Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Milvet.
Hi Austin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always loved and been inspired by the guitar ever since I was a toddler when I would watch my dad play his acoustic guitar at home or around the campfire. Years passed by and when I got my pre teen/teenage years, I wanted an electric guitar. My parents got me a First Act from Walmart and that was when I got series about playing. It was loud, distorted, and tickled my brain in a way I’ll never forget.
Over the next 6-8 years throughout middle and Highschool, I practiced and learned songs in my spare time when I wasn’t at school or working a part time job. This was where my guitar repair skills started developing as I was always having problems with my guitars without knowing where to take them in for repair, and wanting to adjust and modify them like my favorite players had done to theirs. I was constantly watching repair videos and gear review videos trying to figure out how guitars work from the electronics to the wood they are made of.
Throughout my band years, specifically with my band Take Off Charlie, I was gaining experience playing and repairing guitars and was always working the odd job to pay bills. In 2017, I ended up really getting into the recording side of music and went to Tri-C in Cleveland for Recording Arts and Technology. While working as a server in a fine dining Italian restaurant, I would commute to Cleveland from Akron for school and received an applied science associates degree in recording technology from the program in 2019. After graduating, I started working for a construction company while doing audio work in my basement. I was recording, mixing, and mastering music for friends and people I knew but it was not bringing in the money I needed and it was next to impossible to get a steady flow of work.
In October of 2019, I was stressed out from not making much money at the construction job and was looking for any side work I could get my hands on. A friend of mine asked If I would repair his bass guitar for him, and that he would pay me. I did the work, and when he handed me $60 for a job that took me only an hour or so, I’ll never forget that I had the realization I could do this as a career. That kick started my idea of wanting to start a repair shop.
Then the Covid pandemic hit. The pandemic forced me to quit my construction job leaving me unemployed, so I decided to go all in on starting the business. I always tell people Covid was a good thing for me because I may not have had the determination to start this business had it not happened. I ended up making a Facebook page to get the word out, and was doing repairs in the basement of my house for most of 2020. Business was very slow at first, but the word started getting out and I was gaining more and more clients so I decided to make it official and start an LLC. As I was finally getting the business rolling a bit near the end of 2020 when my wife realized she was pregnant with our first child, Miles. Only then I knew I had to take the business to the next level somehow, and quickly.
Not long after then in 2021, one of my dearest friends and front man of our band Take Off Charlie, Sean McDermott, caught word that a local music shop was in need of a repair technician. The shop was Staff Music in Ellet, Ohio which has had its doors open since 1964. It was also a stones throw away from my house where I was currently doing repairs, so the close proximity made it even more intriguing as I wasn’t familiar with the area or its history. Sean mentioned he and his father had known the folks at Staff for a long time and that they were great people. I got in contact with one of the owners of Staff Music, Dig East, to let them know I do repairs and would love to help out. That’s how I finally met Lee and Dig East. The father/son duo that have been running the music store. Lee (Digs father) was getting up there in age and was having trouble keeping up with intake of gear and the plethora of instruments needing maintenance at the store, so they asked if I’d help out. I did my first job for them, and to this day, Dig still brings up Lee saying “The kid does good work!”. Lee would always find something wrong with a guitar when it came to the playability of the instrument, so that meant a lot to both of us and started a beautiful work partnership between Dig and myself.
After several months of doing repairs for them getting paid under the table, Lee got sick and passed away in January of 2022, leaving the store to Dig. It was then that Dig asked if I wanted to move my operation out of my basement and take over the storage room in the front of the music store as my own repair shop for my business, as long as I helped with the up keep of inventory. Without hesitation I agreed. Having my own shop on a busy road in a historical music store made sense for boosting my business and expanding my customer base as well as my experience. So I moved all of my gear and tools and setup shop in late January of 2022. I can honestly say, If the opportunity to be at Staff Music hadn’t come along, I wouldn’t be half as experienced as I am. I owe a lot to Dig and to Staff Music for all they have done for me.
Having done this work now full time for the past 5 years has been the greatest work experience of my life. I always knew I wanted to help people in some way, so this job seems to be the right path for me. I’ve made many mistakes, and have had many triumph’s with this line of work making it the most exciting, challenging, and rewarding thing I’ve ever done. My life now consists of spending time with my wife and 2 sons, going fishing, and fixing guitars.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been the smoothest road. My main struggle was not having the proper equipment to complete certain jobs, nor did I have the money to buy what I needed. I ended up racking up some debt to buy what I needed for the business which was hard to get rid of. I was also struggling while starting the business because I started having children. I was worried that the business wouldn’t pick up and be able to provide for my family so that was the hardest time I’ve been through since starting this business.
We’ve been impressed with Milvet Guitar Repair, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
For the past few years I’ve been known as “the guy who can fix it” amongst my musician friends. I always love what I’m doing and I love bringing instruments back to life. What I feel is most important about an instruments quality is its desire to be played. When an instrument feels and sounds good, it inspires creativity and growth as a player. My goal here is to spread that inspiration by making sure your instrument is to its fullest potential and smoothest playability. Im always honest with people and wont work on their instrument if I don’t have the tools or knowledge to do so.
What are your plans for the future?
I plan on growing the business and gaining as many clients as I can so one day I can possibly have an employee or two. I’m currently interning a guy who really wants to learn the trade so a possible partnership is currently in the works.
Pricing:
- Basic Setup – $60
- Full Setup – $90
- Fret Level and Dress – $150
- Full Re-fret – $12 per fret
- Custom Bone Nut with Setup – $120 – $150
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Milvetguitarrepairs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austin_milvet?igsh=bWxscHZ5bHF1d3d0&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EWqWDvLxt/?mibextid=wwXIfr
