Lollar Pickups moving guitar part manufacturing business to Tacoma

A company that makes specialized parts for electric guitars is relocating to downtown Tacoma, bringing 15 employees with plans to hire several more.

For the past several months, Jason Lollar and Stephanie Lollar have been overseeing the rehabilitation of a 102-year-old building on A Street just off South 24th.

After 15 years working on Vashon Island, the business partners soon will quadruple their space and be a 10-minute walk from the Tacoma Dome and all the guitar technicians and players who perform there. The Lollars believe that proximity will make it easier to work with professional musicians.

You cant get a tour bus on the ferry boat, said Stephanie Lollar, the companys financial officer and business manager.

Lollar Pickups plans to move in to its new headquarters at 2312 A St. in May. The company is driven by the creative ideas and design of Jason Lollar, who started the business in the garage shop on Vashon after tinkering for years on his own guitars.

The relocation of this homegrown specialty manufacturer is the latest feather in downtowns cap, in addition to major employer State Farm insurance, a new YMCA on the University of Washington Tacoma campus, and the Tacoma Art Museums new wing.

First, some definitions: A pickup is a key part of an electric guitar that affects the sound. Pickups are located under the strings, between the bridge and the neck. They capture, or pick up, string vibrations and convert them into an electronic signal that is sent to the amplifier.

Car lovers rebuild engines for fun. Guitar players tinker the same way.

In pickups, hearing is believing, said Steve Bild, an electric guitar specialist at Ted Brown Music Co. in Tacoma. Its like different flavors of vanilla ice cream. Which one is better?

Players are particular.

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Lollar Pickups moving guitar part manufacturing business to Tacoma