Carter Ruff received his training in stringed instrument repair from Red Wing Technical College in Red Wing, Minnesota. Carter came to Maine in 1998 to work for Bourgeois Guitars. Originally situated in the basement of his Bath, Maine home hence the name, Subterranean Music Works has grown into an above-ground business, meeting the requirements of musicians throughout Maine and beyond.
Reviews (3)
Josh Longway
Apr 20, 2021
Jtrippe
Mar 23, 2021
I've hesitated to write this review because I enjoy good relations with just about anyone connected to the music scene in Maine. However, I have to speak up. Several years ago, after I'd been told Carter was certified to work on Martin guitars (he wasn't). I took my D-28 up to Bath for a neck reset. Let's just say that it didn't work out the way I'd hoped.
The saddle was set way too high (and btw, in the process, he put a gouge in the side of the guitar near the neck). As a result of the high saddle, the bridge snapped in half a couple of days after I'd gotten it back. He put a new bridge on, but charged me sixty bucks this time, saying the old bridge had fissures in it. The guitar still did not play well, so ultimately I personally delivered my guitar to the Martin factory in Nazareth, PA.
I showed them the old bridge, and Martin found no fissures; in fact, the head of customer service remarked that whoever had done the neck reset had "butchered it." Those were his words. Martin honored my warrantee, however, and did what amounted to hundreds of dollars in repairs. I'd had that guitar for about thirty years, but sadly, even with Martin's best efforts, it simply was not the same guitar. Eventually I sold it and bought a D-35 from a friend. That was my experience. Draw your own conclusions.
The saddle was set way too high (and btw, in the process, he put a gouge in the side of the guitar near the neck). As a result of the high saddle, the bridge snapped in half a couple of days after I'd gotten it back. He put a new bridge on, but charged me sixty bucks this time, saying the old bridge had fissures in it. The guitar still did not play well, so ultimately I personally delivered my guitar to the Martin factory in Nazareth, PA.
I showed them the old bridge, and Martin found no fissures; in fact, the head of customer service remarked that whoever had done the neck reset had "butchered it." Those were his words. Martin honored my warrantee, however, and did what amounted to hundreds of dollars in repairs. I'd had that guitar for about thirty years, but sadly, even with Martin's best efforts, it simply was not the same guitar. Eventually I sold it and bought a D-35 from a friend. That was my experience. Draw your own conclusions.
Patricia Cannon
Feb 13, 2017
