Haze Guitars status update

I’m overdue in letting you all have an update on what’s happening in Haze Guitars.

The Too Long; Didn’t Read version is this:

I still don’t know when Haze Guitars will be back to normal. I can’t say with certainty when I’ll be able to work on your guitar. Therefore, you should feel absolutely free to make other arrangements if you have to.

I'm sorry.

Because I owe you an explanation, the longer version is this:

My reasons for remaining closed

Childcare, while not the only factor, is definitely a big part of my decision to open again. I’ve been waiting to see how school reopening works out. Recent events (climbing numbers, localised lockdowns, additional restrictions, the situation in other countries) adds some uncertainty to what was already an uncertain school situation. We’ve also seen some classes sent home already. And, closer to home for me, after just a week, I’ve had to keep my son off school for a couple of days because of a mild case of tonsillitis. The head teacher at his school told me “there was tonsillitis going around the school.” With no disrespect to the school staff, who are doing their best in a difficult situation, if all of the hygiene, hand washing, and distancing can’t prevent tonsillitis, it’s hard to be confident we’re going to have uninterrupted school time. This obviously makes it difficult for me to commit to a schedule of appointments with any confidence.

And, now the selfish part. The other part of my reasons for remaining closed after lockdown still stand — that is, to try expand the portion of my income that is likely to be interrupted by stuff like pandemics, illness, etc. I know this reasoning seems a bit messed up — not working now to provide security for not working later — but I’m lucky enough to be able to weather this stuff for another while and it seems to make sense to me.

And that is panning out well. Even with just being able to grab time here and there between home-schooling and arguing that it’s important for kids to wash and get dressed, I’ve been able to complete some new setup guides and make fantastic progress on my guitar wiring book. This latter, especially, I hope will add an extra buffer so that I have some additional security during any time I can’t work.

So, long story short, like I say, “I don’t know.” I don’t know when I’ll reopen. I’m currently waiting to see how things play out as school settles in again. That’s not all that’s factoring into this, but it certainly plays a big part.

What this means for you

I’ve already strung you along and it’s only fair for me to put my cards on the table.

I don’t know when I’ll be in a position to work on your guitar.

I’m really sorry.

I’ve felt hugely humbled by the numbers of people who’ve told me they’ll wait for me. That feels amazing (thank you) but it’s not fair to keep you in a holding pattern.

If you need your guitar or bass sorted out, please don’t feel you have to wait for me because it might still be some time before I can help. I’m sorry. If you need a referral to another repairer, drop me a line and remind me of your problem. I’ll try to suggest someone who can help out.

Thank you so much for waiting for me so far. It means more than you know.

Thank you.

Gerry