Mask required
Yes
Ann Arbor Guitars in Ann Arbor
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Location on the map
Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Michigan, US
Health and safety
Staff wear masks
Yes
Staff get temperature checks
Yes
Staff required to disinfect surfaces between visits
Yes
Planning
Appointment required
Yes
Phone: +1 734-332-6142
Site: http://www.annarborguitars.com/
Site: http://www.annarborguitars.com/
Opening hours
- Monday:10AM–4PM
- Tuesday:Closed
- Wednesday:10AM–4PM
- Thursday:Closed
- Friday:10AM–4PM
- Saturday:Closed
- Sunday:Closed
Comments (96)
Ann Arbor Guitars do the best repair work and setups Ive experienced in over 25 years of playing, and do them incredibly quickly! Ive referred a number of my friends to AAG, and every one has the same great things to say, and in each case, their expectations were exceeded.Today I picked up a very unique guitar, one that was already excellent, from a standard setup service. Its now one of the best playing and sounding acoustics Ive ever laid hands on.Do yourself a favor if youre in the area; give David and Hesh a call. You will not regret it.
David setup my Martin M-36 and brought this baby to life! Quick turnaround, I’m thrilled! These are good people. He’s got my 28 now.
How dare they? I’m extremely outraged. A few years ago, all I wanted was to restore an old Kalamazoo archtop. The guys here had the audacity to transform that guitar from barely a playable hunk of wood into a tone slinging, angel singing, face splitting, existential crisis causing, soul melting, work of art. I couldn’t believe it.In all seriousness, there is a reason why I brought my 5th instrument through their doors yesterday morning. I can handle most small adjustments to my guitars myself, but sometimes I run into some problems that really deserve the expert attention that I’ve only found at Ann Arbor Guitars. Acoustics, electric basses, and now my electric guitar, they can handle it all: even folk/other stringed instruments, if that’s your jam. Pickup installation, setups, crack repairs: you name it, they can probably do what you want with it! Like I mentioned before, I had salvaged an old and roughed up Kalamazoo KG-21 archtop. When I say roughed up, I mean “lovable-only-by-its-mother-and-probably-Jesus” sort of roughed up. When I got it back, I was impressed at all the work they put into bringing that guitar back up to playing speed without making it lose its history. They earned my trust. Since then I’ve brought back a couple of recording king acoustics, a MIJ/franken-fender Jazz Bass, and yesterday a MIM strat, not to mention guitars I’ve brought in for friends looking for setups/etc. They’re all okay-decent in their own right, especially for the low cost I obtained them at. Using some sort of witchcraft, Ann Arbor Guitars converted them into guitars that sound WAY out of their price bracket. I’m always stunned at the results and always assured that other players’ super expensive gear doesn’t necessarily translate into the best sound, feeling, or overall playing experience.The guys here are also extremely efficient in their work. Not only do you get top notch quality attention that your baby deserves, but you’ll get it back as fast as possible, often same day. Guitar Center and other big chains may be able to accomplish this too, but at nowhere near the quality level of Ann Arbor Guitars. Sure, other places might be a little cheaper too, but after my experiences with GC techs, the only people I think would trust them are probably also people who’ve given Ann Arbor Guitars a 1 star rating without even visiting them. HA! Look, a joke, I can make one too. But I digress, the pricing at Ann Arbor Guitars is completely fair, but they definitely do as much as they can to reduce costs for the customer without cutting corners. For example, yesterday my strat needed some bridge work and since I was already getting a setup, the strings were coming off anyway so we could shave a couple bucks off the final cost of labor. Which leads me into my final point.The guys at Ann Arbor guitars are absolutely fantastic. They are super nice, knowledgeable, and overall good dudes. They are super attentive to your needs, and won’t just slop some work down on your guitar and call it good, like those GC guys. Completely professional in the workplace, but not in a guitar-neck-up-their-butt kind of way. Whenever I go in to drop off or pick something up, I always chat with them, fascinated by the wealth of knowledge that have to offer about their craft. Regardless of your political views and regardless of their political views (because, yes, they can have them too) if you are looking to improve or repair your instruments, you won’t find a better place. Come here and let their work speak for itself. As long as my hands can play, I’ll be bringing my guitars to Ann Arbor Guitars.
Great work on several repairs over the years. Installed pickup in acoustic flat top, new bone nut and saddle on flat top, neck reset on flat top, adjusted cones in round neck resonator for more volume; always with final setup. Top notch!
Hesh and David did grade A work replacing the well-worn frets on my 79 Strat, which was long overdue. The neck was redressed along with the frets, and the truss rod and intonation were set up just right, plus an additional spring was added to the tremolo block to assist with stability. Plays at least as well as when I first purchased it at Nallis Annex back in 80. Like buttah.
Called them to see if they could do some touch up repairs on my guitar. Dude said would not touch it. Told me good luck with that and he had to go. They were no help whatsoever. I would never recommend this unprofessional place to anyone.
Brought in a very cheap Epiphone Les Paul for a setup after buying it new. Out of the box it had intonation issues, buzzing, all kinds of problems. After Daves setup those problems are now gone and it sounds like a guitar worth hundreds more. Couldnt be more pleased with the quality of the setup. Will definitely return for any repairs or adjustments in the future.
These guys are great! I’ve had them work on multiple guitars over the years, including a refret on my vintage Martin D28 which plays beautifully now. Thanks, David and Hesh!!
Bought a new bass from guitar center for $700. Action was a little goofy making it hard to play and couldnt get a consistent tuning down the fret board. In almost no time these guys got my bass sounding beautiful and much easier to play. Friendly and excellent service.
Extremely knowledgeable and friendly; absolutely top-notch at their craft. They did a re-fret job that turned a pretty good vintage guitar that I’ve had for a long time into a superb sounding instrument of the likes I never thought I would own. I can’t recommend Ann Arbor Guitars highly enough.
First time using Ann Arbor Guitars for a professional setup of my Les Paul. Also getting a Grover locking tuners upgrade. Came highly recommended by my guitar instructor. Cant wait to get my Les Paul back in perfect playing condition.
These guys know their stuff. Hesh is super friendly and good at what he does. I bought a used electric guitar a while back and never had it set up, and when I took it in on Wednesday he had it done by Friday, had cleaned it, taken really good care of it and made it look super good too. It feels absurdly nicer to play now, and Id absolutely recommend anyone in the Ann Arbor area to take their instrument to Ann Arbor Guitars.
This is an exceptional guitar repair/restoration shop. I brought in a new handmade acoustic guitar to have the action set. Hesh looked it over and said that it needed a standard set up. A couple of hours later he called and said it was ready. He explained all the work that was done i.e. slight neck reset, fret cleaning, nut adjustment and saddle adjustment plus a general cleaning all at a very reasonable price. He made sure I was satisfied with the guitar before I left.When I played it, I noticed the difference immediately. It was much easier to play and the sound was better. They beat my expectations in every way. Excellent customer service along with expert work and care. This is a world class repair shop that I will recommend to others and use myself again. Thanks guys!!
A2 guitars is a first rate operation. Dave is a master builder/luthier and a great repairman. He has done work for me as a multi-instrumentalist for over 10 years. I always feel good about taking guitars, basses and banjos to him. I think he even made pickups for my Uke Lin one time. He’s a talented guy. Look no further for any stringed instrument repairs or luthier work. Plan ahead because they’re in demand!
Friendly, knowledgeable, and really skilled....what more could you ask for? Brought in my 20 year old hummingbird and had to pleasure of meeting both gentleman that work there. I was only in there for a setup, but they spent a lot of time with me, making sure they knew what I wanted. I picked it up the next day and I can honestly say I was really impressed with the work. Having had that guitar set up a number of times over the years (at other places), sometimes it feels like you are just paying someone to change your strings and clean up the frets. In this case, Hesh really dialed in intonation and the action. Such a great feeling to pick up an instrument and rediscover why you love it so much. Hesh took the time to watch me play and make sure everything was perfect.That these two are so friendly and thoughtful just adds to the fact they are also very skilled at what they do. Highly recommend
They did an absolutely great set up on my Kentucky KM-700 mandolin! Sounds and plays like a different mandolin now. Highly recommended.
I have used the folks here for several guitar related services. Their set ups are incredibly quick (same day if you get there early enough. Amazing after I waited 10 days elsewhere) and they did it perfectly for a novice such as myself who had no clue what he wanted.I recently had the pickups replaced on two of my guitars and despite it being the busiest stretch theyve had I *still* got them back with perfectly done work in less than 4 days. This was despite a difficult to work on 335 being one of the guitars. The mix of quality and speed is something that is unmatched in the industry from my experience.Also, while not related directly to their guitar work, Dave and Hesh are just such nice individuals and deserve all the business. I just got an SG thats a real piece of work and plan on going there again (And a second time when the headstock inevitably breaks). I cannot overstate how much I recommend Ann Arbor Guitars.I notice the reviews get responded to so Ill just ask this here, do you guys prefer to get called ahead of time before bringing a guitar in or is it fine to just show up?
Just sat down to play my banjo... Its been a couple of years since I brought it to Ann Arbor Guitars for a set-up, and it still plays so well I decided to write this. This banjo isnt particularly expensive but it plays the best now of any others Ive picked up. The action is not too high or low across the whole fretboard and the intonation is still spot on. In fact, heres a testament to their work: I left this banjo hanging on an exterior-facing wall in Michigan while I lived away for 6 months, when I got back, I grabbed it off the wall and it was still in tune. I dont know a ton, maybe I cant fairly attribute that to a professional set-up, but either way, it sure plays nice. Worth every penny. Thanks guys.
I brought my ‘92 Gibson Earl Scruggs Standard banjo in for tune-up / set-up the other day. Wow!! What a difference. Dave examined the instrument and explained how he was going to adjust the truss rod, angle the tail piece, tighten the head / hooks, replaced the strings with a lighter gage and check the action. I’ve gotta say, it’s like playing a brand new instrument. The action has never been better. It sounds so clean and crisp. Dave and the team at Ann Arbor Guitars really know their craft. I wish I had done it sooner. Great turnaround time and reasonable cost. I plan on bringing it in more regularly to keep it in this condition. Thanks Dave!!Mark Hardy
Took my guitars here for years for repairs until today. Total jerk on the phone essentially turned away my business for asking about a wrench size, then tells me their minimum is a setup while I was literally about to drive up there and bring them a guitar to completely gut the electronics. Just lost a $100+ job easily, and a loyal customer who owns 6-12 guitars at any given time & used to spread the good word about their business. Take your guitars somewhere else. That’s what they tell their customers on the phone anyway...
One of my best customer experiences. The people were super friendly, knowledgeable and great with guitars!I brought in my guitar because it has had problems with its bridge /fret for a while. Ive gone to other guitar places, but they seem to overcharge me and shortly after the problem persists. Not only did the staff diagnose the problem, but they taught me about the mechanics of the guitar and ways to better take care of it. This cost me less than $40 and they offered to restring and retune the guitar for no cost. Im happy to know that this place is near me just in case anything else happens in the future.Also, its a small business and the owners treat the employees very well. Each person is passionate about guitars. Those are really important things to me. Im happy to support this establishment.
Great place to bring your guitar-with-issues. This is a small but mighty shop. I had my beloved 1998 Taylor 710ce repaired here a few months ago, and I found both Dave and Hesh to be patient with my many laymans questions, professional in their communications, and even friendly in their manner toward me.Most importantly, my guitar was restored to its former glory at a very reasonable price. Kudos to you both, and good luck in Herbs old attic...
Did a great setup of my tele with a quick turnaround. Definitely bringing my other guitar in the near future!
Wonderful experience working with true professionals. They do exceptional set-up and craftsmanship. Do not be put off by their refusing some work over email, they are trying to avoid doing a sub-satisfactory work on jobs they cannot guarantee! I love what they did with 2 of my guitars and I would take back more!
The guys at Ann Arbor are the very best at their craft. They guarantee their work and what they do is substantial. I wouldnt take them a guitar made of poor materials their work would be lost on it. It doesnt matter the brand, if it is a good base instrument, they will make it a player. Perfect place for serious musicians. If you are a novice musician starting out, make sure you get a good instrument to learn on. Have it checked out by these guys. They will tell you if it is junk or not. What a great resource!
David and Hesch did a stellar job performing a refret and fretboard leveling job on my treasured vintage Gibson flat top, forestalling the need for a neck reset for many years in the future. The guitar plays and sounds great. The work was done quickly and for a fair price, exactly as stated in the quote. This shop exhibits expertise and integrity. Highly recommended.
Dave has been doing this for a long time, has impeccable training and know-how. I dont think twice to take him any of my instruments. A2 is blessed to have him!
Took my Strat to Ann Arbor Guitars back in 2018 to have a new neck installed and a setup done. But I was told sorry but we dont want to do the work because its an after-market neck and not made by Fender (the neck was licensed by Fender).Then to make matters worse (and just like the other one-star review noted) Hesh acted like a total jerk. He wanted me to listen to some story about another guitar repair job that didnt go well because it used after-market parts. I guess he thought telling me stories would justify the denial of service. So in the middle of his story I interrupted him and said look, I get it. You dont want to help me out and dont want to work on my guitar, so thanks anyway. He then got rude and told me to leave.Dave was on the phone as I was putting my guitar back into the case and as I was just about to leave, David got off the phone. I had been a long time customer of Daves so I told him Im sorry we couldnt do business and by the way, your partner just told me to get out. Hesh then got all irate and started to swear and insult me. So I said nothing more, took my guitar and left.I decided to not post a review about the incident at the time because I was in shock about the way I was treated and just wanted to move on and forget about it. Fast-forward to today - I was considering having one of my guitars re-fretted and as I was searching online and reading reviews, I came across the review about Hesh Breakstone. Of course it brought back bad memories. So I decided to finally post a review and let others know what kind of person owns Ann Arbor Guitars.
Bought a brand new acoustic guitar from a box store that sounds amazing unplugged but awful when amplified. Dave diagnosed the problem, gave insightful recommendations, and fixed the issue promptly. Courteous and knowledgeable, Dave truly understood my needs. Now have my dream guitar.
This was my first visit to Ann Arbor Guitars. I have a 33 year old Alvarez Yairi that was in need of some fret work. Hesh was very helpful, and very knowledgeable. They replaced all of the frets, installed a lyric microphone, and did a complete setup. The guitar plays better than it did I when it was new. If you love your instrument, and it needs something fixed, these guys really know their stuff! Thanks Guys!
I brought my Epiphone 339 in for a setup, and they did an amazing job. I had serious intonation problems, which are completely resolved, and the action feels great. Both guys were very nice, easy to talk to, and happy to answer any questions I had. I cant imagine taking my guitars anywhere else in this area.
Ann Arbor Guitars worked on two of my guitars, a Heritage Sweet 16 archtop and Breedlove acoustic. they both play better than ever. great service, fair prices and both Hesh and David were very personable. Very grateful to have these craftsmen in the area
Took my PRS SE ZM in to replace the stock pickups with SD Seth Lovers, and for a proper set up. The set up is perfect, and the pickups sound great. Ann Arbor Guitars work is second to none! Highly recommend these guys.
Ive had several guitar set-ups across the southeast Michigan area, but Ive never had anything that comes close to the job done at Ann Arbor Guitars. I brought in a tele that needed the work badly, and the next day I had it back--in perfect shape. Super friendly, knowledgeable staff and an unbeatable service. Theyve got my business as long as I live here. Ive been playing this tele all day.
I took a two day course on fretting and guitar setup from Dave and Hesh and rank everything about dealing with them as excellent. Their knowledge and professionalism is first rate and they continue to assist with answering questions well after completion of the course. They also share their extensive knowledge of guitar setup and repair on public forums for many others to benefit from.
Dave and Hesh are obviously highly skilled luthiers--reading through any of the other reviews or taking a look at their website will quickly tell you that. What sets them apart beyond their skill is their genuine investment in the instruments. Dave and Hesh are far more concerned with doing their best work than making a quick buck. They truly care about the instruments--which is sadly uncommon amongst many guitar shops.Dave and Hesh were completely transparent with me about the necessary repairs to my vintage Gibson, and they went the extra mile at several steps along the way in order to complete the project to the highest standards. The guitar, to no surprise, plays and sounds better than it ever has since Ive owned it. I will definitely take any of my future guitar issues to these guys.
Took a new Martin 000-17sm in today for a set up. Guitar was purchased from Elderly Instruments in Lansing and the set up was pretty close to perfect according the guys as Ann Arbor Guitars. I asked if there was anything they could do to make it just a little bit better and they were happy to take a look. They made some adjustments at the nut and saddle to drop the action a little and changed the strings to a different brand (it needed new strings anyway) and a little lighter gauge. My guitar was done in less than 90 minutes and feels great. The difference is noticeable. The cost was fair and the service top notch. Thanks Again!!!
I called and had them set up my banjo and also add some railroads. It took them less than 24 hours and my banjo honestly plays and sounds better now than the day I bought it.I may have to bump this down to 4 stars because by tomorrow Ill probably have to call into work as I cant stop playing this thing and its likely to distract me too much from my work, friends and family. I couldnt be happier with the results and would highly recommend this place to anyone whos looking to get their instruments sounding like (or better) than new again.The staff is very kind and very professional and I couldnt thank them enough!
I called with a buzzing OM-28 and Dave immediately diagnosed my issue over the phone. He told me to swing by and he fixed my issue for free in minutes. Not that people should expect free service or anything but I was truly grateful that he knew that it was an easy fix and was willing to save my day for me. He is a pro and a nice dude. Highly recommend if you want things done the right way.
The best guitar repair shop in the world! These guys are the best there is. Ann Arbor Guitars is the only place I trust with my guitars. I drive from Florida to have my guitars worked on here! GO TO ANN ARBOR GUITARS FOR ALL YOUR GUITAR REPAIR NEEDS!!!
Will be returning for any mods/repairs done in the future. It doesnt seem like a business, but more of a passion for guitar work, which is wonderful. They do great work and would recommend them to anyone.
Ann arbor guitars has been generously sharing their vast knowledge of instrument repair to myself and others in the larger professional Lutherie community for years. They represent the state of the art, both technically and in customer relations. There simply is no more skilled and trustworthy guitar repair available.Thanks for the help over the years guys!
Just took my G&L ASAT in for a setup, minor fret work and replacement of the jack. They did the work in one day, and the guitar is playing awesome. The shop is on the top floor of the old Herb David guitar studio. Just go in the front door of the building, hang an immediate left and go immediately upstairs. Everyone is friendly and knowledgable.Once I handed my guitar over, they plugged it in, did a quick check and gave me an estimate, which was spot on. Thanks guys!
Simply the best in the area, true craftsman and professional service. Ive taken both my vintage basses in for fret work with great results, the playability and neck feel is greatly improved, a night and day difference....I wont take my instruments anywhere else.
Love Ann Arbor Guitars! Dave and Hesh do fantastic work. Just picked up my Strat from them this week and Dave turned it into an absolute tank. Thanks for all you do!
** WARNING !! ** Ann Arbor Guitars are very rude and inconsiderate to customers. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE. Here is what happened. I called them asking about a < neck reset > on an old Epiphone guitar. Some rude guy named Hesh answered the phone andtells me theyre too busy to do neck sets, and he refers me to Elderly Instruments. I mentioned to him that I had a bad experience with Elderly in the past. A few days later I called again...asking if they could check my Martin for loose top braces--since they are a Martin Repair Center. The same guy, Hesh, asks me if I was the guy who called a few days earlier who said I did not like Elderly. I answered yes, and he says...Were friends with Elderly...so if you dont like them, you wont like us....go someplace else. I said, OK...fine. And that was the end of the conversation.This guy never bothered to ask me what my issue was with Elderly---which had nothing to do with the quality of their repair work--which is excellent. **THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR BEING RUDE & INCONSIDERATE TO CUSTOMERS.** My friends and I did lots of business with Herb David Guitar Studio over the years...long before he retired after 50 years and before Ann Arbor Guitars setup shop in his building on E. Liberty St. Herb was always happy to see us, was thankful for our business, and treated us with respect & dignity. There are other very good repair people and Martin Certified Repair Centers located in Michigan. NEVER WILL I COME TO YOUR SHOP, RECOMMEND YOU, OR DO BUSINESS WITH ANN ARBOR GUITARS !! Have a nice day !
Excellent service! Dave really knows his guitars!
Fantastic place to have your instrument repaired or set up. Ive used Dave and Heshs services on many occasions over the years. You dont need to look further.
David and Hesh are among the most professional guitar guys I have ever worked with. Talented, unmatched customer service and a healthy dose of humor makes visiting their shop a joy!
Brought my Music Man guitar in to get the frets dressed, action lowered with .008 set of strings, nut slots cut deeper so the height is like having a zeroth fret, intonated… Wow what a job, if you are a shredder this is the place to go, this guitar is in tune everywhere and the way they dressed the ends of the frets you can really fly on this thing what a joy! I have only had one other guitar come out like like this many years ago at Pyramid guitars and never thought I could find this kind of qualified luthiers again! I can only say wow, you need to bring your guitars here if you want perfection in your Axe!
They have done a fret work,reset necks done all manner of setup on acoustic and electric and resonaters for me all played great when they were done. All done with world class workmanship and in a timely manner. Highly skilled craftsmen, world class results, fair price.
I have spoken to this owner and know it for a fact that they are incredibly knowledgeable about guitars and guitar repairs. I’m surprised to see the deluge of negative reviews that have started to come up from Trump supporting more ons. This place is top notch and I’d give them my expensive guitars and fretless basses for repair any day.
Absolutely fabulous work. I will never step foot in a guitar center again when it comes to guitar work. Made my guitar feel and play like a dream. He also stayed after close 25 minutes because I was running late. Greatly appreciated.
I have 1967 Norma guitar. He changed my bridge, did a fret dress, adjusted the neck, fixed the intonation problems and cleaned the electronics. It didnt sound this good when it was new!!! I love the sound now!
Every time I go in with a problem or a question they take the time to not only help me fix it, but explain what they are doing and why they are doing it. This, combined with excellent results, makes this one of the best guitar stores around.
David and Hesh are two of the very best Guitar Luthiers out there, light years ahead of most. Trust them with your fine instruments. You wont regret it!
Just had my new fender precision in for a set up and new set of LA Bella deep talking bass strings. WOW! And I thought I loved this bass right out of the box. Thanks guys I love it even more now, not too much work gonna get done this weekend, just a lot of pickin and grinnin
Top notch service from Ann Arbor guitars. Very knowledgeable guitar techs and very quick turnaround for my telecaster set up.
Ive had them repair a broken acoustic guitar, set up a bass, and even helped me out with a new ukulele I bought for free. I hope they stick around for a while because having a business like this in town is HUGE.
Wicked smart guys. David treated my not-so-expensive mandolin with the utmost care. Excellent service, very considerate.
Delightful to deal with. Have also learned a TON over many years of their contribution to the guitar world. They have been very willing to give of their time and knowledge!! Many Thanks RW
Dave and Hesh did a fantastic job on my les Paul custom. They are very skilled at thier job. Highly recommend A+
Amazing professional service and expertise. Only negative is the narrow stairs up to where the magic happens.
Theres guitar hacks and guitar brain surgeons, those folks are the real deal. Highly recommended if you have an instrument that needs some love, they really know their stuff.
Not easy to find this level of service and knowledge. Highly recommend taking your guitar to these guys if you want it done right!
These guys are experts - experienced craftsmen. In addition, turn around time for a set up is quick; generally, a day or two.
Lots of knowledge. Helpful in laying out necessary repairs, cost, etc up front.In case applicable: No wheelchair access as it is located upstairs.
Did a full restoration on one of my oldest guitars and got it playing just like new!
Extremely friendly and fast, and my guitar sounds better than ever.
Political suicide by these geniuses! Wouldnt buy a guitar string from this dump! Really bad customer service and management needs to be schooled on etiquette!
They always do exceptional work. Professional, expertly knowledgeable, and courteous.
Wont spend another penny here. TRUMP HATER! ANN ARBOR GUITARS... LEARN to keep your political views private.
They are not only a repair shop for guitars, they are also craftsman and take their job seriously.
Two of the most helpful luthiers ever! They care about what they do.
Best guitar shop Ive been to. A+ service
Super place to take your most valuable guitar.
Most knowledgeable and competent repair people I know
Thank you, Dave. I appreciate what you do.👍👍
Very helpful. Definitely the place to call.
They are overpriced and very rude. Bad people bad customers.
These guys are luthier Jedi.Thank you!!
Phenomenal service and turnaround.
Insulting your customers is bad business.
Busy but great
None better.
Very helpful!
Total reviews rating 4.6
96 Reviews for Ann Arbor Guitars 2023:
Review №1
2022-05-11Im won over.Have you noticed how hard it is to get just about everything right now? Theres a good chance if you want something its either sold out or you need to go on a waiting list. Talented and well known techs/luthiers of SE Michigan (e.g. Tom Pellerito, Mike Koontz) are booked solid and youd be lucky to even get them on the phone. Kind of a bummer if all you need is something relatively minor. Who wants to wait three months for a setup?I brought them a beautiful but problematic second hand Jazzmaster after asking around on the internet for luthiers with offset experience. I couldnt be happier that I did!The neck pitch is right, break angle over the saddles is good, nut is slotted perfectly. Its not rattling or buzzing or sounding dead on the upper frets and the strings are no longer jumping out of the saddles. Ive never pulled a new offset off the rack that played and sounded this good.What Dave and co. are doing at Ann Arbor Guitars is a service to the community. Limiting big projects in favor of pro setups lets them be laser focused and have fast turnaround times. Having high level luthiers be available to do this kind of work is immensely valuable. An expert setup really makes or breaks a guitar.I met Dave at the shop and he was friendly and a pleasure to talk to. Extremely knowledgeable without being condescending or in-your-face. I feel like I could have sat and talked for a long time if I wasnt trying to be respectful of his time.Lastly and most importantly, they have a dog. I got to pet her. Five stars.
Review №2
2022-05-12After having been burnt at a different shop, I can happily say I full endorse Ann Arbor Guitars.Even before the work was performed I felt very comfortable as the experience and professionalism of this shop is immediately apparent.My guitar finally sounds how it is supposed to and plays very comfortably. The pricing was fair and what I expected for this type of work.
Review №3
2022-07-29Ann Arbor Guitars is an absolutely wonderful place!I have been wanting to review this place for awhile because Dave has been so helpful in the past, but up until now I hadn’t actually become a customer since my only interactions with him had been over the phone, where he was so helpful that I didn’t even need to come in!I bought a brand new Telecaster (Fender Player), and normally I do my own VERY basic setups, but I was having issues with the nut right out of the box. I tend to leave this type of work to the pros who have the right tools and expertise, I’m more of a “set neck relief, intonate, set action” type of guy, who more or less hacks it.Within 10 seconds after pulling out my guitar Dave had already identified the problem before I could explain it! He knew right away that my E string was probably buzzing around the 5th fret, which was exactly the problem I was having. I asked about the neck relief (since I did do that part and was curious), he did say that it was really close, but I actually did have little bit too much relief, so it was nice to get feedback on that, which will definitely help me in the future.Dave is one of those guys who you know you can trust right away. It’s very obvious that his keen eye has looked over many thousands of guitars. More than that, Dave is just a pleasant person to deal with. He took his time with me, we shot the breeze for a few minutes, and at no moment did I ever feel rushed or uncomfortable.Turnaround was super fast. Dave was also very accommodating after the transaction. I thought I was having a problem, gave him a call, and he was very professional, giving me plenty of time slots where I could have come in, even that day to do some final tweaks to match my play style, however after a quick lesson it turned out that it was a technique issue, not a guitar issue (I’m brand new to guitar, been playing bass for years). Furthermore, Dave knew who I was when I called, which is always nice.The guitar feels great!
Review №4
2022-08-06For a first time I took my PRS to get setup by a professional and WOW this guitar has never played and sounded better! I thought I had a nice guitar and figured that having to mess with the tuning here and there was normal. Nope, not normal. I have a rekindled relationship with my guitar again - just like when I first got it about 15 year ago. I cant wait to take my other guitars here. Oh, and the turnaround time was insanely fast - 2 days later! I called Elderly first and they told me to drop my guitar off for weeks... I say skip that and go to Ann Arbor Guitars!
Review №5
2022-04-13David did a great setup on my electric bass with a quick turnaround time. A great shop to do business with and ill be bringing all my guitars to Ann Arbor Guitars whenever they need a tune up or repair.
Review №6
2021-10-07I have had nothing but exceptional experiences with Ann Arbor Guitars. All the work they have done on my instruments has been superb. In our interactions, they have always treated me with the utmost respect, professionalism, and courtesy and have gone above and beyond to educate and encourage me.One time I inquired about a repair they were unable to do out of respect for their neighbors, and they referred me to another shop they knew would be able to do the work at the highest level. I greatly appreciated their honesty, concern for their neighbors, and for referring me to the right place.My instruments all play better than ever since discovering Ann Arbor Guitars, and they will always be where I go for everything from setups to major repairs.
Review №7
2018-09-19Took my custom PRS to Ann Arbor Guitar for a complete set-up. Had previously taken it to another guitar store for adjustments and guitar was now definitely not right. The action was too low, harmonics were off, the nut was too high and the guitar always seemed slightly out of tune. Their precision work corrected everything and now the guitar plays exquisitely, like a dream. Amazingly, they were able to accomplish the repair in one day. These guys are the real deal!
Review №8
2021-10-25Hesh and David wonderful about the repair and maintenance of guitars! Ive entrusted my Martin to them several times and they never fail me.Their pricing is fair and they attention to detail is meticulous. I would never take my guitar anywhere else.
Review №9
2021-10-23Living in Ann Arbor, you will discover all sorts of exceptional people. David Collins at Ann Arbor Guitars is exceptional. I encourage people to find his videos on YouTube. They can give you a sense his knowledge and see some of his self-made tools in action. HIs explanation of equal temperment is the best I have heard. My impression only improved after meeting him, discussing options for my guitar, and inspecting his work. He also did a great job communicating with me. I told him about an upcoming gig, and he called a few days before, letting me know it would be tight, but he planned on my guitar being ready the afternoon of the day before. That day, he called at 10 a.m. and told me he had finished the major work, but still needed to do the setup, saying it would be ready by 1 pm. I arrived, and he was true to his word. A great experience with a great professional!
Review №10
2022-03-02Ann Arbor Guitars is my first choice for instrument setup and repairs. Dave and Hesh are legit.