Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Munoz.
Luis, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It all began when I was 16 years old, I found an old beat-up acoustic guitar my dad had laying around. It was missing strings but I was so determined to learn that I strung it up with some steel wire my dad had and began fiddling with chord shapes. After two months of pain and bloody fingers I guess my parents were inspired by my diligence (or noise) and helped me purchase a used and somewhat working acoustic guitar. As I taught myself how to play on this guitar, I also started tinkering with the mechanics behind it. I experimented with the height of the strings, sanded the back of the neck, painted the whole thing red for some reason and I’d stupidly adjust the truss-rod with no understanding what it actually did. Mind you, this was all pre YouTube life so it was all trial and error and needless to say, I ruined that poor guitar.
The same curiosity and perseverance roused by that old acoustic has continued to serve as my muse. I moved to LA after my band in Texas broke up and attended Guitar Craft Academy where I received a degree in Guitar Design and Building. After graduating I was very fortunate and lucky to work under some of the best luthiers in the LA and honestly thats where I really learned my craft. A few years after that I just decided to do my own thing and I’ve been slowly and consistently been building my clientele. Crazy to think that was almost ten years ago.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Struggles are blessings in disguise, cheesy I know but it’s true. I’ve over promised, quoted jobs poorly, broken a few things, underestimated certain jobs. Shop flow was a big one (how to manage larger projects versus smaller ones) etc.. The list goes on and continues to grow. Anytime you venture into something you’ve never done before you are going to fall and unwillingly do silly things, It’s just the nature of it. I’ve struggled a lot and most of it comes from inexperience of never running a business so I can’t feel too bad about it. Buttttttt I think the biggest one that I don’t hear a lot of people admit is the constant battles with ‘self-doubt’. And It fucking sucks cause it’ll never go away. It slows you down, it makes you second guess your decisions, It’ll make you think you need a 9 to 5 and a comfortable 401k. There’s nothing wrong with wanting that but I knew deep down inside that wasn’t for me. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that sometimes and actually almost all the time, the biggest obstacle is yourself. I have my ways of fighting it now and sometimes I win and sometimes I don’t. But I now know that (cue Rocky music) I’ll always show up to the fight.
Modern Guitar Tech – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My company is called ‘Modern Guitar Tech’ and It’s an instrument repair shop based out of Los Angeles. We specialize in instrument repair and overall maintenance of guitars and basses. We really take our time to personalize each setup to the player and their specific needs. I’m known for my precision and patience in setting up the instrument. I’m still a very active musician/guitarist myself so I understand that a ‘setup’ requires adjustments outside the manufacture recommendations and the only way to truly achieve it is by taking your time with the instrument.
I also really enjoy teaching so just last year I started offering and teaching tech-classes and maintenance workshops. I think it’s important that people know and have the confidence when it comes to maintaining their gear. You don’t need to be an expert but knowing a few things will help you save some money and demystify some of the mechanics behind the Instrument. It’s a marvelous invention that has literally changed the world.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
They say that comparison is the thief of all joy and I couldn’t agree more. That was a big achievement for me, not comparing myself or my business to anyone else. I’d compare myself to every other tech and repair shop in the universe. For whatever reason it just seemed like everyone else was 100 times busier than me, or they seemed to be working with rockstars that were unattainable. But after a few years I just said “fuck it’, for better or for worse I’m just going to do my thang and in doing so It also allowed me to be genuinely happy for other peoples success.
There’s a famine mentally out here in LA that there’s not enough work to go around but honestly there’s endless business out here. Im extremely competitive but will still encourage everyone to start their own thing. I know what I bring to the table. I don’t rely on Yelp or any other review website or other sale gimmicky tricks. I let my work speak for itself, I don’t haggle on prices and in doing so I understand that I am not for everyone and thats ok. I’m respectful and I keep my promise. My clients seem to really like that.
Pricing:
- Full Setup – $70
- Fret Level – $130
- Setup classes – $300
- Same day Setups $100
- Hugs – free
Contact Info:
- Website: www.modernguitartech.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernguitartech/
- Facebook: facebook.com/modernguitartech
- Other: www.youtube.com/modernguitartech
Image Credit:
Andrea Czarnota
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
