We like to have fun at Menchey Music. It's a fact. Don't believe me? Well, now you've got proof- that is, if the story about this kid with condoms in his guitar case didn't convince you.

I arrived at work in an already chipper mood, when i stumbled upon the largest guitar case i've ever seen with a green repair tag stuck in it. I peered inside the case, rife with antici..... pation, and lo and behold i gazed upon the shredtastitude that is the Dean Razorback Explosion.

This guitar was designed by the late 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott of Pantera and Damageplan fame. He was one of the most influential metal guitarists of his time, and possibly the second most enduring legacy he's left is embodied in his instruments. This particular body shape was being refined just before he was shot onstage at Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio on December 8th, 2004.

It's a sharp axe, and i mean sharp. There were a few times that i jabbed myself in the cut resulting in quick bursts of pain and anxiety. After some careful maneuvering (it's literally the biggest guitar i've ever worked on, or played for that matter. The thing is a full 48" long. That's end to end length, mind you- from one crazily pointy end of the "V" to the spread-eagle headstock. It's formidable, to say the least. I know it looks a little kooky to the traditionalist in all of us, but the thing nearly demands some respect. With a tone that's cutting and full of that resonant thud that metallers go crazy for, thanks to the set neck and all of that extra wood. And the flame job decal... just... yeesh.

The repair tag called for a complete set-up, including a re-string and adjusting the truss rod. But the fun lay somewhere closer to the bridge: the bridge. I'm not a fan of Floyd-Rose locking tremolo systems, and this was my first attempt to fool around with one. After half an hour of online research, i decided i was ready.

I was wrong.

Apparantly, you're supposed to re-string these one at a time, which i didn't do. I cut them all at once, causing the bridge to spring back into the body cavity, locking into place. Lots of tension on those springs, there. I had to have Josh slide a 9V battery to brace it while i pulled back on the bridge with all my might. Whew. Fun, fun. Also, you need a few different allen wrenches to un-lock the strings from the bridge, making string changing more fun that usual. I spent close to 3 hours figuring this beast out, turning hex keys, tuning, realizing that tuning one string de-tunes all the others, stretching, re-tuning, re-re-tuning, re-re-re-tuning and adding a spring to make the trem flush with the body.

Yeah, that took a long time. And my standard rate for repairs is around $15 an hour, not including parts. I only charged the kid for the strings and the initial set-up, because it was more of a learning experience for me. It's about time i know what the deal is with those things. We bumped him up from .009 gauge strings to .010's, which doesn't sound like a big deal- but it is. Changes the whole feel, and the strings are actually a bit harder to play for some folks. He was a big skeptical when we had first talked it out, but when he came to pick it up, he was ecstatic. I'd worked long and hard to make sure that guitar played as well as it could, and it played 'like buddah'. He was beaming. (did i mention the kid was, like, 15 or 16?)

That's really why i do this. Yes, i love guitars. I love working on them, playing them, making music with them. The real joy in this for me comes from making people happy. Helping someone find their 'perfect guitar', setting it up for their needs. It's the satisfaction that comes from serving others and being able to make a guitar feel just right. That kid was glad, and so was i.

But he doesn't know how much fun i had posing with that thing!