New Sioux City business, GuitaRx offering repair services for a wide gambit of equipment

GuitaRx is a new Sioux City business that focuses on selling, repairing and restoring used guitars, amplifiers, guitar pedals and more. Owner Jim Miller gained the nickname “guitar doctor” while working at a guitar shop in Omaha, which he felt is a good description of the type of work he hopes to provide to  Siouxland.

Miller, a Sioux City native, attended the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix, Arizona. The school is the longest-running guitar-making school in North America, offering courses on making and repairing guitars.

At that time, Miller started developing an idea of starting a business that focused on both repairing guitars and selling used and restored equipment.

"I just noticed there's a lot of guitars out there mistreated and can be treated a lot better," he said. 

After working at a guitar shop in Omaha that focused exclusively on used products, he saw the viability of his idea. 

He said there are limited options for people who need guitar-related equipment repairs in the Sioux City area. He believes repairing and recycling used guitars is essential, rather than throwing them away for new equipment.

So far, Miller has fixed chiefly the instruments of local musicians, but he also wants to help others.

“I want more people to have instruments available, make them readily available, so that more music is played throughout the whole city and the area in general,” he said.

In May, Miller placed second in the Siouxland Growth Organization innovation market. The winnings allowed him to start his LLC and buy some of the specialty equipment needed, allowing him to expand his offerings.

“Anything you’re going to play on a rock and roll stage, you can come to me,” he said. “I want to be able to repair everything for the community of that nature.”

Acoustic guitars, bass guitars, electric guitars, pedals, amplifiers and microphones are all examples of items Miller will be able to fix. He is currently limited on the repairs he can do to pedals and amplifiers due to the danger, but he is planning on taking a course to expand those offerings.

"In the community, when your tube amp goes out, you buy a new one, which is sad because it'd be cheaper to get it fixed," he said. 

The process of getting a guitar fixed by Miller is simple. People can contact Miller about a repair they need, drop off the equipment and get an estimated timeline for repairs. Like a car repair, he will call when the equipment is ready to be picked up. 

Currently, Miller is looking for a storefront in the downtown area to expand both the repairs he offers and the retail aspect of the business.

Miller compared his retail model to the “American Pickers” or a buy-sell-trade business. He is asking people in the community if they have instruments that they want to donate or that he can purchase.

He will also offer consignment for people with more valuable equipment they would like to sell.

Another unique offering Miller hopes to have is a wall of guitar pieces for people to pick and choose from to make custom guitars.

“There’s going to be some fun stuff coming up,” he said.

Miller said music and the arts in Sioux City have been skyrocketing and he wants to be a part of it.

“I think that my hometown’s cool and I want other people to think my hometown’s cool,” he said. “I want to bring in people from areas like Omaha and Sioux Falls to Sioux City to see the things that I’m doing and then after that, they’ll be able to see the other things that everyone else is doing.”