A bevy of PBG-built guitars—
a Giffin Valiant Chambered, a
Schroeder Radio Lane, a b3
Fire, and a couple of T-style
b3s—at various stages of
finishing. Photo by Joe Coffey
myself.” A dear friend of his, music industry veteran Cliff Cultreri of Destroy All Guitars, understood what he needed and suggested PBG co-founder Michael Bernstein. The rest, as they say, is history. Still, Swimmer says the role that Baker took on is a tough one. “It akes a certain personality to go in there and build someone else’s guitar when you’re building your own guitars in the same building,” he says. “And to be able to execute it with the same level of pride as if it were your own? He’s a diamond in the rough.” But Baker says he doesn’t care if it’s his name on the headstock or not, as long as the machines are run- ning, people are working, guitars are going out, and money is coming in. During his days of hopping from one small storage space to another, Baker may not have dreamed he’d be at the head of a huge, well-equipped production space such as PBG’s—which has 14 employees and is putting out between 50 and 75 guitars a month. Baker says working there is a little like changing companies from week to week, because building methods vary for each brand. Further, each brand can have as many as six models in the PBG line, with multiple options—pickups, inlays, bridges, body lengths, headstocks, and scale lengths—per model. Still, with all of the options available to PBG customers, Baker says the shop’s focus remains on quality, customer care, accuracy, and thoroughness. “The main thing is having a really good form- fitting function and attention to detail,” says Baker. “Many larger shops don’t have the time to make sure every little detail is really nice, and so [at PBG] that is one thing we always pride ourselves on—that attention to tiny details.”
Visit premierguitar.com to watch a video
tour of the Premier Builders Guild shop.
Gene Baker (left) and his Mean
Gene band tear it up with the
legendary Ronnie Montrose at
an October 2010 gig at Mongo’s
Saloon in Grover Beach, California.
Photo by Joe Coffey
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