THE T-SHIRT CLUB
FOR GUITARISTS
FEATURED SHOP OF THE MONTH
AUGUST 2023
HOT ROD
6 STRINGS
Chris Tatalias loves guitars and cars, and when he decided to open up his own guitar shop in 2006, HotRod 6 Strings in Brookfield, Connecticut was born!
As a teenager, Chris looked up to musicians like Eddie Van Halen and was motivated to build his own guitar after seeing EVH do the same. Taking inspiration from the legendary Wayne Charvel, Chris learned how to modify and repair guitars, worked for Hosono Guitar Works in California, where he acquired the skills to become a Master Luthier, and built guitars for Ibanez USA.
He moved back east to work for Ed Roman at East Coast Sound, and soon opened HotRod 6 Strings, followed in 2007 by the launch of his own guitar line, Tatalias Guitars, building gear for rockers including Andy Powell from Wishbone Ash and Todd Rundgren.
HotRod 6 Strings is considered to be one of the East Coast’s coolest (more importantly: nicest) shops. Chris and his team (with more than 25 years of hands-on, guitar building experience) make custom guitars on premises, restore vintage guitars, and perform setups, mods, and enhancements on all things guitar.
Chris is proud to say that no two guitars in the shop are alike. “Guitars are magical because every guitar is different. You can own five or 10 models of one company’s guitar, and they’ll all sound different. It’s because of the wood. Wood isn’t manufactured; it’s from nature. So any two guitars, cut from the same piece of lumber, can have different tonal characteristics.”
