Today we’d like to introduce you to Hugh Thomas.
Hugh, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I grew up in Upstate, New York. My family was what many would call “broken.” The older generation was all woodworkers and military men. I was a bad student with no direction. I had a passion for writing music, but that was an unrealistic endeavor. So, I followed in my brother’s footsteps and joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school.
I served ten years, half of it overseas in Okinawa, Japan. They put me through a year of electronics school. I repaired communications equipment both in the field and in a shop. I developed my skills in troubleshooting and design between that and racing cars when I was off duty.
I left the Marines in 2004 with the intent to continue in the Electronics repair field. I quickly started to get a distaste for the industry. They all just wanted a veteran with military training to go to Iraq or Afghanistan as a government contractor. I moved on into security systems. It paid the bills while I tried to figure out what I wanted to do.
I was turning 30 and reflecting on what I had done, what I regretted, and what I wanted to do — being in the military sort of put a pause on a lot of things, like music. I dove back into it by getting a guitar and learning to play. Never one to leave well enough alone, I started tearing guitars and amplifiers apart pretty much right away. At this point, I started to consider this as a line of work.
A good friend of mine was in a band in Hollywood and living the rock star dream. (poor and struggling) He said I should go to school to learn how to build and repair guitars. Musicians Institute has the Guitar Craft Academy. I went to night school while working for a horrible company in Anaheim, installing alarm systems. The commute I pulled off during this time was incredible. Living in Huntington Beach, working in Anaheim, and night school in Hollywood… I logged some hours.
The alarm job pushed me to the brink one day in 2008. I was sitting in gridlock traffic on the 57 North. I was alone in my work truck headed for Downtown L.A. yet again. I never signed up to be a professional driver. I just wanted to fix stuff. Sitting there, contemplating life, I found myself fighting my way through traffic to the right. I took the next exit, did the U-turn, and drove back to the office. I dropped my keys and work phone on my supervisor’s desk and walked out. I’ve never worked a day for anyone but myself since.
I had already been fixing guitars for local friends and their friends. I started advertising my services and taking in new clients daily. I built a couple of beautiful custom guitars in school, and that was a great show of my skills. Repairing every random job that came through my door was a massive experience. In those days, I was working out of my garage on 13th Street in Downtown Huntington Beach. 13th Street Guitars, as I called it, became quickly known. When I moved into commercial space, I kept the name. Two expansions and moves since and the name still sticks.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I make guitars play amazing. I can take a guitar fresh out of the box, or old and beaten down, and I will make it feel the best it ever has in the hands of the player. Playing guitar is hard. I like to make it as easy as possible while still sounding great. This keeps beginners practicing, so they don’t give up. There are many people who buy a guitar and immediately bring it to me to have me dial it in. It can be addictive, and when you play the guitar that doesn’t play like one I’ve set up, it’s disappointing. It’s hard to show in a picture, but when it’s in your hands, you get it.
A few years ago, I got a robotic fret working machine from Germany called the Plek Station. It’s the most accurate tool available for a luthier or guitar repair person to dial in the perfect playing guitar. It was a huge investment, but worth it for me. I constantly strive for perfection and improvement, and Plek was the only way to go beyond what I could do by hand. The machine scans the guitar like an MRI. I analyze the scan data and program it to perfect the frets. Next, the Plek operates like a CNC and cuts the frets for me. This has allowed me to push my work to the next level.
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
Cost of living. It’s hard just to keep the lights on when you’re working in a non-conventional field and living in a place where the rents just keep going up. People ask me, “That many people actually need their guitars repaired?” Well, yes. It took years to reach enough clientele that it is consistent enough. The early days were really lean. The days now are just “comfortable.” I’m still hoping there’s some days coming that are better. At least I’m enjoying the work along the way.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My work can be seen on stages all over the world. Go see and support bands like The Offspring, Pennywise, The Vandals, Adolescents, Living Colour, Brooks Wackerman of Avenged Sevenfold, CJ Ramone of The Ramones, and Imagine Dragons.
underserved
Contact Info:
- Address: 13th Street Guitars, LLC
16462 Gothard St Ste E
Huntington Beach, CA 92647 - Website: www.13thstreetguitars.com
- Phone: 17145965050
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/13thstreetguitars/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/13thstreetguitars/
Image Credit:
Picture of Noodles on stage Copyright 2019 Jason Cook Photography
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