Mike Koontz: Restoring Harmony One String At A Time

By Malissa Martin

Mike Koontz: Restoring Harmony One String At A Time

SAY YOU’RE A TEENAGER WATCHING YOUR FAVORITE BANDS BELT OUT THEIR SONGS ON NATIONAL TV, AND YOU’RE INSPIRED TO START PLAYING GUITAR YOURSELF.

The only problem? Good guitars are expensive.

If you’re Mike Koontz, you overcame that problem by learning how to repair fixer-uppers and make them playable. That led to him playing in bands in his teenage years, and then working for Anderson Music Company repairing amps for electric guitars.

When the repairman Mike was working with decided to open his own store, he asked Mike to make the move with him and then offered him an apprenticeship to properly learn how to repair guitars. Not too long after, how-ever, the owner had a change of heart and decided to sell the shop to new owners. Mike stayed on and kept learning. After another year, he finally opened his own shop…which he still has almost 29 years later, giving him a total of more than 45 years in the business.

SOME MAY CALL HIM A MASTER LUTHIER, but Mike explains that he’s a guitar repair technician. “I get into the technical aspects and don’t do a lot of building – the true meaning of a luthier is a builder of acoustic instruments like guitars and violins,” he says. (With perhaps an overly large dash of modesty, given the unabashedly glowing reviews he gets online.)

He cites the structural integrity of the instrument as being tricky – repairing an acoustic guitar can be expensive, time-consuming, and lead down problematic paths. About a third of the guitars he repairs are acoustic.

Of course, electric guitars have their own sets of extreme challenges, include-ing when one end-ed up submerg-ed in a basement flood. “I’ve had a lot of crazy repairs,” he says, estimating that maybe one out of 20 is a doozy. “You’re expected to do miraculous things and defy the laws of physics and gravity. But when an electric guitar has been totally submerged, it’s pretty much unrepairable.”

THIS YEAR, MIKE HAS SEEN AN UPTICK IN PEOPLE NEEDING REPAIRS, especially the professional musicians who saw a slump in bookings during the pandemic but whose gigs are rebounding as bars and other venues are realizing that having live bands pulls in more customers.

Along with those returning regulars, he’s also seen more women singer-songwriters emerge onto the scene and join the ranks of musicians trying to make a niche for themselves.

Of course the Metro Detroit area has long been home to a multitude of famous musicians. “We’ve got recording studios all over the place in Ferndale,” Mike points out. “Within a one-mile radius, there are about five studios, including Eminem’s and 54 Sound. Here in Ferndale, people can find me very easily. Plus, Ferndale is a very safe and welcoming place with plenty of art and culture.”

ALL OF THAT SAID, MIKE ALSO SAYS that he works in a state of controlled chaos — his customers expect a certain level of craftsman-ship and professionalism, and keeping up with expectations can be challenging sometimes. There’s a big trust factor involved when some-body hands him their instrument! Especially when that instrument is somebody’s livelihood.

But, judging from what customers have to say about Mike’s dedication to his craft, this particular guitar technician is an artist in his own right.

Koontz Guitar Repair

600 Hilton Rd, Ferndale | (248) 545-5460