RIP: Frank Ford, Guitar Repair Hero

[Dave F]

For those not familiar, Frank was a renowned guitar repairman that enjoyed sharing his tricks. I've learned a lot from his posts.

RIP: Frank Ford, Guitar Repair Hero - Fretboard Journal

Frank Ford – Gryphon Strings

FRETS.COM Acoustic guitar instrument care, repair for players, luthiers

 

[62burst]

So sorry to hear about Frank Ford's passing- he was such an example of giving back. . . his frets.com was a monstrous collection of his knowledge that luthiers and players alike were able to refer to. Rest in peace, Frank, and thank you.

And just this morning I was thinking of recommending Gryphon to Caliwebman0 (Scott) for guidance in the repair of his recently acquired old Nick Lucas guitar, as the shop is so well regarded and in Scott's home state.

Edited December 25, 2023 by 62burst

[10PoundLester]

Although we haven't spoken in a long time I knew Frank very well. He was a good friend and I'm sad for his passing. He was very much a driving force for me when I started my company. His input was invaluable and it lives on to this day in my shop. It is a huge loss to the guitar community. He was so willing to share what he knew. R.I.P. Frank.

Edited December 25, 2023 by 10PoundLester

[dhanners623]

Saw that last week. We’ve lost a giant, and a generous one at that. I’ve lost count of the times somebody would raise a question here or on some other forum and I’d provide a link to Frank’s discussion of the issue on his website.

Some years back, I was wanting to replace the plastic buttons on a set of tuners. I emailed Ford via his website and asked some questions. In less than a day, he replied with a detailed email explaining the process in plain English. He noted what to look out for and told me if I had any more questions, just ask — and to let him know how the job went. It struck me that here I was, some random guy in St. Paul, MN, emailing a world-renown repairman out of the blue and getting a detailed reply that really helped me do the job.

For all the complaining we sometimes like to do, there are some really great people in the guitar world….

[QuestionMark]

May his memory be a blessing.

QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

[MorrisrownSal]

I have one of his cranks… I’ll cherish it. 
 

I met Frank once on a business trip out west, where I made the time to visit their shop. He was a gentleman, and generous with his time. RIP and peace to your family, Sir.

[jt]

A huge loss to the guitar community.

I never met Frank, but spoke with him by phone several times. He was knowledgeable, genuine, and humble. A wonderful human being.

[sbpark]

RIP Mr. Ford. 

I had the pleasure of talking to Mr. Ford several years ago when I took in an a mid-70's D28 that I had them work on...neck reset, scooted the bridge to the correct position, new frets, glued some loose braces and fixed a top crack and installed a new pick guard (old one had shrunk, lifted and cracked the top. Was a super nice man and seemed very eager to share his knowledge.