About Fat Cat Guitars

Location:

2271 Randall Road
Carpentersville, IL 60110 (between Elgin and Algonquin)
(corner of Randall & Miller roads, just across the street from Menard's. Enter on Miller Road )

Phone: 847-844-8844

Hours:

Monday through Friday, 1 pm to 8 pm

Saturday & Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm

What's Going On Here?

At Fat Cat Guitars, we're in the business of creating, supporting, and inspiring guitar players. Our goal is to help players of all shapes, sizes, and levels get the most enjoyment and satisfaction possible out the guitar. We don't just want to sell you an object and wave goodbye -- we want to be part of your evolution as a player, and we do this by offering a variety of resources including retail sales, education, repairs, and customization. We work hard to earn the trust and confidence of our customers. And to help them look really, really cool.

As a locally owned and operated business, we believe that it's important to support the community that supports us. That's why we've given to The Boys & Girls Club of Elgin, Assisi Animal Foundation of McHenry County, the Community Crisis Center of Elgin, the Chicago chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and many more, as well as various guitar clubs and school music causes throughout the region. We also enjoy doing business with local, independently owned and operated businesses like ours!

Who Are We?

Fat Cat Guitars is first and foremost a thriving and diverse community of talented musicians, instructors, technicians, students, players, enthusiasts, and friends. It began in 2004 as the brainchild of Elgin couple Scott Bond and Kate Darling Bond.

Scott is a former major label recording artist (with his band Icos, formerly on Slipdisc/Mercury Records) who has toured the country and recorded at Abbey Road in London , the world famous studio where The Beatles' Abbey Road and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon were created. He has a wealth of experience in repairing and building guitars. Scott is also the former repair and inspection manager for Westheimer Corporation, which is the U.S. distributor for Cort stringed instruments. Scott is Fat Cat's custom builder, repair ninja and resident guitar whisperer. His Fat Cat Custom guitars are cropping up more and more often on stages in the Chicagoland area and beyond. His band Aeth3r brings the rock. You can reach him at scott (at) fatcatguitars dot com.

Kate worked in the concert promotion and radio industries for a long time. This experience taught her many things, but mostly that rock stars are actually really short in person. Kate handles all advertising, marketing, promotion, and general business hoo ha. You can reach her at kate (at) fatcatguitars dot com.

What do people say about Fat Cat Guitars?

"We love it at Fat Cat Guitars and would never go anywhere else. My daughter has purchased three guitars there." -- Elizabeth Barczynski

"I am truly impressed with your outstanding craftsmanship. The finish, fret work, and setup are perfect. The guitar sounds and plays great. It is a pleasure doing business with someone who is honest, takes pride in their work, and strives to meet the customer's needs." -- Dave Weiner

"Thanks for the gift of music that I received taking lessons from your shop. Tonight I got to play a request. Bedtime song for my little girl. She may be the smallest audience, but she is the most valuable to me." -- Mary Schmitt

You can also check us out on Yelp!

Who Did All This Insane Art?

The Fat Cat himself, the store logo, and other trade dress were designed by underground artist and real cool cat Stu Helm. Stu has done many original drawings and artwork for the store and is a great friend. You can view more of his work at cheesygraphics.com. (NSFW!)

The super-sexy custom guitar photography and Fat Cat Crest were designed by our friend Stephen Jensen at F3 Studios. Stephen is a noted rock & roll photographer, graphic artist, and guitar designer, and his site is filled with awesome eye candy.

FatCatGuitars.com is designed by rockstar Mike Rende. You can reach Mike via sitebymike.com.