I am David Santo, guitarmaker,. I live in Putnam Valley, NY, about one hour north of NYC.

I grew up in NYC where I went to school with Matt Umanov. I began working on guitars with Matty in the early 1960’s. I then became a partner with Michael Gurian in the original Gurian Guitars in Greenwich Village.
From 1971 through 1984 I owned and operated The Guitar Repair Shop in Costa Mesa which is in Orange County California. My store ,(which later became Santo Guitars)
was less than thirty minutes from the factories of the Fender,Dobro and Rickenbacher guitar companies. The area was heavy with guitars and in the fifteen years the repair shop was open we completed more than 10,000 repairs on guitars and other stringed instruments.

Presently I am concentrating on repairs of acoustic and electric guitars. Major, and larger repairs requiring more skill than the music store usually has to complete. Refrets and fretwork are important aspects that keep the guitar playing well and cleanly. Neck resets on better acoustic guitars, and the really good setup make all the difference to the beginner or more advance player.
I do custom modifications like scalloping the fingerboard or changing pickups for better sound. Electrical problems like hum and loss of signal are common repairs.
I also do repairs on every type and brand of guitar,from where ever they were made, but specialize in repairs of American made guitars .
If you have a specific project in mind, don’t hesitate to call and ask questions no matter how unusual. Some of the best projects completed have been ideas that players brought to have me complete.

Please feel free to call me, or to e-mail. I hope to hear from you soon - David Santo