For everyone needing service after I have left the state, I encourage you to build a relationship with either of the following three guitar techs and luthiers I have had the pleasure and honor of developing relationships with:

West Guitarworks in San Diego, CA. Danny West is a graduate of the Roberto-Venn School of Lutherie and has worked in both high end factories and repair shops full time ever since. He takes tremendous pride in his work, has a passion for his community, and I would trust him completely to serve every one of my client’s needs as well as servicing my own instruments if I weren’t doing this work for a living. Find out more about him at www.westguitarworks.com

Boulevard Music in Culver City, CA. Doug Graham is an expert luthier and guitar repairman serving the LA region with his many years of woodworking experience. His shop is a certified Martin and Fender warranty service center. He does excellent work, and like Danny, I trust him to handle my current client’s future repair needs after I have closed the shop and moved to Pennsylvania. Find him here at www.boulevardmusic.com/repairs

13th Street Guitars in Huntington Beach, CA. Hugh Thomas runs a busy guitar repair shop operating the only other Plek Station in Southern California besides the one here at my shop. He runs his operation very well and is completely equipped with the knowledge and expertise to provide excellent fret work and other repair services for the Orange County region. Find out more about his shop here at www.13thstreetguitars.com

If your musical instrument has frets and strings, I am absolutely qualified to work on it. Even some instruments without frets! Whether you have a bass, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, even a sitar, oud, or other kind of world instrument, I’ve worked on them all and can definitely help you get the most out of your instrument.

No. We do not operate as a retail establishment, as all of our inventory is dedicated to use on instrument repairs. You should hit up Beaumont Music Centre or Harvard Street Music Exchange to buy your strings, picks, straps, and other accessories. Don’t forget to check out their selection of instruments too!

A guitar setup performed by me is not just a matter of making a few tweaks to achieve some cookie cutter specification. I take the time with every client upon initial evaluation to understand their unique style of playing, the specific issues they’re dealing with, the manner in which they grip with their fretting hand and pick with their other hand, and a number of other very specific factors. With this information, I’ll carefully customize every aspect of the guitar’s playability order to achieve a fully personalized, completely unique setup that’s designed with the individual client in mind.

Once the work is done and the client comes to pick up their guitar, I make sure they take the time to play the instrument before they leave my shop to ensure that they are getting out of the guitar what they hoped they would, making adjustments if necessary. This process is all about communication and developing a well rounded understanding of each client as a fully realized musician. Then, after the client is satisfied, I record all the measurements of the final setup so that next time they bring their guitar into my shop, they receive the exact same customized setup for their guitar that they already know they love. Try getting THAT from GC!

I am only able to accept repair work and provide estimates for jobs on an appointment only basis. This is to ensure that I am able to dedicate my full attention and the time necessary to my clients and their instruments to satisfy my commitment to providing the highest level of customer service and workmanship possible. 

In Hemet, California off the Ramona Expressway at the foothills of the beautiful San Jacinto Mountains. Please contact us and set up an appointment to receive our physical address.

Unfortunately, I can only give you a written estimate that I can commit to after looking over the guitar thoroughly in person. For prices of some of my standard services, please refer to the “Prices & Policies” page on this website. Sometimes I can give you a ballpark over the phone for certain services (photos help in this circumstance) but any guesstimates given over the phone are subject to change upon evaluation in person. For extensive repairs and restorations, there are just too many things to look over and account for to give any estimates without getting the instrument in my hands first.

It is ABSOLUTELY worth it. It’s probably the best bang for your buck you can get for improving your relationship to an otherwise unplayable instrument. Barring any major structural/design/fretwork issues, ANY guitars playability can be improved by having a few maintenance issues addressed in the course of a setup.

Yes, but it depends on the work that I’d be doing on it. Due to the highly personalized nature of guitar setups, I cannot accept ship-ins of guitars that are in otherwise good condition and only need a few playability tweaks. However, if your guitar has some structural issues that need to be addressed, or if it needs extensive fretwork, I can definitely accept guitars that get shipped in as well as ensuring that guitars are packaged back up safely and shipped back to you. Additional shipping charges will apply. Please follow this link for a good step by step tutorial on the safest and most effective way to package your guitar for shipping.