Handmade Guitars - Guitar Repair and Restoration

Welcome to my web site  I am Sasha Radicic,  I was born 1962 in the town of Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, I started making and repairing guitars in 1980 when I was 18 years old.  I was a self taught guitar maker, when war broke out in 1992, my wife and I went to Belgrade, and then to the Czech Republic, and finally to Munich, Germany where we lived for six years.  During our stay in Munich, I was very fortunate to find a job and work for Mr. Hartwig at Musik Hartwig, in the beautiful City of Munich in south Bavaria, Germany.  There I was able to refine my guitar making skills to Master Builder's level. Wanting to immigrate to the U.S., my family with our newborn daughter, moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1998, where we now reside.  I continue to explore the world of lutherie ( the origin of the word luthier is very,very old. It derives from the French speaking regions of Europe. It means building or repairing lutes and other stringed instruments, with or without frets.)  GUITARS As a Master builder of fine guitars, my passion is to create and build a beautiful musical instrument with a unique sound.  It is also very important to me that I preserve and deliver my European craftsmanship in to every instrument I build.  I especially want this in my classical guitars.  I want them to sound, feel and look like eighteen century guitars.  What I have is a haunting desire to capture and create an instrument using the same approach and feel of the Great Masters like Antonio de Torres, Santos Hernandez, Manuel Ramirez, and so many more.  No doubt, that there is something magical about that epoch, and I think most of the contemporary luthiers would agree on this, more or less.  I see it as the driving force in all my colleagues all over the globe.  I am naturally a classical guitar maker.  Each instrument is built by me, personally, from scratch.  A custom built instrument means that you tell me, exactly what you want down to every single detail, how you want it to sound, and how you want it to look!.  Every time I start an instrument, I am using all the knowledge and experience I have gained over the years in making and repairing fine musical instruments.  Upon request, I also offer a wide selection of original German handmade purfling.  When we talk classical guitars, I am an old fashion guy who loves "Uncle Torres" guitars, and if you happen to love them too, then I will really do my best to deliver that Spanish sound.  OTHER INSTRUMENTS and SERVICES I also have repaired and built a large number of classical, steel string and electric guitars, and ukuleles. I do offer a professional set up on all acoustic and electric guitars, harp guitars, zithers, banjos, violin family instruments, tamburica, brach, bouzoukies, lutes, balalaikas, charangos, mandolins, stand up bass, electric bass, and similar. I can also custom make and seal the wooden membrane for European accordions like Dalapa, Guerrini, and similar. My services also include custom electronic repair like exchanging pickups, pots, switches, electronic troubleshooting, or making a custom pick guard for your instrument.  GERMAN ZITHERS While working in Germany, I also have had a tremendous amount of experience in making high quality German concert zithers of of all sizes and configurations. The zither is a wonderfully delightful sounding German folk instrument, which today is being used in classical and contemporary music, jazz, blues, and movies like "The Third Man." Building German zithers and repairing them gave me an insight into their construction, and an understanding of how to maintain they're unusually beautiful sound. Building, repairing, and doing the restoration of German zithers is a field where I feel very comfortable, and I can professionally repair almost any zither problem using my European craftsmanship and knowledge. I have extended my repair work to all American builders including the renowned Schwarzer zither originally produced in Washington, Missouri. The fact is, I learned zither making and restoration from one of the top European zither makers, Mr. Kurt Hartwig. The whole team at Musik Hartwig is an exceptionally gifted and giving group of people, and they are dear friends as well.  FINE FINISHES All my instruments are mostly finished using the "French polish" technique, but I also do offer several types of finishes like nitro cellulose (or lacquer), or a combination of nitro cellulose back & sides and French polished top. An oil finish is another type I use, it really depends what you want to achieve.  REPAIR EXPECTATIONS Each musical instrument can create an impression on us, how it sounds, how it feels, and of course, how looks! That third aspect is deeply planted in every human being, no matter what we talk about, especially when we talk about a musical instrument's aesthetics, that is a very sensitive topic and in my opinion, sometimes can be of a higher driving force just because it is the first thing that takes our attention and often we may not be aware of its details.  When a professional repairman approaches any kind of repair or restoration, attention has to be paid to what the instrument looks like!  It is the age of the instrument that we have to be aware of. Newer instruments have a certain "look" and any repair or restoration has to match the style and shine, this is especially true for old and antique instruments. Needless to say that one has to have many years of experience to judge the type of timber and finish of the given instrument. The point is, you're not suppose to put a nitro cellulose finish over the antique varnish or French polish finish, and above all never alter the color shade in any way.    An expertly done repair should look like the original finish, just a tad bit more shine to it because it will tarnish back to match its surroundings. This is what I strive to do with my customers instruments, and again, in my opinion, that is the one and only way to do it for the simple reason, people are paying to have the instrument restored back to it's original condition. The owner trusts you and expects the best. Period! Quite frankly it is tremendous when you hear back from the customer saying, "The repair and restoration is beyond our expectations!" I think to myself, "Praise the Lord, I was able to live up to their trust in me."