning of my musical journey, modifying my first electric guitar that was traded for a bicycle. After many years of woodworking, cabinet and furniture making I started having knee and back issues that reduced the amount of physical activity I can handle. I started working on guitars for other musicians about 5 years ago. My interests in electronics led me to amplifier repair and modifications. Fortunately I have a fellow musician and friend who has been an electronics tech for 40 plus years and he has been teaching me the finer points of electronic circuit diagnosis. Two years ago I started building electric guitars for sale and has been a very enjoyable experience. My whole life since I was a child I have been a tinkerer and fix it person. I have an almost uncontrolable curiosity of having to figure out how things work. At my age it is important to keep learning new things everyday. I look forward to having this opportunity to share my story.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been my experience that life always presents challenges and small victories. I have a strong creative mind and enjoy the journey of all my experiences that have led me to where I am at this time. That is not to say there haven’t been struggles or hard times. Being an artistic person is not always conducive to financial security, but being a risk taker is a part of me that I embrace and live by.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As I stated previously I have always had a curiosity to how machines and devices work. Most of my learning and skills are self taught by choice. I grew up in the 1960-70’s when products were built to last and pride in workmanship was something to be proud of.when you purchased items that broke down there was always a repair shop that could help consumers, people didn’t throw things away when they broke. That is something that was engraved in my being and life philosophy. I pride myself on doing the best possible job I can do, using quality parts and components . Being honest with my clients and helping them to understand the costs related to the repairs or custom builds to help them with their decisions. I don’t just sell my services to make as much as I can, I provide a service at reasonable rates, as I too live in these challenging financial times. Doing the best work I can do and being fair with my customers is why I come to my shop everyday.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up in LA county in the foothills to the San Gabriel mountains. My father was a marine in WW2, a very honest proud person, My mother was from east San Diego county (Jacumba) where my grandparents had a general store. We spent many a holiday out there visiting. I have 3 older sisters, I’m the youngest and only boy. Our home was filled with music and sit down family meals where stories of the day were shared by all. I was always looking for attention due to my sisters being older and dominating the conversations. That’s when I started my journey as a musician and entertainer. I would make up silly songs and sing to get my attention. Honestly I’m still doing it to this day. I played all the sports with neighborhood friends and grew up in a time when we were out playing all day and went all over the area we lived in. I started surfing when I was 13 , that was a great joy in my even though I lived 30 miles inland from the coast. I have always been a very social person and enjoy good people sharing time and stories.
Pricing:
- I charge $90.00 per hour for guitar, amp repair
- I have a $125.00 bench fee to make a amp assessment
Contact Info:
