guitarworx1
There was a time when things weren’t going so well for Scott Leedy and Roy Bowen. In April of 2008, their growing business, RS Guitarworks, found itself swamped — literally. An improperly maintained storm drain outside their newly constructed building had clogged, flooding the structure and doing an estimated $150,000 worth of damage.
For a company built on custom-crafted wood products, this was devastating news. Four years later, however, the men behind RS Guitarworks have weathered the storm and are riding higher than ever, overseeing an ever-expanding line of products created with cutting-edge techniques that are gaining attention.
How they got from there to here has been a study in determination. The first step in the recovery from the flood was legal action. RS Guitarworks sued the city of Winchester, the owner/maintainer of the storm drain, and reached an out-of-court settlement. Although they consider the case a “win,” they still feel less than enthusiastic about the outcome.
“We don’t really feel like we were compensated for damages, but we got to get caught up on the bills. We don’t feel like they did us any great favors, and we still have a bad taste in our mouth,” Leedy said.
The business has recovered well, Bowen said, but Leedy added, “We had to do it on our own.”
They have definitely done a lot. Just a few years ago, they were receiving work from G&L Guitars (a company co-founded by Leo Fender, of the eponymous Fender brand) to “relic” guitars. This process involves pre-aging new instruments to look like well-worn road warriors, but the business was growing so rapidly that they didn’t have the time to continue. This was the result of the increasing demand for their custom guitars and basses.
These instruments, for the most part, are lovingly handcrafted replicas of classics. Their own designs, similarly, evoke vintage style cues to retain a familiar feel. RS Guitarworks doesn’t just build guitars, though. It’s a full-service repair, refinishing, rebuilding and parts-supplying one-stop shop for guitarists with an appreciation for high-quality instruments. Aficionados can even purchase “upgrade” kits to improve the quality of the electronic components of their guitars. This attention to quality has gained RS Guitarworks a steady following, and a host of distributors.
“We have nine guitar dealers, and about 20 parts dealers,” said Bowen, noting that each dealer orders between seven and 20 guitars per month.
“And most of this stuff is in other countries,” Leedy added. “We’re growing, I guess, on an international level.”
Much of this attention is coming from Japan, from a distribution deal with the Taurus Corporation.
“They brought over the editor for Japanese Guitarist magazine; they’ll be featuring us in September. We’ll be in a 16-page spread,” Leedy said. “[We] expect their orders after that to double.”
In addition to turning heads across the globe, RS Guitarworks has built a roster of notable clients and endorsements. They get almost giddy when discussing their current and largest endorsement, country singer Marty Stuart.
“The deal with him is probably the coolest thing that’s ever happened to us ... Paul [Martin, Stuart’s bassist] approached us about building a bass for him, and the next thing I know, we get a call from Marty, saying, ‘We need you to build us some matching guitars.’ We find out later that all the guitars on his new album are our guitars, and they’re endorsing our Superlatives line of guitars,” said Bowen.
The entire shop was invited to watch a taping of Stuart’s CMT show.
“Next thing you know, the phones are ringing off the hook with people wanting these guitars,” added Leedy. “We’re getting backed by Marty 110 percent, and that’s really cool.”
They can easily rattle off household musical names who use or endorse their guitars, including members of Cheap Trick, Shinedown and Five-Finger Death Punch. And the list stretches on before hitting a perennial favorite.
“We’ve still got that hack Joe Perry from Aerosmith,” joked Leedy. “He’s still aggravating us.”
They’ve also not lost their knack for building truly unique artisan guitars. Their latest masterpieces are of special interest to UK fans.
“When they tore the floor out of Memorial Coliseum, one of the guys raided it and brought the wood back here. We got the idea to make rectangular guitars,” said Leedy of the instruments, which are shaped like part of the UK basketball courts and include everything from basketball jerseys to inlaid coach signatures. These three guitars will also include, in their custom cases, a piece of un-refinished floor wood, as well as a piece that contains the Memorial Coliseum UK win-loss record laser-etched into the front. The guitars, autographed by a growing number of UK players, are set to be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to one of UK Basketball Coach John Calipari’s charities.
Bowen and Leedy continue to improve their business with an eye to the future, recently purchasing a new machine to assist in creating their product.
“It’s a router that’s run by computer. It’s pretty much a standard piece of equipment in the guitar industry right now that can replicate guitar necks and bodies,” said Bowen.
“It allows us to do more in-house instead of sourcing out,” Leedy added.
Whether the overseas demand or local interest is driving their business, RS Guitarworks has officially recovered and turned a labor of love into a thriving international company.
“The load has increased so much that we’re busting at the seams here. Maybe by this next time year, we’ll have a bigger place,” said Leedy.
“One without flooding issues,” Bowen said with a laugh. “One on a hill.”
RS Guitarworks can be found on the web at www.rsguitarworks.net.