We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jerry Bodrie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jerry, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Advertising is my day job and it’s been a wonderful career path for me. I primarily work on the account side meaning the business side of a creative enterprise. Over the years I’ve always tried to be a true partner to my creative department colleagues and that has been satisfying, but I still wanted to do something myself; I wanted to make things.

Also, I should mention, I’ve been playing music in bands since I was 15 growing up in the Detroit area, so music and performing has always been a part of my life. And I like mechanical things and using tools.

It seems pretty obvious now that at some point in time I would start working on guitars. First it was light repair and adjustment work on my own guitars. Then I started modding guitars. Then buying vintage guitars that had been abused, left for dead, parted out, etc., and bring them back to life in one form or another (thus the name Redeemed Guitars was born). Eventually, the supply of vintage castoffs became scarce and overpriced, so I decided it was time to start scratch-building my own designs. It was a hell of a learning curve but if you are patient and you stick with it, you can do it. And I did.

I learned a lot by reading what luthiers do, and trying to understand the how and why of it all. I watched a lot of YouTube videos. I came up with my own techniques too. No CAD, no computers, No CNC. I design with a pencil. I build the same way Paul Bigsby or Leo Fender would have done it in their earliest days. By hand. One at a time. Relying on feel more than anything.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

People who do what I do these days often don’t really build guitars, they assemble guitars. There is an entire industry around making and selling bodies, necks, pickups, bridges and all the parts that make up a guitar. And most everything is based on classic guitars from Fender and also Gibson, Gretsch, Guild, etc. What I wanted to do was pay my respects, but not copy. I wanted something that was familiar, but not a knock-off. The world doesn’t need another Telecaster I don’t think. I was driven to make original guitars, but with a nod to the classics that we all love. Like a best friend you haven’t met yet.

I have three models. They are all named after Cadillacs because why not, I’m from Detroit. The DeVille is an offset guitar like a Jazzmaster or a Non-reverse Firebird, but not a copy of either. The Eldorado is an homage to Paul Bigsby who is the father of he production solid body electric guitar. And lastly, the Fleetwood is my Telecaster adjacent model. There are lots of options and versions, 12-string or 6-string, solid or semi-hollow, because each guitar is a made-to-order custom.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson is to stop chasing perfection. Perfection is a dream. It doesn’t exist. You will bleed and die in pursuit of it, and why? It’s a fools game. No one ever said that band sounded great because that lacquer finish was flawless. I would get crazy trying to make things perfect in the early days. it made me unhappy. it made me not want to build guitars. And then I realized how stupid that was. Build the best guitar that looks killer but more importantly, sounds and plays amazing.

I tell my customers that this guitar will not be perfect and if you can’t live with that, you should look elsewhere. And not one person as stepped away as of yet.

To be clear, I’m not saying to half-ass it or to not care, Hardly. I’m saying to not obsess and make yourself unhappy. It’s not worth it.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I’m on Instagram, that’s my main channel. I use it to show my processes, my work and a bit of my personality.

I show a lot of records I’m listening too because that is sharing the vibe in my shop on that day.

I share what I’m doing where as a lot of folks keep the process secret. I hate that. I welcome people to know what I do, and how I do it. And if you want to do it too, great. Welcome.

I started from nothing and have gotten to over 1,000 followers. Not huge by any means, but it’s all organic and I get a lot of feedback. For instance, do you like the white pickgard, or the black? My folks will weigh in. I love that.

Contact Info:

• Website: redeemedguitars.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jedbodrie/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jerry.bodrie

Image Credits
Photos by Josh Steadman