Bill Conklin started Conklin Guitars in Lebanon, Missouri in the summer of
1984, mainly offering Custom necks and bodies as well as doing repairs and
refinishing for players all over the country. In 1988 Bill moved the
operation to Springfield, Missouri and Phil Goschy joined the company,
quickly becoming a key employee with a seemingly natural ability to handle all aspects of custom guitar and bass building. Phil remained Bill’s right hand man until his departure in 2000 to become a daddy.

Stepping in to fill those shoes is Mike Apperson. Mike brings many years of guitar playing and set-up knowledge to the company. Mike’s passion for guitars (Conklin Guitars in particular) began when he was much younger, taking guitar lessons and learning simple set-up procedures from a former Conklin tech, Brent Frazier. Mike has been an amazing addition to the Conklin team, almost magically picking up where Phil left off, quickly honing all of his skills in electronics, set-ups, building, finishing and even customer relations.

Don't think for a minute that Bill just delegates responsibilities to his
crew. To the contrary; Bill still personally selects every piece of raw
lumber that is purchased for the shop. He re-saws, planes and mills the wood for the necks and bodies. He glues and prepares necks and body blanks; radiuses, inlays, frets and carves every neck, designs all the instruments,
expedites parts and inventory for each Custom order, works with
suppliers, handles every facet of customer relations including internet and
email. Bill even coordinates the marketing, promotion and trade show
activity for the Custom Shop while overseeing the operation of the Groove
Tools line. It's a daunting task, but as they say; When you love what you
do, it doesn't seem like work and, as you look around this website it's
quite apparent that Bill and Mike definitely love what they do.

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