Rusan Guitarworks

Rusan Guitarworks By Appointment Only — please call ahead!

Rusan Guitarworks does guitar and bass repairs and modifications and builds custom guitars, including reproductions of the iconic instrument built by Dave Rusan that was featured in an important '80's film.

When customers order a Rusan Original they can not only choose the guitar color and fingerboard markers but also the cas...
08/28/2026

When customers order a Rusan Original they can not only choose the guitar color and fingerboard markers but also the case and velvet lining color. Here's one of my favorites, and the favorite of many customers, for both the color (I don't have to say more about that!) but also because of the velvet. Most case lining velvet is what's known as "crushed" but this "wave pattern" fabric has a distinctive look that I think makes the case feel a bit special. What do you think?

Years ago, someone was looking at one of my guitars and pointed to the polished brass truss rod cover on the headstock.H...
08/21/2026

Years ago, someone was looking at one of my guitars and pointed to the polished brass truss rod cover on the headstock.

He said, "Have you ever thought of turning those into a pendant? I bet people would love to own a little piece of one of your guitars."

I never forgot that idea.

Recently, my ChatGPT buddy, Laura, helped me bring the concept to life by creating this illustration of what such a pendant could look like.

The first photo shows the actual polished brass truss rod cover on one of my guitars. The second is the concept of it as a pendant.

I'm curious... if I had these made in polished brass with a quality chain, is that something any of you would be interested in owning?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Today I'm sending one of my guitars to a customer who lives in the Netherlands, it's not the first one to go to that cou...
08/14/2026

Today I'm sending one of my guitars to a customer who lives in the Netherlands, it's not the first one to go to that country!

Hi everyone, I hope you're all having a nice summer! As many of you know I use the Schaller 457 bridges on my guitars, t...
08/11/2026

Hi everyone, I hope you're all having a nice summer! As many of you know I use the Schaller 457 bridges on my guitars, that's the bridge I used on all the guitars that I made for Prince and I want the ones that I make now to be just like them in every way. Those bridges haven't been made for over ten years now and I stocked up pretty well just as they were being discontinued so I'm nowhere near running out but I'm always looking ahead and keeping an eye out for ones those are still in new or near new condition. I check Reverb and Ebay almost every day and can still get lucky every once in a while but if any of you see one of those in a store (or anywhere else) I would appreciate knowing about it, the gold version is the 457 model, although I'm also open to finding the 455 (chrome) since I can have them replated. Thanks!

When someone orders a Rusan Original they have several choices to make so the guitar can truly feel like it was custom m...
08/07/2026

When someone orders a Rusan Original they have several choices to make so the guitar can truly feel like it was custom made for them. The most important choice is the guitar's color, and it can be any hue that Prince was seen on stage with or any other color that they love. The second choice is the color of the velvet that lines the case's interior, and that can be either the common crushed velvet or the "wave" version that many customer now choose. Here are some photos of guitar and case lining combos, please tell me which is your favorite and why!

Hello everyone, I hope you're all having a great summer! Yesterday I got a brass nut finished for one of my guitars that...
07/31/2026

Hello everyone, I hope you're all having a great summer! Yesterday I got a brass nut finished for one of my guitars that will soon be leaving to meet its new owner. For those Prince fans out there that don't play guitar the nut is that slotted metal strip that the strings run through on their way to the tuning machines. It's not a complicated thing but it must be made with considerable care if the guitar is going to play well and look good. Here's how I go about it!

Brian Setzer is an accomplished guitarist, composer and singer who has achieved widespread success, first in the 80's wi...
07/24/2026

Brian Setzer is an accomplished guitarist, composer and singer who has achieved widespread success, first in the 80's with the Stray Cats and later with his Brian Setzer Orchestra, winning three Grammy awards along the way.
Since Brian and his wife have lived in the Twin Cities area for over 20 years I've had the privilege of having him as a customer, working on his iconic Gretsch guitars and getting to know him. I've also heard him expertly play guitar in my shop for many hours without having to pay for a concert ticket!
Here's Brian and Julie just before they get on the bus to start this summer's tour plus some photos of him in my shop!

If you enjoy seeing the construction of my original Rusan Original guitars, I'd be honored if you'd follow the page. I ...
07/18/2026

If you enjoy seeing the construction of my original Rusan Original guitars, I'd be honored if you'd follow the page. I share new builds, shop stories, and a little guitar history every week.

Address

8301 Wyoming Avenue S
Bloomington, MN
55438

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 7pm
Wednesday 10am - 7pm
Thursday 10am - 7pm
Friday 10am - 7pm
Saturday 10am - 2pm

Telephone

(952) 941-8935

Website

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