Meet Emerson Millsap | Guitar Repair Tech

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emerson Millsap and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emerson, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have worked for other people for as long as I have been working and that has always felt very limiting to me. I wanted to find a way to wrap up my passions and professional life into one neat package, and starting my own business felt like great way to do that.

Initially, I was looking for jobs or apprenticeships to start that journey but as my search took me nowhere fast, I realized that I was wasting time that could be spent gaining valuable skills and just took the jump on my own. It hasn’t been easy, and I still have a lot of growing to do, but the ability to grow at my own rate without having to worry about someone watching over my shoulder and scrutinizing my mistakes has been invaluable.

I am a very self motivated person, and having the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them without fear of losing status as my job has helped me to progress far beyond where I imagine I would be at this point if I were working in someone else’s shop.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am a self taught guitar repair tech (some may say luthier) who shares most of my work on social media. Just as I was freely given the information that I need to succeed, I try to pass that information along and add in any tips that I have come up with my own along the way. I try to make myself as available to other techs and anyone else who may want to take the dive into guitar repair as I can.

I think one thing that truly sets me apart from others in the field is that I will help prospective clients try to fix their gear on their own, if they want to take a stab at it before bringing it to me. My ultimate goal is not financial gain, but to help others get the most out of their instruments.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There have been countless people who have helped me out throughout my journey. A few more notable names would be Ryan Gleason of Gleason Guitars, who was the first person I reached out to online with questions about working on guitars. He has been my go-to guy since I started.

Moon and Pearl Lutherie, who has welcomed me into their shop and freely given their time and shared resources to help me in refretting my first guitar.

StewMac, who has backed me from the very start and helped supply me with the tools that I need for success!

Instagram: https://instagram.com/tryingtoguitar

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/trying-to-guitar-repairs-and-modifications-los-angeles

Youtube: https://youtube.com/tryingtoguitar

Other: @trying.to.guitar on tik tok