When we talk about instruments, almost all of us imagine someone playing them. But there's a part of their operation that almost no one imagines when they hear the word: their restoration. Well, Grebo does the work that almost everyone takes for granted, and that many others don't even know is done. He restores guitars. He also tunes and maintains them as an additional service. He's very skilled at what he does, and he's one of the few trusted professionals in his country for the most difficult jobs.
He started doing this even before he was born. He comes from a long tradition of luthiers who have passed on their talent and techniques. The first in his generation began making instruments. Then, the new generations increasingly specialized their work until they were only making guitars. By the time Grebo's parents came, they were no longer working on making them, but only restoring them. And now that Grebo's turn has come, in addition to restoring only guitars, he also tunes them. He inherited the funds, resources, and workshop from the entire generation before him. He is a person who likes to preserve the memory and remembrance of his ancestors, which is why he decided to follow in their footsteps.
In his workshop, he had books with the best repair techniques, and before their death, his parents left him the best teachings. It's no surprise that he acquired great skill and knowledge. But that wasn't the only thing he inherited from his ancestors; he also inherited the name and reputation of the workshop's brand. When someone hears the brand name, they know they're dealing with someone with experience and quality in their work. In all his years of work, he has restored all types of guitars; local musicians bring their own. But not just ordinary musicians, famous people, and especially museums have come to him. So far, all his works have been completed perfectly and without delay.
But the next job will be quite a challenge. A museum called him to come to their branch as soon as possible to show him something. He went as soon as he could, and they told him they had something very important to show him, and that he would surely be surprised. They showed him one of the oldest guitars discovered. They had paid a lot to have it in the museum. But because it had been abandoned for so long, it was in poor condition, and so they couldn't display it. So they wanted him to repair it. But the contract was clear: this guitar was unlike any he'd played before; it was one of the oldest ever discovered, so it had to be treated with great care. If he repaired it without damaging it and delivered it on time, they would pay him a large sum. But if he damaged it, he would have to pay for the damages to the museum.
On paper, those were the consequences if he did a poor job. But there was another problem: if he did it poorly, it would affect his reputation and that of the workshop, which had an impeccable reputation for errors throughout his generation. This, in addition to damaging him, would also limit him from future repair offers because those with risky jobs would think twice before ordering something from him. Grebo simply couldn't turn down the job; this would be one of the most important of his life; he couldn't live with that void if he didn't complete this challenge. So he signed the contract and said yes.
The museum sent a car to the workshop with the guitar securely secured; then he would have to take care of its security. For the first time, he felt a little nervous about doing a restoration, even though he was already tired of doing it many times, but this was special. First, he began by disassembling each piece, then varnishing everything. Then, he glued everything together and left it gleaming. But now something important was missing: getting the guitar strings because the ones he had brought were already broken. Since there was no way to get a 100% original one, what he did was try to get one with the same approximate age.
He had to travel a long distance to obtain the necessary strings, and he had to invest heavily to buy them given their age; luckily, they were in perfect condition. Then he mounted them on the guitar, and it turned out very well. Now he just needed to see if the museum liked his work. They were delighted, and as a token of appreciation for his good work, they let him play a song in front of everyone. That would be the only song the guitar would play, because from then on, it would be forever in a display case. Grebo is happy because he did a good job and achieved his goal, and he is also one of the few to play that instrument. A great privilege. Although he took a risk by accepting that, he proved that it is possible when you have prepared yourself and want to.
Credits: The images used are free to use and royalty free. They were taken from pixabay.