OUR STORY
My name is Chris O'Dee. I am the owner, operator and luthier at Retro Guitars which was founded in 2012. I started this journey playing the guitar and found that by the age of 13 I had a real passion for all things guitar. I lived and breathed it and played every moment that I could. My first guitar was a Harmony and I played that guitar to death. I loved that guitar, but it wasn't long before I found myself disassembling, repainting and modifying it to look and sound like the guitars I would see on MTV and in the hands of all my guitar heroes. Then in 2005, I decided to try and build a guitar out in my Dad's shop. After completing my first guitar, I decided to top myself which led to another and another, and I found that I just loved the satisfaction I got from building a guitar. It even rivaled the satisfaction/ enjoyment of actually playing the guitar. Since then I have gone from my Dad's workshop to a small garage, and finally to a 600-square-foot workshop. I love getting up everyday and getting to build guitars. I couldn't have a better job.
Hi there fellow guitar fans! My name is Jeremy Hodges and I handle the finishings here at Retro Guitars. Chris found me hopeless and alone trudging through the world of production auto body repair. Day in and day out for 15 years I was fixing people’s wrecked Ford Focus’ and Chevy Impalas. It was a nightmare. I always wanted to play guitar and finally in my mid 20's I was given an acoustic guitar for Christmas. It wasn't long before I realized Jimi Hendrix doesn't sound great on an Indiana Scout and I started eyeing electric guitars. Again, it wasn't long before I realized nothing sounds good on a Squier Strat either. That's when I met the second love of my life, the Les Paul. I dove into everything Les Paul, who played them, from whence they came, and all the sorcery that goes into its creation: Enter Chris O'Dee. It's exciting everyday to come to work and see what I'm working on next. One thing I love about Retro Guitars is we always seem to be coming up with innovative ideas to incorporate into the guitar building process.
We have been fortunate enough to have been able to build guitars for such names as Sheryl Crow, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Joan Jett, Peter Stroud of Sheryl Crow, Mark Chatfield of Bob Seger, Kenny Greenberg of Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and Bernie Marsden of Whitesnake.
