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Jon Byron Bessent, proprietor of the northeast amp repair shop Tonecraft passed away at the age of 56 last Tuesday. Bessent had opened the store with his wife Merlyn. A biographical sketch written by Bessent on the Tonecraft website traces the store's history: "My wife Merlyn and I set up Tonecraft Amp Repair on March 16, 2001 and have been working at it 6 days a week ever since. We specialize in 'Doing It Right' and love The Obscure. We acquire top quality parts which are tested before sale. We install these parts with care and respect for the important part these amp play in our customer's lives."
His shop made a sizable impact on the lives of Austin musicians. Says local multi-instrumentalist Henna Chou: "He always impressed us with his skills, attitude, service, everything. He always had so many stories to tell about a piece of equipment it was amazing and he had obviously worked on hundreds of amps and pedals. I don't think there is anyone who can replace him!"
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Jon was quite a character. I had the pleasure of interviewing him for a story on Musical ER that ran in the Statesman. Here it is, if you're interested (scroll down to the second section for the bit about Bessent):
http://www.austin360.com/sxsw/content/sxsw/articles/16xlmusicaler.html
May the tone be with you, Jon.
I was a customer, and Jon was always professional, friendly, and helpful. Gave a lifetime warranty on his guitar cords and could make an amp sound better than it did off the factory floor. A true Austin original, he will be missed.
Jon's mixture of wit, wisdom, intelligence, and mojo is irreplaceable. Just a few months ago I stood next to him as he explained why my amp wasn't working with soldering iron and oscilloscope in hand. He probably saved my life years ago by fixing the ground on my 1976 Marshall.
Jon, we miss you, but your work and spirit live on.
This is such sad news. I can't believe it. Jon has done wonderful repair work for me for over 15 years. What's more, though, he was a great guy who was encouraging to me in all my musical endeavors. He was a Wise Soul, and someone I feel honored to have known all these years. I will miss him a lot.