We are currently building guitars and mandolins in a range of sizes using both the finest local woods and traditional tonewoods from around the world. There are numerous options and custom features available.

The repair department focuses on repairing Martin Guitars and other finely crafted vintage acoustic and electric instruments.

• The shop has been a C.F. Martin certified warranty center since 1995 and I have worked on many Martin guitars and have become familiar with the issues that they tend to develop  and how best to make them right again. I can also help you understand  what is covered by the warranty and how to go about getting these repairs done. Starting in 2020, we have begun to mainly focus on Martin warranty work, vintage restorations and some work on electric guitars. Any repairs we cannot take in, we refer over to Stuart Orser in Lovettsville at Orser Custom Instruments. He can be reached at 301-514-4003.

     Here is a list  of common repairs and their typical cost:

I built my first guitar in 1994 at the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix, Arizona. After completing that 4 month program, I moved with my wife to Nambe, New Mexico where she was studying acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine. I did repair work for musicians around Santa Fe and built a variety of instruments under the business name, Furnace Mountain Guitar Works. In 1998, my wife finished school and we moved back to Loudoun County, Virginia. I had worked for a company called American Woodcrafters in Round Hill VA briefly a few years earlier, and when I returned looking for work, they offered me a job as shop foreman. There was so much to learn from the experienced and talented people there.  The owners Richard Newman, Wally Johnson and Tony Foreman taught me about woodworking and managing a business. We built stairs and handrails, libraries, doors, windows and other traditionally made woodwork. Richard's specialty was curved stairs and handrails and we built and installed many of these in some very impressive homes including some big estates around Loudoun and Fauquier County, such as Llangollen Farm, and Ayershire Farm. The work was always challenging and I loved using the powerful machines they had there. We went through stacks of walnut and mahogany for handrails and millwork of all sorts and I still pull out pieces wood that I saved from there years ago.

Throughout this time, I maintained a small shop of my own, and built a few instruments. One such shop was a chicken house behind a house we were renting. Another was a little shack in the yard of my in-laws in Neersville. In 2000, my son Avery was born. I was allowed to cut back my time to 4 days a week and spent one day at home with him. After 4 years at American Woodcrafters, with my second son Silas on the way, I left that company for an opportunity to rebuild a house owned by my mother in Bolivar WV.  I also spent some time working on some wood projects with my very talented brother, Courtney Fair, and we shared a shop for a bit. My wife and I had bought the property on Bittersweet Lane in 1999 and after a few years splitting my time doing installation work for American Woodcrafters and building a new shop, I was able to give up the other work devote all my time to Fairbuilt Guitar Company.

By 2005, with my third son Atticus on the way, the shop was mostly ready and I started building some more guitars and doing lots of repair work. By 2006, I had become busy enough that I needed some help. Stuart Orser, with whom I had worked at American Woodcrafters, came onboard to help with repair work as well as eventually building his Orser mandolins and archtop guitars.

In 2010, Susan Keeney started helping out, and in the years since, has become an indispensable part of the electric guitar repair shop. Her care for the instruments, and patience with restoration, insures that each one that comes across her bench is treated like family.

In 2018, Brett Kretzer joined us to help with repair work. He is a great mandolin player and has been a quick study and continues to add to the long list of repairs he has under his belt. In the fall winter of 2021, Brett moved on and is living in Colorado where he continues his active outdoor lifestyle and playing and teaching music to students including my son Atticus.

At the end of 2018, after 12 years and the completion of his own shop in Lovettsville VA, Stuart moved on and is now running his own business, Orser Custom Instruments (301-514-4003). We refer any repair work we cannot take on to Stuart and have the utmost confidence in his honesty and skills.

In 2019, Ben Walters started helping around the shop making parts for me as well as building his own guitars with steel T-bar neck reinforcement and all hide glue construction throughout.

We hope to continue to provide the repair services on which our many satisfied customers have come to rely, as well as build instruments that inspire. Thanks to all of you who make it possible for us to do what we love to do!

Martin Fair, Owner
FAIRBUILT GUITARS

Email

marty@fairbuilt.com

PHONE

(540) 668-6318

LOCATION

37236 Bittersweet Lane

Hillsboro VA 20132

Drop us a line to make an appointment

Thanks to all of you who make it possible to do what we love to do!