Today we’d like to introduce you to Ron Denoo
Hi Ron, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started my first guitar-related business quite by accident. I was traveling nearly every month to Japan on business and while there I would spend my downtime in the second-hand shops and flea markets in search of vintage Japanese guitars to bring home. After a year or two of doing this, my wife finally begged me to stop bringing so many guitars home because we were running out of room in our house! I enjoyed the treasure hunting so much that I didn’t want to stop so I agreed to start selling some of my guitars to make room for new ones and quickly realized that there was a great business opportunity in vintage Japanese guitars sourced in Japan.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Prior to COVID I was sourcing most of my instruments in-person in and around Tokyo. When COVID hit I was grounded for about 18 months. At the same time, guitars sales were skyrocketing. I was fortunate to have developed some great relationships in Japan and was able to lean on my network to keep the instruments flowing even when I couldn’t travel to Japan. This has also made it possible to scale my business.
We’ve been impressed with Ron’s Gear Garage, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Ron’s Gear Garage specializes in restoring and reselling vintage Japanese guitars, from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. We source most of our instruments directly in Japan through a network of people that we have developed over years of traveling to Japan. We pride ourselves on our outstanding selection of rare and interesting instruments and on our top-notch customer service. We truly have a passion for guitars and we love to share them with other passionate guitarists!
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The guitar market in general has been evolving a lot in recent years. There has been a big shift from brick and mortar stores to online which has changed the way that people research and buy. The market also peaked during COVID and has been in a bit of slump ever since as a lot of new guitars flooded the market and are now finding their way to the used market. With that said, vintage guitars are still popular with players and collectors and the Japanese ones represent a great value compared to many of the American vintage guitars. I think guitarists will continue to be selective about what they buy and will increasingly get their information from social media and influencers.
Contact Info:
- Website: *https://reverb.com/shop/rons-gear-garage-40
