All subjective! There are people who have "dissed" my guitar and mandolin (both luthier-made instruments). One guy who dissed my guitar really liked the mandolin. Another says its the best guitar he's played.

Don't take too much notice Nicole if he does a reasonable job even if he is one of those prima donna types. You know you like it and value it and that's what matters.

When I was doing instrument repair full-time I learnt very early on that even the scruffiest beaten-up instrument can be someone's pride and joy and tried to treat both it and them with due respect. Even when telling them that a repair might be a tad expensive, people would often rather pay the money for the emotional value they had invested in the instrument. I even took great pride myself in doing "undoable" repairs on instruments rescued from the refuse tip (a great way to learn for any aspiring repairman or luthier by the way!) and occasionally got an bigger buzz for selling them for a reasonable price to a satisfied customer!

All the best

moo