Howdy folks!
Welcome to my little website.
At this point it is still a work in progress.
I suppose it may always be.
Hopefully these pages will answer some questions you might have.
And remember to "Leave the Lutherie to Leo."

Hours
Since I work at home, I'm here most of the time.
However, it is a good idea to call ahead just to make sure I'm here.
Since it is just a one person shop I can't guarantee certain hours.
Especially when the weather is nice.
I'm flexible though. If I'm here it is usually ok to drop something off.
Weekends and late evenings or early mornings can be fine, just call first.
Just so you know, probably the worst time to call is after 7:00 in the evening,
especially on Sunday.
Starting around 7:00 we're getting the kids ready for bed.
Naptime is usually between 2-5:00 so that's not the best time to
test out those new pickups.

From Lawrence, KS:
Cross the Kansas river bridge at 6th and Massachusetts streets going north.
This is highway 59N.
Keep going north.
You will go under I-70 at the East Lawrence Exit.
Then junction 24-40 and 59.
Stay on 59N-24W.
In a couple miles the road will curve to the left, west.
Soon, on your left, you will see the Midland Farm Store.
Across the road from the store, on your right is a road named Douglas County 1045.
Take that right turn, north, on DC1045.
My driveway is almost exactly 9 miles from that turn on that very same road.
DC1045 and Wellman road are the same road,
the name just changes when you get to Jefferson County.
The crossroad numbers get bigger as you go north on Wellman.
The last crossroad before my house is 54th.
DO NOT TURN ON 54th!
We are at the top of the hill after 54th on Wellman road.
Now, for safety, pay close attention.
When you get to the mailbox that says 5981 you are almost here.
It is on the left, west, side of the road.
The driveway that you see by the mailbox is the EXIT.
The reason for that is the crest of the hill is still in front of you and you can't see down
the road to see if anyone is going to smash into you while turning in.
Go past the mailbox and over the crest of the hill where you can see down the
road and there is another driveway entrance.
Park anywhere out there, by the tractor, garage, whatever.
Be sure to pull off to the side so that other people can get through.
The shop is in the basement of the house.
There is a gravel pathway that leads to the house and it forks at the deck.
Take the low road, and I'm usually in the room at the farthest door.

From Kansas City
On I-70, go west to the East Lawrence Exit.
Then follow the directions for Lawrence from the East Lawrence Exit.

On K-10, go to Lawrence then follow the Lawrence directions.

Or you could go through Eudora.
Take the Church St. Exit for Eudora.
Go right, north, on Church to the second 4-way stop.
Left, west, on 10th to Main.
Right, north, on Main.
Keep on going out of town until you get to K-32.
Left, west, on K-32 to 24-40.
Left, south, on 24-40, and it curves back to the right, west.
Go to the junction of 59.
Take a right, north, on 59N-24W.
In a couple miles the road will curve to the left, west.
Soon, on your left, you will see the Midland Farm Store.
Across the road from the store, on your right is a road named Douglas County 1045.
Take that right turn, north, on DC1045.
My driveway is almost exactly 9 miles from that turn on that very same road.
DC1045 and Wellman road are the same road,
the name just changes when you get to Jefferson County.
The crossroad numbers get bigger as you go north on Wellman.
The last crossroad before my house is 54th.
DO NOT TURN ON 54th!
We are at the top of the hill after 54th on Wellman road.
Now, for safety, pay close attention.
When you get to the mailbox that says 5981 you are almost here.
It is on the left, west, side of the road.
The driveway that you see by the mailbox is the EXIT.
The reason for that is the crest of the hill is still in front of you and you can't see down
the road to see if anyone is going to smash into you while turning in.
Go past the mailbox and over the crest of the hill where you can see down the
road and there is another driveway entrance.
Park anywhere out there, by the tractor, garage, whatever.
Be sure to pull off to the side so that other people can get through.
The shop is in the basement of the house.
There is a gravel pathway that leads to the house and it forks at the deck.
Take the low road, and I'm usually in the room at the farthest door.

From Topeka
There are so many ways to go.
On I-70, go east to the East Lawrence Exit.
Once you pay the toll turn right at the light.
Now you are on highway 59N.
Then see the instructions from Lawrence.

On 24, go east past Perry.
You will come to a junction of 59-24.
Stay on 24E-59S.
There are some sharp curves, be careful.
When you get almost to Lawrence, right before the final curve south,
you will come to the Midland Farm Store.
It will be on your right.
On the left, north, is DC-1045.
Turn left, north, on 1045.
My driveway is almost exactly 9 miles from that turn on that very same road.
DC1045 and Wellman road are the same road,
the name just changes when you get to Jefferson County.
The crossroad numbers get bigger as you go north on Wellman.
The last crossroad before my house is 54th.
DO NOT TURN ON 54th!
We are at the top of the hill from 54th on Wellman road.
Now, for safety, pay close attention.
When you get to the mailbox that says 5981 you are almost here.
It is on the left, west, side of the road.
The driveway that you see by the mailbox is the EXIT.
The reason for that is the crest of the hill is still in front of you and you can't see down
the road to see if anyone is going to smash into you while turning in.
Go past the mailbox and over the crest of the hill where you can see down the
road and there is another driveway entrance.
Park anywhere out there, by the tractor, garage, whatever.
Be sure to pull off to the side so that other people can get through.
The shop is in the basement of the house.
There is a gravel pathway that leads to the house and it forks at the deck.
Take the low road, and I'm usually in the room at the farthest door.

From Leavenworth
Get on K-92 going West.
Go to McLouth.
Take a right, west, in Mclouth at the stop sign.
Now you are on 16-92.
About 3 miles out of Mclouth the highway jogs to the right.
Don't go to the right.
Instead take the hard to see left turn off the highway.
At the stop sign go left, south.
Now you are on Wellman Road.
My driveway is now only 2.7miles away.
Pass 78th road, 70th road, 66th road.
We are the house at the top of the hill, on the right, from 66th road.
About 2.75 miles from where you turned off of 16-92.
If you can pull into the driveway before the 5981 mailbox
it circles around and goes out at the mailbox.
Park anywhere out there, by the tractor, garage, whatever.
Be sure to pull off to the side so that other people can get through.
The shop is in the basement of the house.
There is a gravel pathway that leads to the house and it forks at the deck.
Take the low road, and I'm usually in the room at the farthest door.

From Oskaloosa
Take 59S south out of town.
Left turn, east, on 16-92 about a mile out of town.
In about 4 miles the road curves to the right, south, stay on it.
Then the road curves back to the left, east, this time don't stay on it.
Keep going straight, south.
It is kind of hard to see the turn-off, but it is there.
Now you are on Wellman Road going south.
My driveway is now 2.7 miles away.
Pass 78th road, 70th road, 66th road.
We are the house at the top of the hill, on the right, from 66th road.
About 2.75 miles from where you turned off of 16-92.
If you can pull into the driveway before the 5981 mailbox
it circles around and goes out at the mailbox.
Park anywhere out there, by the tractor, garage, whatever.
Be sure to pull off to the side so that other people can get through.
The shop is in the basement of the house.
There is a gravel pathway that leads to the house and it forks at the deck.
Take the low road, and I'm usually in the room at the farthest door.

My repair philosophy
I like to listen.
I want to hear what you want.
What problems are you having?
What are you looking for?
Do you have any idea what you are talking about?

I'm flexible.
Are you in a hurry?
Do you need something different that no one else seems to understand?
Do you have an old instrument that needs to be as close to original as possible?
Would you like the latest technology pickup installed?
Do you need me to help you change a tire?

I'm ethical.
Word of mouth is my main advertising.
I want repeat customers.
So I want you to be more than just satisfied.
And I wouldn't want to try to put something over on you
or try to do something that doesn't need to be done.

Oh yeah, I also do very good work.
There are a lot of really great repairmen out there and I think my work is up there with some of the best.

I am not a good self-promoter, but I try to do the best possible work that can be done.
And this is where we get back to listening.
If there is something you don't like about my work I want to hear about it. That's how I get better and you get what you want.
I'm serious about this too, if you have a problem I want to be the first to know.
Remember, I'm a musician too, not just a repairman. I want my instruments to play perfectly for me, and yours for you.

What kind of repair can I do?
Basically, I'll do anything from change a string to build an instrument from scratch.
That covers a lot of territory, I know. Believe me, I know.
Neck resets on all makes of guitars, banjos, mandolins, violins, prims, you name it.
Refret, nuts, saddles, new fingerboard, reglue and replace bridges and bridge plates, reglue and replace braces, fix cracks, touch up finish,
install pickups (electric and acoustic instruments), fix intonation problems, inlay your name in the fingerboard, dress frets,
get rid of annoying buzzing, rehair bows, reshape necks, scallop braces, take it all apart and put it all back together, anything you need.
I really like to work on old instruments. It is very satisfying, to me to take an old instrument that hasn't played well for years and make it play and sound great.
Banjos are fun to work on. I have been making quite a few necks for tenor to five string conversions.
I enjoy trying new things too.

All about me!
Do you really want to read all this stuff?
I don't know but it is pretty easy to skip to what you want to know with these computer gadgets.

A brief personal history
I'm the oldest of six kids.
We moved to Lawrence, KS when I was a wee lad.
I started playing banjo in 1976, guitar sometime before that.
Since I always tinkered with things to see how they worked I, of course, messed around with my banjo and guitar.
Steve Mason asked me to work in his store sometime between '76-'78.
Graduated from Lawrence High School in 1980.
In 1980 I also built my first banjo. I was frustrated with the sound of my Gibson RB250 but couldn't afford a better banjo.
You gotta love Steve Mason's words of wisdom when I asked him how to make a banjo neck, "Just take a block of wood and carve away everything that doesn't look like a banjo neck."
Strangely enough, it went pretty much like that.
Pat Olkowski had me work in his machine shop for about a year. That really opened my eyes.
Susan Willits and I got married in 1988.
We also built our house in '88.
In fact, we were doing a little sheetrock work the morning of our wedding.
We did all the work with some timely help from family members.
The roof trusses were even manufactured by us right here on the floor of the house. I don't recommend that at all. Our knees will never be the same.
I had a small workspace in the basement of our house because I really love working with wood and sometimes metal, and there is always something to fix when you're a homeowner.
I worked at Mass. Street Music in Lawrence for about 14 years.
I quit Mass. Street Feb 2000, and crammed all my work into our basement.
In 2001 we decided to add on to our house to make more shop space because the business was going well and I was really cramped for space.
So, there's the short and sweet story.

Ben's Workbench

The Workbench
Here is my main workbench.
The top is several 2x6 joined by sliding dovtails.
It is covered with a sheet of 1/4" tempered masonite.
The base is actually 3 cabinets joined with T-nuts.
The drawers are all hand dovetailed pine with 1/4" plywood bottoms.
I think I made it in '98 or '99.
The end vise is made from 3/4" pipe clamps and some 2x6.
It probably opens to around 12".
Note the adjustable footrest.