Meet Jack Brunson | Guitarcheologist & Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jack Brunson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jack, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am from a small town in Western Kentucky called Mayfield….or at least, I used to be. The town is not there anymore, really. Two years ago, a large tornado tore down most of the town – the downtown square, the rootbeer float stand I went to as a kid and the 120 year old Presbyterian Church where I took cub scouts; all just gone.

When I was growing up there, honestly, I hated it. I kinda feel guilty about that now, but there was nothing to do and being a weird teenager in a small Kentucky town can be fairly isolating. There were like 5 guitar players and maybe 8 people who were “into music.”

The other downside of that was that there was not really a music store unless I wanted to drive 45 minutes to the town over – and I was 14, had no money, no license and no car. So, when my guitar broke, or my strings were rusty, there was no “taking it to the tech.” I pretty much just had to use my own devices to get my gear running again, and that is really what got me into luthiery.

Luckily I came of age with the internet, so I was able to figure out most fixes on my own. My earliest fixes were pretty primitive and meant to be temporary, usually including a lot of electrical tape, lemon oil and WD-40. I remember once, I even fixed a solder joint on my high school’s trashed Kustom Kasino strat copy with chewed bubble gum because I didn’t have a soldering iron at the time. Surprisingly, it held for three months…fortunately my skills have gotten MUCH better since then.

But I started fixing guitars out of necessity, and then on into adulthood I found that I really enjoyed it.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
In July 2016, I took $500 and bought a few broken guitars with the intention of honing my craft for guitar repair. I had been working at Guitar Mill for a couple of years and I realized I had a few skills I could be putting to use in my own time. After the work was done, I started an account on Reverb.com, sold those guitars and almost doubled my money. The quick payoff had me hooked, I reinvested that money into more broken guitars, and did it again, and again, and again and on the cycle went.

I admit, at first, Guitarcheology was just an excuse to buy whatever gear I wanted and practice piecing it back together – but I had no idea how lucrative this would be. Within the first year, I was making more on Guitarcheology than I was on my paycheck. And it was something I really liked doing — some people build model airplanes or do jigsaw puzzles, I like to piece guitars back together.

I found this first niche in buying and selling what I like to call “dimestore” guitars. These were made mainly in Japan and the US to be sold in department stores and catalogs such as Sears & Roebuck and Western Audio. We still sell a lot of these to this day.

The business was fairly smooth sailing at first, there were a few hiccups and growing pains – figuring out things like how best to ship guitars, building systems of storage and inventory management, taxes, etc. I incorporated Jack’s Guitarcheology as an LLC in 2020, and honestly doing that and getting an accountant did make things a bit easier.

The biggest challenge has come from opening the physical location. Store hours become a sort of Albatross you have to wear, no matter what is going on or how you feel or who died, the show must go on and the store must open and close when you say it is going to open and close. The first year or so, I did it mostly by myself and it was exhausting.

I know have a shop manager, Kass, who is great and a staff that can take the store in small doses if I need to step away, but we are still growing to outpace our ability to work, even with two owners, two full time employees and three part time contractors. (I forgot to mention my staff in the last question, but my staff are awesome and I would get nowhere without them.)

But at the end of the day, I have done it all so far, so when I run up against something that seems insurmountable – I just reassure myself that I will figure it out, one step at a time, like I always do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If someone is in Lebanon, here is where I am going to take them:

Sammy B’s Restaurant – amazing food in a historic location, great atmosphere to wine and dine.

Polly Sparrow Bakes – Best baked goods you have ever had guaranteed. Kelly’s work would not be out of place on the streets of NYC or Paris.

Barcadia – Video games and N/A beers, nuff said. (Also real beers, I just don’t drink anymore.)

Town Square Social or Cedar City Brewing – I mean, have you had the smoked chicken or wings?

The Artful Abode – Amazing art and home decor. Feels more like a cute art gallery than a store.

Split Bean Coffee – They have a cold brew that burns like jet fuel.

All of the shops on the square – Poppies, Urban Mills, Wilkies, downtown Lebanon is not the little cluster of antique malls it used to be. The area is really growing with a lot to do.

Cedars of Lebanon State Park – It is a majestic walk on the 5 mile hike and the cedar forest is an important part of our town’s history.

Don Fox Community Park – My favorite place to take a walk.

And why not go to Cracker Barrel?
We are the Cracker Barrel town, afterall.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To quote Arnold Schwarzenegger “I am not a self-made man.” I would be nothing without the support of my friends and family.

My wife, Jayme, being first on the list. Without her love and support and ability to craft an absolutely BANGIN’ Excel spreadsheet, this business would not be possible.

My best friend / brother, Ethan Rose, who runs Funky Frankenstein Records. He has helped me on countless projects from guitar pickups to building the guitar stands in the store.

The support and flexibility of my bandmates in Casual Sects, Toxic Culture and Big, if True.
(My three musical projects currently)
toxicculture.bandcamp.com
casualsects.bandcamp.com
bigiftrue.bandcamp.com

My Mom and Nanny (Grandmother) tell literally everyone they know to follow me online and that has worked out better than you would think two ladies in West Kentucky could muster.

To my late Father and both Grandfathers, all of them helped me get here. My dad taught me my first guitar chords and always bought me new guitars for Christmas. My Grandaddy taught me the importance of self-sufficiency and always encouraged my entrepreneurial spirit. My Grandpa died when I was five years old, but he left me a trust that paid for about half of my college, and without that I would not be here.

Mario Martin and the staff at Guitar Mill / Mario Guitars. I worked there for 7 years and it is where I made a lot of my connections and learned a majority of my expertise. Mario and his team have been like family to me, and he was completely understanding when I told him I wanted to leave and do my own thing. I learned so much in my time there, not just about guitars, but about how to run and manage a business. I am so grateful for Mario’s mentorship in my 20s.

There are a lot of people who have inspired me, given me ideas, helped me move a heavy amp; but we would be here all night if I got into it. If you are one of those folks, and you are reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Mostly to all my followers and customers. I really have some of the best regulars in the business, and the support that some people have shown me because they simply believe in what I am doing almost brings a tear to my eye.

Website: https://www.jacksguitarcheology.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacksguitarcheology/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacksguitarcheology/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/jacks-guitarcheology-lebanon

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCStC_gcp0LYDM7HbA09Ysuw

Other: https://reverb.com/shop/jacks-guitarcheology

Image Credits
Photos courtesy of Jack’s Guitarcheology (c) 2023