John Ford Coley
Formerly of “England Dan and John Ford Coley
I have worked with Tom Wurth for over 20 years now as a musician, producer and luthier. This man has probably taught me more about guitars than anyone that I have ever been around both playing, the mechanics of it, keeping it in its best shape and especially about hydration in a guitar. He saved my 1965 Martin D-18 with that very thing. I thought I was going to have to have a neck reset, but he showed me it was just hydration. If you want your gear working and want it working right this is the guy to go to.
Troy Castellano
Singer/Songwriter, Artist, Producer
I recently had Tom re-fret a Taylor CE 114 that I literally played the frets right down to the wood! I was worried about getting it refretted. It was going to be a big cost and I was concerned that it would never play the same. Like most guitar players we usually say to our selves “ah, I’ll just get a new guitar”. Which I did, but after talking with Tom about it , he made me feel comfortable with getting the re-fret done on my Taylor. I am so glad I did! The guitar that I played for 15 years straight sat dormant for a year and after having Tom re-fret it , it’s been giving a whole new life. Matter of fact it plays and sounds better than it ever has! No kidding! If you are on the fence about getting your guitar worked on, don’t hesitate to pass it on to Tom at Fret Barbers! He’ll make it play like a dream!
Thomas Scott
Singer/Songwriter, Artist, Musician
Tom has quickly become the only person I'll trust with my acoustics. Not only does he do high quality work, but he genuinely takes care of all of his customers. Accommodating their schedules, offering wisdom on how to best care for one's instruments, and taking the time to follow up after the fact to ensure that all is well.
I first trusted him to add a pickup to my Martin HD-28, and I was staggered by the results. Because not only was the install flawless, but my guitar sounded better after the install than it did prior, which speaks volumes of his work on the bridge. Upon completion of that work Tom suggested slotting my bridge. I was initially wary at the thought of further modifying my guitar, but did some research. And it turns out Tom (as always) was precisely correct, a slotted bridge (as opposed to slotted pins) is a more correct feature to the way Martin was building guitars in the iconic "Pre-War" period. Furthermore, seeing that boutique builders (such as Collings, and even Martin with their "Authentic" line) build guitars with slotted bridges, I was willing to try it.
I took a lot of care when purchasing this Martin. I shopped multiple stores and selected the best sounding one that I could lay my hands on. So to me it was already a phenomenal sounding instrument. Even before handing it to Tom, I would get lost playing it. But since the bridge slotting: it's louder, warmer, fuller, and more articulate. Quite literally everything that I loved about my guitar beforehand has been magnified. Where I used to get lost, I am now being enrapt. I can't put it down. It's the single best investment I've ever made into one of my instruments, and I can't imagine how good it will only continue to get as it ages.
The lesson learned: Fretbarbers knows best!
Codetta South (Brennan White)
Artist, Songwriter, Producer, Session Player
Patient, detailed, determined, & skilled are the words that come to mind when I think of Tom Wurth and his shop, FretBarbers.
He took the only acoustic I’ve been playing my entire life and completely revitalized it. It literally brought tears to my eyes as I heard it in its new form. It made me think about my father and older brother who lovingly beat up that guitar before it transitioned into my ownership, & the relief that washed over me after hearing it was unexplainable, because I knew then that this guitar still had some songs left in it.
I used to spend countless hours battling with my guitar to get it to feel right, play in tune, & produce the sound I was desiring, usually to no avail - Tom’s hands, diligence, & spirit were apparently the missing link.
There are no words to describe the feeling of playing an instrument that has zero limitations, & I know that Tom will continue to transform everything he touches, simply because that’s the kind of passionate individual he is.
Thanks Fretbarbers!