Marty Reynolds

Sometimes it is easy to take for granted the talents of those around you.

Fortunately, that is never the case here at The Podium when it comes to our dedicated and ever amazing repair guru Martin Reynolds.

Truth be told, if you've done something wrong when it comes to guitars, prepare to be gently scolded - and humidify that doggone guitar for goodness sake!

Marty's work reflects the care and precision of a true craftsman, backed by a lifetime of experience and a passion for doing things properly. Marty keeps us all on our toes, and the queue that builds every Saturday morning in front of the shop, when Marty offers weekly walk-in service, is just another testament to the trust that people have in Marty to care for their beloved six-stringed friends.

Marty is no guitar snob. While he loves finely crafted guitars as much as any of us, he has a special fondness in his heart for the proletariat guitars of yesteryear, resurrecting solid wood guitars from the Chicago builders like Harmony, and imported plywood wonders from the infamous "lawsuit era" builders like Ventura. These forgotten gems become truly great player's instruments once they leave Marty's bench, ready for another twenty years of music making for folks whose wells of creativity are deeper than their wallets.

For the college student on a budget, Marty has been known to raid his bins and canisters of random parts to keep their instruments working just a little bit longer, without having to skip any meals that week to afford the repair.

Marty once afforded me the compliment that he appreciated not having to listen in on my conversations with customers, as he trusted that whatever was coming out of my mouth was reliable information.

I'd like to return the favor by acknowledging that at The Podium, we are more than just a little lucky to have Marty's shop here in the store. His experience and knowledge are called on every day by the staff, and Marty always graciously offers his pearls of wisdom, even when he is up to his ears in delicate work.

Thank you Marty, for everything!

Martin Reynolds - great luthier, exceptional man (just ask any of the bored-to-tears children who Marty has cheered up with a coloring book while mom or dad needed to try just one more guitar! )

Here's a great feature on Marty in the local university paper, The Minnesota Daily.

And a short video by Travis Heying about Marty - brought to my attention by longtime friend of The Podium (and cracking good guitar player) Bill Hammond.