'GuitFxr' owner repairs 'anything with strings'

Dale Quinty, “GuitFxr,” has opened a shop near downtown McCook to offer guitar repairs and maintenance. Dale will fix “anything with strings” at the shop at 109 E. Third. “Don’t come in this shop if you’re hungry, though,” Dale laughs, explaining that his neighbor, “Bueno’s Taquitos,” really smells good.

Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette

McCOOK, Neb. — Dale Quinty thinks his new guitar repair shop may have started with an argument … hmmm, a disagreement … an annoying habit of his “to spread out.”

Dale — who just opened “GuitFxr” at 109 E. Third — said he had a room, or two, in the basement of his and his wife Jerie’s home for his guitars repairs. It started in the bedroom, and then there were amps in another room …. and he had a regular office. Dale said Jerie asked him, “Why do you have to do this?”

“Do what?” Dale asked. “Play guitar? Work on guitars?” No, Dale said he knew Jerie meant, “Why do you have to spread out?” Jerie told Dale, “Go get yourself a shop!”

Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette

So, Dale talked to Sue Doak, who offered him a former nail salon near the corner of East Third and B streets, and Dale has relocated his guitars, tools, repair parts and strings.

Dale has played the guitar most of his life, since a girlfriend in junior high let him borrow a guitar. Then his dad bought him a Silverstone Telecaster copy from Sears and Roebuck in 1972.

Dale started buying guitar parts in 2001, but even before that, he’d messed around with a bit of his own repairs after he realized he wasn’t satisfied with someone else’s repair. He put his need together with a lot of reading and research, and learned the science, technology and precision of a guitar and what it takes to make it all right.

Dale will work on guitars — acoustic and electric. He’ll repair/replace necks, bridges, braces, fretwork, turning keys; he’ll do set-ups on electric and acoustic guitars. He’ll reglue tops, sides and backs.

Dale understands the repair tendencies of certain brands of guitars — like that Gibson Les Pauls often need headstock repairs.

Bring your guitar to Dale — before you try to “repair” a bridge yourself by impaling it with screws, or by gooping runny glue down the neck after trying to bond a broken headstock.

Dale also works on violins, mandolins, a ukelele. “Anything with strings,” he said.

Dale works at Parker Hannifin in McCook, so his shop hours revolve around that schedule. The GuitFxr shop is open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.; and then by appointment before 6:30 a.m. and after 5:30 p.m., Saturday through Tuesday. Call (308) 340-7694 or go to guitar repair McCook on Facebook.