Phil Jacoby is always ready for an encore performance. A Baltimore-based luthier and owner of one-man shopPhiltone Custom Guitar Repair on Fort Avenue, Jacoby fixes, restrings and rebuilds guitars. Located a few blocks off Key Highway in Locust Point, his small workshop sees guitars not only from across the country, but also from across the world.
Because of detailed attention to his customers? needs, Jacoby has built a loyal base and a flowering reputation.
“When you work for yourself, there are no limits,” said Jacoby, 36. “I meet a lot of different people. Music is our common-bonded language, and it?s been a real ball.”
Jacoby?s customers include local performers Stanley Jordan, Ruby Minor and Rod Daniels, a news anchor for WBAL.
At any given time there are dozens of guitars in the shop. On his work bench he has various files and rulers, and there are chisels all neatly organized along the wall.
These tools serve Jacoby well when he works on restringing, repairing necks, refretting or fixing cracks. One recent in-depth project involved putting a Musical Instrument Digital Interface into a bass guitar for a performer at an area church.
This is the type of work that makes him dedicate 50 to 60 hours a week to his craft.
Often, when customers come in, they struggle to explain exactly what they want. That?s why Jacoby keeps a pair of stools at the front of his shop, so he can sit and watch them play. Listening to their style and seeing the way they interact with the instrument, he has a better feel for what they want done.
One of the reasons Jacoby believes he is so successful is his dual-degree background. Graduating with a degree in music from Northern Arizona, he then completed an intensive five-month program at the prestigious Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery. Putting his trade in practice, Jacoby can easily judge his success by the words of his customers.
“Phil knows more about the guitar than anybody on the planet,” said Carl Filipiak, a local but nationally recognized jazz musician. “He?s a killer guitar player, so it helps he?s not just a repairman.
“He?s like that really great restaurant you find that not a lot of people know about. Part of me wants to keep him to myself. But I have given his name and number to so many people. Now, I see a pile of guitars when I walk into his shop, and I worry I might have to wait just a little longer for my turn.”
