Bob Willcutt
Bob Willcutt runs his business like a band, or perhaps it’s the other way around. His employees are musicians themselves, each bringing his or her own unique style to the office. In Willcutt’s estimation, the drummers are more “regimented” and “logical,” he says, while the guitar players are “wild and crazy.”
With his steady presence in the guitar industry, Willcutt could be the bass player of Willcutt Guitars. For 50 years, he’s been tuning into trends and adapting, always moving forward while holding down the beat as an internationally respected dealer, repairman and master luthier.
“Bob has a passion for the industry that has never wavered,” said James Adkins, president of Willcutt Guitars. “He still works six days a week and touches almost every guitar that is purchased before it goes out the door.”
Willcutt Guitars will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an outdoor bash from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 12 at the shop, 406 Rosemont Garden. The event will include live music, as well as food, vendor demonstrations and giveaways. Several special-edition guitars will also be on display.
It was 1968—the year of vinyl, Volkswagen bugs and The Beatles, as Willcutt remembers it—when he began repairing antique and rare instruments. He’d played gigs around his hometown of Washington, D.C., since age 12, as well as while studying social work at the University of Kentucky.
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With woodworking experience from building model boats, he was hired at Fred F. Moore Music Co., where he worked downstairs in the store’s shop for the next 11 years, before setting his sights on a new retail space. Today, he’s no longer in a basement but, instead, works out of three buildings of his own.
With an impressive collection of boutique instruments, including pearl-laden mandolins and a $15,000 Martin model, Willcutt caters to every level of player, from the beginner to professional musicians. Its walls are laden with awards from brands like Paul Reed Smith, Fender, Taylor, Dr. Z and Carr Amps, all acknowledging Willcutt as one of the top sellers in the nation, if not the world. That success was built on what Willcutt calls an “old school” business model.
“My business philosophy is you start small and you grow. You don’t borrow a ton of money, rent a big place and hope for the best. You reinvest." —Bob Willcutt
“My business philosophy is you start small and you grow. You don’t borrow a ton of money, rent a big place and hope for the best. You reinvest,” he said.
Over time, big-box chains have threatened the survival of independent music stores, but Willcutt combatted them by building a strong web presence. Willcutt’s website was launched in 1998, well ahead of the curve for most small businesses.
Brandon Bowlds
“Being a hybrid business that has a brick-and-mortar location and the ability to do online sales effectively has been key,” says Brandon Bowlds, who has worked at Willcutt’s since 2000. Today, more than 95 percent of the store’s sales are online, with regular shipments to every continent, except Antarctica.
While online sales pay the bills, it’s customer service that’s upheld the shop’s reputation over five decades. Willcutt encourages his employees to be lenient, exceed expectations and focus on the customers’ overall experience. It may be that positive atmosphere that’s attracting a new generation of customers.
“People will say, ‘Remember 30 years ago when you sold me that guitar with the little knob?’” Willcutt said. “That whole experience is embedded in their brain. Everybody wants a good price, but they also want that fuzzy feeling.”
Willcutt has made a lifelong career out of following his passion and finding his niche. He’s sold to the likes of Van Halen, Cheap Trick, Heart, KISS and Eddie Vedder, who played one of his guitars at the Grammy Awards.
“I try to treat everybody the same,” Willcutt said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Joe Walsh or somebody with their grandfather’s Harmony.”
These days, most of Willcutt Guitars' sales come through its website. / Photo by Drew Purcell