Nestled in beautiful Southern Illinois, between the Shawnee Forest and the Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge is a place where the pace of life slows down. Where you become one with the world around you. Where the cellphone doesn’t rule and you can just breathe. This is where life happens. This is where music is felt, not just heard. This is a place where old world craftsmanship and tradition matter. A place where community and family matter. A place where music and the instruments that make it are prized and cared for with the respect they deserve. Welcome to the Forge.

Forge & Fret is more than just a guitar repair shop. It’s a Family. It’s a community of musicians, collectors, and builders that come together for the honest love of music and the beautiful instruments that make it.

Join us on our journey to preserve and build the finest stringed instruments around.