Max Stavron has been in the music and guitar business for over 30 years... Max has been a guitar tech, guitar builder, collector, trader, and aficionado of all things guitar for all of that time and more... especially the Les Paul guitar. "My very first good electric guitar was a brand new Gibson Les Paul Standard in that traditional cherry burst that I bought with the money I had saved from odd jobs as a kid... it was a brand new '75 Model. I saw Jimmy Page playing one and I just had to have one too!", remembers Max. "I plugged that thing into a big loud Marshall amp, pounded out one big power chord... and I was hooked". Its been a love affair ever since. In 1983 Max met Tom when a good friend recommended that Tom work on Max's guitars. "If Tom was good enough to work on Les Paul's guitars, then he's good enough for me!", Max said.

Max Stavron went to see Tom in his shop in Northern New Jersey and the two quickly became friendly way back in the early 80's. Tom got a kick out of Max's enthusiasm about Les Paul and offered to introduce him to Les Paul personally. Most young guys at that time didn't think much about Les Paul... or seem to care one way or the other. Most young six-stringers were playing "pointy" guitars at that time... and Les Paul was not really on anybody's radar in the early 80's. Les had been "retired" for quite a long time, and had just started playing out again at this little hole-in-the-wall called Fat Tuesdays on Monday nights. Well, Max just had to see this for himself... so Tom invited Max to come early to one of the early shows and watch sound check, hang out, and get a good seat right up front. "I sat right next to Les, right up in front... I was three feet away, and I loved it." says Max. "I went to 3 or 4 shows and then when I went to Tom's shop he invited me to go up to Les Paul's house" - Max jumped at the chance to go see one of his idols at his house!