Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Vogel.
Hi Scott, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
With over 45 years of experience servicing and playing guitar, I made the decision in February 2024 to turn a hobby – which had become a passion – into a way of life. From a journey that began in 1976 as a teenager, now 61 years old, I wanted to test the waters for a retirement gig of professionally servicing guitars and making custom built electric guitars. Little did I know that in the course of less than one year my little side gig was putting me into a work life of 60+ hours per week between my full-time job and my guitar business. In March 2025, my wife and I decided to expand the business into a solid part-time endeavor. I left my full-time job as a facilities operations director to move solidly into part-time hours in my guitar shop. I supplemented that early income by driving school bus until June 2025. At that point, we decided to go full-time with the guitar shop so that I could focus more on building custom electric guitars.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Having had a previous experience in self-employment, I knew that the road would not be easy, which helped me prepare for the potential struggles and pitfalls of operating a very small, niche business. Service-oriented businesses can tend to be cyclical with many ebbs and flows of business. Not having a predictable, steady income can be frightening. It’s definitely something my wife and I have had to come to terms with, understanding that there will be slow periods where income is scarce and periods where the workload can be overwhelming, yet bringing in solid income.
With any small operation, advertising and getting your services into the public eye is difficult. Outside of certain social media forms of free advertising, other methods tend to be quite expensive. I’ve always thought that if I had the money to pay that much for advertising, I probably wouldn’t need to advertise! However, doing good work, building customer trust, word-of-mouth, and collecting solid reviews can make the difference a small business needs.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Scott Vogel Guitars is a one person operation performing acoustic, bass, and electric guitar set-ups, repairs, and custom-built electric guitars. I’m fortunate that my shop is in my home. That does make it a little more difficult for customers, as I request that they make appointments for drop off and pick up of their guitars. Not having a storefront business can also be confusing to customers, as I have had a few drive around the neighborhood a few times looking for that type of business.
I started my business by focusing specifically on guitar set-ups. Set-ups include checking and adjusting the basic foundational workings of any guitar. My business motto is, ‘You play your best when your guitar is its best!’. In the beginning, I accepted minor repair work and custom refinishing of guitars. As I gained experience, I also gained confidence in tackling new processes and procedures for guitar repairs. I enrolled in courses to specifically learn techniques for acoustic guitar repairs, which are quite different wholistically than those for electric guitars. Most of my experience over those 45 years was specifically in electric guitar repair.
Through posting my finishing work on my social media accounts and my website, I gained a reputation for finishing and refinishing work on guitars. I’ve gained a presence in the market for excellent finish work on not only electric guitars, but acoustic guitars, as well.
This November, I am excited to be releasing the first custom-built electric guitar for public sale. It has been a dream of mine to construct guitars that are unique, not only in the way they look, but also in the way they sound, feel, and play. I’m also incredibly excited to be offering two price points that can put high-quality, unique guitars into the hands of players of all pricing levels.
What does success mean to you?
Success for me is seeing the delight and joy of my customers when they pick up their guitars, sit down and play them and literally light up with how well they play. Many customers remark at what a difference was made, and that they are surprised and amazed that my care with their instrument has made such a difference. Whether it’s a simple set up, a complete refinishing, or a series of major repairs, reconstruction or restoration, my customers are always so grateful and appreciative to the level of care and thoroughness that’s been given to their guitar
Pricing:
- Set-ups start at $65
- Refinishing starts at $300
- Custom Spec built Guitars starting at $1295.00
- Full custom built guitars starting at $1995.00
- Refrets starting at $200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.scottvogelguitars.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottvogelguitars
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bgim77PL7/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-vogel-46b55724
