About John Wescott: Some History

To learn the history of John Wescott Guitar Repair we must climb into Mr. Peabody’s “Way Back” machine and travel all the way back in time to 1980 A.D. John Wescott was at the time a fresh-faced 21 year old Community College drop-out living in the sunny San Fernando Valley. With a series of low-paying dead-end jobs behind him, John was a bit directionless. Only his love of music was able to focus his restless attention.

John’s big break came in the summer of that year when he was hired by John Carruthers to work in his Santa Monica repair shop. It was there that John met the two men that would provide him with the professional direction that he had been lacking.

The first was master builder/repairman Jim Kaufman, now the president and CEO. of Sunrise Acoustic Guitar Pickups. The second was cult guitar hero and guitar electronics wizard Jim Demeter, now president and CEO. of Demeter Amplification.

Together they took young John under their wing and taught him everything they knew about guitar design, construction, repair, restoration, finishing, electronics and maintenance. And they knew a lot.

Although John loved his craft dearly, he was not happy. He loved working with guitars and, in his humble way, helping to create music. But he also felt underpaid and under appreciated. So, with the encouragement of his good friends Jim Kaufman and Jim Demeter, John set out on his own. In the spring of 1983 Wescott Guitar Repair was born.

Soon John was a featured repairman at the shop, working on guitars for such luminaries as Jackson Browne (a really sweet guy, by the way), David Lindley, Lee Ritenour, Leland Sklar (I made that unfinished double pickup P-bass he often plays), John Denver and others.

Sensing that the time was right, John began offering expert, affordably priced guitar repair around the Los Angeles area. By constructing a fully equipped guitar repair shop in his home, he was able to keep overhead down and provide the most personalized and detailed work available.

The response was immediate and overwhelming. Guitarists and bassists from all walks of the L.A. music scene began taking advantage of John’s talents, knowing they would be treated with respect and given prompt, courteous attention. The rest, they say, is history. An American success story, with a happy ending that is still being written. Rock On!