Testimonials
Bil Jones has been an important and intergral part of my career in the last three years. As a full-time touring musician and studio guitarist, I am required to have many tools of the trade. I am blessed to have three acoustic guitars, two acoustic dobros, one electric dobro and one electric guitar, all of which Bil maintains and keeps in excellent working condition. Bil has helped me pick out instruments, pickups, sound equipment, etc. and I have never once been disappointed with his recommendations. Whenever I need to know how to achieve a certain sound or have a technical question, Bil is the 'go-to' guy.
When I drop a guitar off to have it worked on, I have the confidence that I can pick it up and go straight to a gig without even looking at it and it will be perfect. He has an unmatched passion for the guitar and the art of music. His work ethic and integrity are superior. Bil is obsessive and focused, a.k.a. anal, but hey, that's the dude you want working on your guitar, right? There is no other guitar tech or luthier that is allowed to touch any of my guitars. I highly recommend Bil's work.
Tony Rogers
I have lived the life of a gypsy you might say, having been around the world a time or two and lived all over the Southern States of the great US of A. Strange thing is, no matter where I have lived, for however brief a period, I am lucky in that I seem to gravitate towards, or meet by chance, some of the best, world-class musicians the area(s) have to offer. SO, I am not surprised I met Bil Jones. I sort of expected to, you might say.
I love music but was primarily an avid listener until a few years ago. At a rather late age in life (I ain't sayin' so don't ask), I decided to FINALLY learn, properly, what I had always wanted...to play, I mean really learn to play, the guitar. I had a faint grasp of theory and an almost three chord knowledge of the guitar, knew about the instrument and the players from my love of it, but that was about it. I needed someone with a better understanding of music theory who could point me further along my path of knowledge. This search led me to Bil Jones.That meeting turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened to me at that juncture. I found just the man I was looking for, and more, but, of course, I was not surprised.
I was, again, not shocked to learn that Bil was an accomplished luthier of regional renown, radio DJ, live sound engneer, guitar player and that he was intimately connected to some of the best musicians in the country----from Charlotte to Nashville and beyond. If you take five of the hottest area guitar players around, I mean the players, he knows them all, and more than likely they are his exclusive clients. Bil has helped me through every guitar and musical equipment purchase I have made. He has built for me an amazing custom strat-style beauty and has extensively modified my 2005 American Deluxe Telecaster. He put his special mojo in those two instruments and was able to perform work others said couldn't be done.
My most recent book, Me and My Bass Guitar, brought me in contact with truly world-class, award-winning musicians. This biography allowed me to develop close friends within the national music community, player's players you might say. I have met and heard the best around. Thus, it is not without some basis of comparison that I tell the musicians reading this that you have the opportunity to join an exclusive club. Cool, huh? This is TRULY your lucky day. Your search has brought you to the right guy, THE luthier. There is no task impossible, no sound in your head unattainable. You can trust you guitar dreams to this man and you will never be sorry, surprised at the magic perhaps, but never sorry.
Peace - Paul R. Hargett
Author of Me and My Bass Guitar: The life and music of Victor Lemonte Wooten
I have a guitar that I love but it had a chronic problem. I took the guitar to a highly recommended luthier in the Carolinas who was considered to be one of the best in the country. He looked at the guitar, pointed out some problems, and made adjustments to the guitar. Overall the guitar was improved in its performance, but the problem would still reoccur. Over the years I took the guitar to many guitar shops and had the repair tech on staff look at it. Everyone who looked at the guitar would play it, hook it up to the strobe, and then just shake their head and say, “I don’t know.”
I met Bil Jones at Splawn Guitars and brought the guitar in to him. Within a few minutes Bil had pin pointed the problem and had a solution to fix it. Since that day Bil Jones has worked all my guitars exclusively. I have been extremely happy with the work done and the improvements in the performance of my guitars. Bil is passionate about his work and it shows in the results. If it came to the point where Bil could not work on my guitars, it would be a sad day. I have gained a reputation as somewhat of a gear head around my hometown area and have had the opportunity to recommend Bil to other musicians. Without fail they were as happy as I was with the work he has performed on their instruments. I definitely give Bil Jones of Fretgarage my highest rating.
David Beam
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FretGarage
521 E Main St
Dallas, NC 28034
In lovely Gaston County, North Carolina