Owner
dave@davesguitar.com

I became interested in the guitar at age 12 because my older brother played guitar in a local band and I really looked up to him and what he was doing. At that time, everything seemed to be guitar or guitar – hero
oriented and I could not get enough of the guitar. I was hooked!

Originally, I worked for a local music store that went out of business. I did apply at two other local music stores, but neither of them would hire me since all I knew about were guitars. There was no way that I was going to learn about pianos or band instruments, so I decided to open my own shop in 1982 and used my personal collection of 17 guitars for the inventory. I took every dime that I made and invested in more guitars. I didn’t even draw a paycheck from the business for at least the first five years.

Today, my personal collection consists of about 600 guitars and about 150 amps. The guitars are pretty much Fender – mostly custom color Strats, 50’s and 60’s Teles and various pre 70’s models. There are also many Gibson, Gretsch, and Rickenbacker things. The amps are mostly all Fender.

My favorite guitarist of all time is Eric Clapton, and as a result of this, my favorite guitar of all time is the 50’s two tone Strat with the Maple fingerboard. As for amps, my favorite is still an 80’s Fender “Red Knob” Twin.

You will find the staff here at the shop to be very knowledgeable and friendly. Please stop in or browse thru our huge online selection of inventory.

General Manager
tylor@davesguitar.com

Born and raised in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Tylor grew up about 20 minutes away from Dave’s Guitar Shop. Raised in a musical family he began playing Piano at a very young and switched to guitar when he was 13. Growing up in the La Crosse area he was spoiled by DGS and was a regular customer for his whole life. Through high school and college he played and preformed with a number of bands and performance groups ranging from Blues to Punk to Gospel.  While earning his BS in Art and Photography from the University of La Crosse Wisconsin, Tylor worked a photo shoot set in Dave’s Guitar Shop, there he met Dave and wound up being brought in as a Salesman due to his background in Guitars, IT and Photography.

Tylor now is the General Manager and works alongside Dave buying, selling and helping maintain the exceptional customer service that DGS customers have come to expect. Tylor is familiar with all types of music, but specializes in Blues, Funk and Southern Gospel Music.

Assistant Manager & Webmaster
raina@davesguitar.com

Raina’s a life-long musician; singing at the top of her lungs since day 1, starting piano at 4, and teaching herself guitar at 10.  She's a graduate of Music Business and Recording Tech at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. She worked in the music industry for a number of years in Nashville and LA before moving back home to La Crosse to be near family.  She has a home-based recording studio and has written hundreds of songs, but so far has only released one EP - Raina Maris' “Rage to Master” on Zerobudget Records. She's presently working on a full-length "doom pop" album to be released in 2022.

Working at Dave's is a childhood dream come true, and since starting in 2018, Raina's accumulated guitars such as a Tom Anderson Drop Top Classic, a PRS 24-08 Wood Library, a Fender Strat HSS Prototype, her long-coveted white Explorer, and a 1987 black rainbow holographic glitter Hamer Chapparal. Even so, she still reaches first for the Schecter C-1 Elite (modded with burstbuckers!) she bought from Dave when she was 17. Don't ask about her pedal board though - it's out of control!

Raina is also a visual artist (acrylics, digital painting, resin, crafting and more) and hosts a how-to art channel on YouTube. She enjoys expensive bourbon, scuba diving, Mel Brooks movies, and making her coworkers sick by cracking terrible puns at every chance.

Acoustic Manager
jr@davesguitar.com

JR has been a Folk/Bluegrass musician most of his adult life. He spent almost a decade on the road playing guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and banjo professionally and has toured all over the world
in various projects.

Stop by the acoustic room if you’re curious about any of the instruments or have any questions!  

Photography & Listings Manager
tim@davesguitar.com

So here’s the deal, many many years ago a handful of us “local kids” used to ride our bicycles from our homes across the river to this newly opened guitar shop in LaCrosse, WI called “Dave’s Guitar Shop.” It was a small place and pretty cool. I was 15 or 16 at the time and was only able to see photos of a Candy Apple Red 60’s era Fender Jazz bass. Well, Dave had the first one that I had ever seen. When I asked him if I could play it he replied with stern “No”. Well, go figure. That never stopped us. We made the bike trips dozens of times and we were finally able to get our hands on the guitars and basses that we used to dream about. Keep in mind that this was way back in 1983! But I should say that I bought my first real bass – a Kramer DMZ 5000 from Larry’s Music – with my paper route money. So take that.

A lot of things have changed since then. The store has changed locations a few times. I am pretty sure that I was “unofficially hired” when I was asked to help rip out a recording studio that was in the back of the old Causeway Blvd shop. This was around early 1990. I was probably the only one that did not get a nail stuck in the foot or a concussion from a wall of sand hitting me in the head. Big fun!

International Sales
laun@davesguitar.com

I was exposed to my parent’s 50’s rock and roll records at an early age. I loved my Dad’s Bo Diddley and Buddy Holly records, and my Mom’s Ricky Nelson and Elvis records. By high school I had picked up the guitar and got in to the Rolling Stones and Chess Blues. In college I discovered Memphis Soul, and rediscovered Bakersfield Country.

I currently play in a ’50’s cover and original band, along with a ’60’s Soul cover band. My favorite guitar players are Keith Richards, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Steve Cropper, Bo Diddley, James Burton, Don Rich, Roy Nichols, and Poison Ivy. My favorite guitars are the Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster, the Gibson Les Paul Custom and J-200, the Gretsch 6120 and Duo Jet, and the Rickenbacker 330/12.

Disgraced Former Small Goods Manager
christian@davesguitar.com

Chris didn't write a bio, so here's a synopsis: He likes the muppets, vintage video games, and leads an alt-rock band called Toaster Ghost. They're pretty rad; you should check 'em out.

Electric Sales and Meme Lord
jordan@davesguitar.com

I was born and raised in La Crosse and have frequented Dave's since I was about 10 years old. I have always wanted to work at this shop and when the opportunity presented itself, I couldn't say no! My musical background spans from Deathcore and Djent to Pop Punk and Classic Rock, and I play anything from Vintage Les Paul's to 8 and 9 string guitars. Along with guitar I do also venture into the world of bass as well. If you have any questions regarding heavy or aggressive music, I'm sure I will have some recommendations.

Pedals and Social Media Guru
brett@davesguitar.com

Brett developed an intense passion for music, specifically guitar, at 15. Constantly playing, his devotion to perfecting his craft has led to stories from his family about how he never stopped playing. Being a young adult in the greater Twin Cities area allowed him to meet, play, and tour with a variety of rock and punk bands. After some years, Brett shifted his attention to writing for other groups, which allowed him to stretch his creative muscles and learn more about the production process. A northern Minnesota native, transitioning into life in La Crosse came easy being able to visit Dave's Guitar shop on the regular.

These days you can find Brett reviewing gear on his Youtube and Instagram, EverydayGuitarist, or out playing a show with a cover band or his pop punk band. 

Shipping and Chaos
jeffs@davesguitar.com

Jeff is a husband and guitar player and he loves animals. His musical tastes are Richard Thompson and Guided by Voices.

Photography
gatlin@davesguitar.com

*IN MEMORIUM*

Brandon passed away May 31st, 2022 following a 3-year battle with cancer. Please click the button below his bio to read about his life in memorial.

"I grew up in the La Crosse area and picked up my first instrument from Dave’s in the mid 90’s.  Since then, I’ve played in several Pop Punk, Rock & Alternative bands.  After years of experimenting with different brands, I tend to favor Fender guitars, Mesa/Boogie amps & Ernie Ball accessories."