A Luthier’s Life

DennyRauen, settled in a modest building in Riverwest, is a master luthier who specializes in the restoration, repair and modification of acoustic and electric guitars, basses, mandolins and banjos. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Keith Richards and Buddy Guy are just a few of the many musicians who seek out Rauen for his gifted expertise.

How did your career as a luthier begin?
I used to stop in to this guitar factory on the South Side of Chicago called S.D. Curlee and talk to the guys. I went in there one day and they were having a problem with a spindle sanding machine. I just happened to have a knack for figuring the physics of things and said, “If I can fix that, will you give me a job?” They said, “Sure kid. If you can fix that, you can have a job.” I went over there and in five minutes I had it fixed.

So they hired me and in a couple of years I was running the place as a production manager and as a designer. Then I was hired by Dean Guitars for the same thing.

Why did you start your own company?
The guitar manufacturing business is a fashion business. You’re putting out new designs all the time with new colors and shapes. We constantly had to have something new, something cheaper. It wasn’t so much about practical instruments. I’m a player and to deal with what makes a guitar work and sound right is No. 1 to me. When I realized that that’s not the case, that it’s more the fashion of the thing, it just wasn’t that interesting to me anymore.

Why did you move your shop from Chicago to Milwaukee in 1987?
Because, No. 1, I was a single parent and this is a great place to raise kids. Also, I just knew from business I had already had in Chicago that there was a really, really good music scene up here. Just because it’s not in the media, like Austin, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. The guitar players in this state are unbelievable! Really, really good players going in new places.

How long does it take you to make a guitar?
Usually a year. But we stopped making custom guitars for people a long time ago. You’re much better off buying a guitar that’s already made. When it’s in your lap and you can play it, you can say, “Yeah, this has all the stuff I want,” or, “No, it doesn’t.” So we’re trying to come up with a new model of solid body electric guitar and bass. There are some basics I can put into a guitar, have it built up to a point and then ask, “What kind of music are you going to play?” And then we can put the rest of it together with specific kinds of frets, electronics or bridges, specific to that player, so it’s more fitted to them.

Any downsides?
You just don’t get paid for the amount of time you invest. You told a musician a price to fix his guitar, you just can’t tell him, “This took us three times as long, so we’re going to charge you three times as much money.” It just doesn’t work that way. Another thing would be that beginners don’t want to come to a place like this because they don’t think they’re good enough. We hate that. There’s a little bit of an attitude out there that you need to be a top-notch player to even come here. Don’t worry about coming in. I’m real easy to talk to.

Rauen Guitars and Repairs is located at 2473 N. Weil St., Milwaukee.