Back in the summer of 1983 on a weekend trek to check out an old Fender Jazz bass that I was told an old guy had at a swap meet in Nipomo, California....

I wasn’t convinced that this “tip” was 100% - yet something most excellent did happened.

Standing in the middle of a garage type building surrounded by pile after pile of assorted junk stacked to the ceiling and mounds bric-a- brac and stacks of assorted musical instruments in cases and many of them just thrown about in much need of repair, I sheepishly asked the proprietor if he would be interested in hiring me to restore some of them or at least clean them up a bit, maybe get them playable again.

He was a big man trapped in a wheelchair and after hearing my plea he said, " I’m getting too old for this and I would like to get out”.

That's when my wife and I decided to do something impetuous and brash... we gave him every penny we had for his piles of broken horns and guitars and from that Lightning Joe's was born.

Unfortunately the Jazz bass was just a myth, it ended up being an old beat up 3/4 size Musicmaster bass, but hey, it was a start.

Today it's simply a story of a passion and a hobby that’s nearly gone out of control.

It's just too much fun! With such a humble beginning, who knew it would go this far
and with all the support, encouragement, and positive feedback we are constantly receiving, there's no end in sight.

It even seems as if my son is interested in carrying on when I’m finally spent. So thanks for all your continued support and as always...