About Carondelet

Carondelet ("kuh-RON-da-LET") is the custom pickup operation spawned in 2020 by The Fret Shack, a guitar and fretted instrument repair and upgrade workshop in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Owner Jeff Richard ("REE-shard", Cajun French) winds Carondelet pickups by hand, one at a time, using superior components and processes.

Jeff's list of Carondelet pickups users, owners and fans includes members and former members of Aerosmith, Kiss, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ozzy Osbourne, ZZ Top, Acid Bath, Awaken the Giant, Badlands, Tyron Benoit, Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown, Biohazard, Black Stone Cherry, Candlebox, Cheap Trick, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, Down, Dangerous Toys, Dorothy, En Minor, Exhorder, Everclear, Goatwhore, Godsmack, Judas Priest, King Diamond, Lenny Kravitz, Lillian Axe, Lance Lopez, Kenny Neal, Nevermore, Nile, Nine Inch Nails, Oasis, Papercut Massacre, Power Trip, Preacher Stone, Red Dragon Cartel, Revis, Silvertide, Slaughter, Slayer, Steel Panther, Stone Temple Pilots, Superjoint (Ritual), and 200 Stab Wounds;

and the backing bands for Paula Abdul, Jackson Browne, Billy Bob Thorton's Boxmasters, Mariah Carey, DMX, Celine Dion, The Chicks, Mariah Carey, Fiona, Inner Circle, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Cody Jinks, Chaka Khan, Jennifer Lopez, Demi Lovato, Maddie and Tae, Marc Martel's One Vision of Queen, Ricky Martin, Scotty McCreery, Brian McKnight, Bret Michaels, Luis Miguel, Alanis Morissette, Vince Neil, Teddy Pendergrass, Santana, Selena, Gwen Stefani, Stone Sour, 2PAC, Marty Stewart, Corey Taylor, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Tal Wilkenfeld, Wilson Phillips and Stevie Wonder.

Jeff has trained at the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix; at the Galloup School of Guitar Building and Repair in Big Rapids, Michigan; and has over 40 years experience as both a guitar player and bench technician. 

Jeff and his workshop is also an authorized warranty and service center for ESP, LTD, Takamine, Guild and Cordoba Guitars; and he is an authorized installation and service center for Bartolini, FU-Tone and Tesi.

"kuh-RON-da-LET"

Baron Francisco Luis Hector de Carondelet (1747-1807) was a Spanish noble who governed New Orleans during its Spanish colonial period from 1791 to 1797.

The initial inspiration for using his name was Carondelet Street, a major thoroughfare named in the governor's honor that extends through the "Uptown" Garden District and Central Business District before the street's name changes to Bourbon Street.

When further research unearthed this circa 1790s painting of Baron Carondelet holding a zebra PAF, we knew he was our guy.