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SF Guitarworks
Categories: Shopping Musical Instruments & Teachers Local Services Electronics Repair Arts & Entertainment Music Venues Nightlife Music Venues Musical Instruments & Teachers, Electronics Repair, Music Venues [Edit]
331 Potrero Ave(between 17th St & 16th St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhood: Potrero Hill
(415) 865-5424
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 12 pm - 7 pm
Sat 11 am - 5 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
111 reviews for SF Guitarworks
Review Highlights
"Geoff handled them both with great care and respect."
(in 59 reviews)
"So, I took my new Martin acoustic in to get it set up."
(in 28 reviews)
"This guitar plays better than ever right now and did not..."
(in 3 reviews)
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111 reviews in English
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Review from Jim S.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 9/17/2011
At this point, I've taken two guitars and one amplifier to the fine folks at Guitarworks, and I have to say I'm more than pleased.
Geoff, and the other luthiers (I'm not sure who worked on the second guitar), have done a fine job with the guitar setups. Really excellent work, especially when I needed post-setup adjustments since I like my action abnormally high. This is on both high-end (PRS) and low-end (Epiphone) guitars.
Meanwhile, about a month ago I had Phil take a look at my mid-80s Laney head. It's a deceivingly complicated head (thank you, push-pull EQ knobs) that has fooled other repair shops. Phil did a great job, and a few practices and one gig later, I haven't heard my amp sound this well in a long time.
To put a unique spin on this review, you should know my day job is as a professional audio engineer (voting AES member and everything). Audio electronics repairmen are always a hit-or-miss proposition, sadly usually the latter. (You have no idea how frustrating it is finding a good place to repair old cassette machines for archival transfers.)
To find someone that does good work THE FIRST TIME is great. Like a true professional that cares about his craft, yes, Phil did suggest some additional work for my amp, but he called first and required my approval. Really great to find.
Also, the other customers rock. It's not often you have to differentiate between Laney amps in any particular shop...1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/23/2008
Geoff is the man. He did a great job setting up my PRS CE22 and did some tweaks after the fact to… Read more »
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Review from J M.
San Francisco, CA
8/15/2011
This place is great! I've been going here since I found out they opened up. Geoff, Ben, and the crew are very cool and a pleasure to work with.
I have full confidence in their abilities to do whatever it takes to get the job done right and efficiently. I trust my expensive, irreplaceable instruments are completely safe and well taken care of by them.
Rock on SFGW! -
Review from Danny H.
San Francisco, CA
1/18/2012
I've taken 2 of my guitars into this place so far. Once to get some pickups switched out of a strat, and a second time to get a new acoustic setup and I have to say that I could not be happier with their work, which I believe to be executed with a very high degree of craft and experience. Although a 2-week leadtime was quoted, i got my acoustic back the next day with the action lower and playing smoother than any acoustic that I've ever layed my hands on. Money well spent. These guys are great. You won't find better luthiers or a guitar tech shop in SF. Anyone with a new axe or maybe just one that has been sittin' around for a while should treat themselves to professional setup with SF Guitarworks, you will not regret it.
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Review from Garrett S.
San Francisco, CA
11/8/2011
Phil retubed my two 1x12 amps: A 30w Mesa Boogie and a 40w VHT Pitbull.
He let me purchase my own tubes and gave me an affordable price. Both amps came back cleaned up. The Mesa Boogie is now louder at volume setting about "1" and clearer sounds phenomenal. Sitting right in front of the cone, I have some sense of resonance inside of me and including in my brain.
Now when I play with this amp, articulations are clearer and so I can focus on using techniques to get the dynamics and sounds I want while playing what I intend. In a way, my playing has improved from this.
The cost for retubing was not high (around $140?) but the personal joy I've gotten out of my Mesa Boogie is priceless.*
Thank you, Phil. I'm happy.
* The opinion of this author's neighbors differs from this statement. -
Review from Brendan K.
San Francisco, CA
4/21/2011
I have put three guitars through this shop in the last month, so I have a pretty good sense of how they go about things.
I brought my Hamer Tele to SF Guitarworks for fret leveling and a setup, since I wanted it done right and quickly. They were very efficient and professional from first to last on this job. They even give you a little checklist with your measurements so the setup is repeatable. Classy! And it plays amazing!
So, I took my new Martin acoustic in to get it set up. They had it back to me in two days. Then they waited about a week to give me a chance to play it, and called me up to see how things were going. Can you really get any better than that?
The third guitar I took to them involved some rewiring, and we had a lot of problems getting it done. It was more work than it was worth given that it was kind of a cheap guitar. It was stressful for everyone. Geoff called me to straighten things out, and we're all cool.
Real craftsmen and women are becoming harder to find in this mass market strip mall world of ours. Geoff and his crew are part of this cohort. When was the last time you wanted not only to pay someone for their work, but put them on your Christmas list too?Comment from geoff l. of SF Guitarworks 5/26/2011
We have a 100%, money back, satisfaction guarantee on all… More » -
Review from Michael A.
Berkeley, CA
10/29/2011
Stopped in the shop and made an appt for a new nut, fret dress, and shielding job on a Fender Classic Player 50's strat. Dropped the guitar off the night before appt day and it was ready the next day. A minor adjustment was required and that was performed very conveniently. The guitar plays well and stays in tune despite my herculean efforts to make it not; pickup height, tremolo setup, action and intonation were spot on. Good job guys, I am satisfied. Will be looking to have them refret my 80s BC Rich Mockingbird and set up a Fender acoustic bass. Only 4 stars because there's always room for improvement; will update after the next guitars ...
The guys at SF guitar works just finished up a fret dress on my Les Paul Custom and they did a fantastic job; two for two ... Aaron set up both guitars and they play wonderfully. Rushing to get my other 4 guitars to them ... 5 stars for consistency!
You can't go wrong here, the guys at SF guitar works are human, and they care about you being happy playing your instrument and they'll do everything within reason to make that so.
Update: Just got my Ibanez JEM7, Yamaha Acoustic and Fender acoustic bass setup.
Ben set the JEM up "shredder low" and it's perfect, and the guitar is so much easier to play. Intonation was spot on, checked with my Peterson strobo tuner, and the tremolo was setup perfectly. This guitar is so much fun to play now. Additionally, I had asked them to shield the guitar, but unbeknownst to me, it already was; they were very honest about this and let me know it was not necessary.
No fret work was required on the Yamaha LLX6 DN, just had them do the nut and saddle, and was more than happy with the setup of the action and intonation on this instrument.
Aaron worked on the Fender Victor Bailey acoustic bass and I was absolutely amazed at the results, it looks beautiful; very happy with how it plays now. Fret work was beautifully done and the action is perfect. I like them low, who needs carpel tunnel syndrome?
Like I said before, you really can't go wrong at SF Guitar Works, and the price reflects the quality you will receive. -
Review from Parker M.
Oakland, CA
12/3/2011
goddamn these guys are good. helpful, excellent customer service, ask good questions, organized, thorough, on-time, extremely knowledgeable. overall a very pleasant experience, wouldn't take my gear anywhere else. they do indeed rock.
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Review from Ryan P.
2/21/2011
I have been a loyal customer of Guitarworks for several years. If you go once, you will go back. There is no better guitar shop in the City.
If you have a $200 guitar and want a cheap setup, you have a lot of options. If you have a $2000 guitar and need significant work done, you want your baby in the best hands possible.
Geoff & his crew are very honest about the work they do from the moment you walk in the door. They handled a refret in a few days time with excellent results.
I was a little surprised to get a call from the show two weeks after I picked up my guitar. They just wanted to make sure it was playing alright. Thanks, Gutiarworks, for that tingly feeling. -
Review from Paul G.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 1/20/2011
I been using SF Guitarworks since I moved to the city 18 months ago and have never had anything but premo, top notch service. Recently the guys have started to run a set up workshop class, for a handful of people at a time.
I attended one this week, and it was excellent. You get an incredible overview of the process they go through, hands on demonstration and you get to work on your own instrument and will have fully set it up by the end of the workshop. Highly recommended.
Thanks Geoff, Aaron and Benjamin, you guys rock.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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10/8/2010
Benjamin and the guys have now finished work on another of my guitars - as always excellent, top… Read more »
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Review from John B.
San Juan Capistrano, CA
Updated - 10/14/2010
First met Geoff in 1997, had him do a Set Up on my Jazz Guitar. He was Oklahoma Friendly & when I returned his Dad was there to Meet Me! I am now in Oklahoma, living on Sis's Ranch, but If I Needed any Serious Guitar Work, the Old Epiphone Emperor would be Shipped, back to Jeff & his Very Able Crew of Guitar Fanatics.
I may add, He opened to Doors to a (Then) homeless Railroad Hobo, after hearing my Okie Drawl, and most in San Francisco are very very unlikely to be so Accepting.
The Shop is the Best on the West Coast, but Yelp keeps SUPPRESSING my Reviews!
SFguitarwiorks-100%,,,,Yelp-0%
The bare facts are, Good People, Good Work, Good Personality, More better than Good, "Down Home Chicken-Plucking Neighbors!"1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/20/2009
I have had the Humble Pleasure of having GEOFF do a couple of SET-UPs on my old EPIPHONE JAZZ BOX, a… Read more »
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Review from Raja S.
San Francisco, CA
1/19/2011
I've been taking my guitars to sfguitarworks for a few years - they're awesome. It's clear that they want to get the job done right and have you leaving the shop excited about your guitar. They're also incredibly friendly and seem to really enjoy their work.
Most of the work I've needed done is pretty basic (setup, fret level, pickup installation), but I also like checking out their blog, where they document some of their more interesting jobs - I've sent various posts from it to friends who don't even play guitar.
I also recently took part in the Setup Workshop (3 hours on a Sunday), where I learned how to setup a guitar and lots of other random useful pieces of information - I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about how their guitar works and is potentially interested in taking on some minor fixes himself/herself. -
Review from Jon D.
San Francisco, CA
1/6/2011
Although I only had a budget guitar, a 2001 Epiphone Casino, I wanted only the best work done on it, and after finding Guitarworks on Yelp I was set. The work I had done cost substantially more than I paid for the guitar but included a fret dress, Tonepros bridge, Lindy Fralin humbucking P90s, adjusted string spacing, a new pickup switch, a refinished nut and straightened neck. Yes, the work seems expensive, but you really get what you pay for.
Now it plays much nicer than before and allows me to play longer before tiring. The string buzz, rattles, and unwanted sitar-like noises are all gone. The hum is virtually gone thanks to the excellent pickups, the tone is much livelier then ever before and it seems like sustain has improved as well. Coming out of my Vox it sounds legit.
Everyone I talked to really knew their stuff and were very attentive to my requests. I sort of walked in with my tail between my legs since I was bringing in a lowly Epiphone, but they reassured me that even much more expensive guitars often need the same treatment.
I'm sure I'll be bringing in my other gear in for upgrades after this experience.
Thank you Geoff and Benjamin! -
Review from john c.
San Francisco, CA
7/25/2010
My first Gibson, a 1985 SG, had been dropped, thrown against walls and used as a weapon more than once. I bought it new, and it had never really played quite right (I didn't realize this guitar's potential until AFTER it was reworked at SF Guitarworks). I guess it didn't help that the neck had been snapped and repaired before (like most SGs), and the frets were a mess.
I had given up on it long ago, because the cumulative damage had made it a drag to play. Bummer, because this guitar has tone for days.
I brought it to Geoff and his crew at SF Guitarworks, and the results are stupendous. It plays better than it did brand new.
He and his staff were super friendly, attentive, and most importantly, enthusiastic. You can tell the minute you walk into their shop (to the sound of a perfectly tuned ukulele rigged above the door), that these guys love guitars, and love what they do.
This was a big job, and not cheap. But, when it comes to guitar repair, good work is not cheap and cheap work is not good. I feel like I got a brand new, better version of my old SG for my money, and couldn't be happier. They even called me a week later to make sure I was happy with the job. GREAT service.
Bonus points for being bike friendly and conveniently located in the mission (near lots of good food!) -
Review from Jubilee D.
San Francisco, CA
2/26/2011
Fixed my guitar. $25 for a wiring job. Cleaned up the wiring and was a real pro. Nice guy too. Didn't catch his name.
Offered suggestions for work that needed to be done, as one would expect, and I wish I could afford to take them up on it. -
Review from Zach E.
Daly City, CA
9/18/2010
My go to guy for guitar repair was Richard Collopy of Collopy Guitar in the Richmond but sadly he passed away in August 2009. He was a great guy who loved to talk about the ins and outs of guitars, sound, tone, physics, and all the things that geeks like me with a passion for guitar luthiering enjoy.
I've been into SF Guitarworks a number of times to bring in cheap acquisitions to get an idea of what kind of work they need. I try to maintain DIY status as much as possible but it's always nice to have a sounding board who provides a professional perspective. The guys at SF Guitarworks, Geoff and Ben, will always talk shop and never make you feel bad if you don't understand a concept. It's also refreshing that they encourage a DIY'r like myself to go for it. I don't practice on expensive guitars so no real loss if I destroy the guitar ;-)
My latest acquisition was a cheap-o Fender Squier Strat. I usually play Telecasters or acoustic but I figured what the hell. I should have a Strat in my arsenal. I found one for $80 in Olympic white, stripped it and refinished it in Shoreline Gold.
I took the guitar in on Wednesday Sep 15th for a new bone nut and I had it back on Friday Sep 17th. They even went the extra mile to throw a few tension springs on the trem block for me to bring it down and strung it up for me. Additionally, they left a little bit of wiggle room in terms of height on the nut knowing that I was going to level and dress the frets myself and do a set up in the near future. Right now I don't have the time or tools to do precision nut work so I take it to SF Guitarworks to get it done right!
Thanks to Geoff and Ben at SF Guitarworks for all of your help, advice and technical knowledge. I appreciate it! -
Review from Mark D.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 8/9/2011
These guys are awesome! I brought in my acoustic on short notice with no appointment, and they fixed my electrical problem, while I waited, and get this.... they didn't charge me! He felt it was a quick fix and was totally cool about it. I'm a lifer boy, you don't get customer service like that anymore. I highly recommend them for all your repair needs. They rock for sure. Thanks guys!!!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/3/2011
Needed work on both my acoustic guitar and my Marshall Preamp, and these guys were awesome. They… Read more »
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Review from Sam Z.
San Francisco, CA
5/14/2011
Expert guitar help, fast service, no nonsense. These are the guitar geeks you've been looking for.
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Review from Keane L.
9/25/2007 1 Check-in Here
Chode Guitarman vs. SF Guitarworks
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(Chode Guitarman)
Keane: Can I get these tuners installed?
Chode: Dude, did you hear the new Papa Roach album?!
Keane: Huh? Uh, no... I just wanted to get these tuners installed?
Chode: They wrote another song about how tough it was growing up in Vacaville!
Keane: Yeah... They have a lot of outlets there... Look, I just want to get these tune-
Chode: My girlfriend legally changed her name to "X-tina."
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(SF Guitarworks)
Keane: Can I get these tuners installed?
Geoff: Sure. -
Review from Tom R.
San Francisco, CA
4/5/2009
These guys are a little pricey but this kind of expertise and customer service does not come cheap.
I took a Bass in for a "set up" and the guy at the counter, I believe this is a two man operation, told me it would be $90. He suggested a neck straighting procedure for $250, he promised that they'd get out any dead spots and I agreed to the work.
After I left I started to feel like I was being flim flammed, I thought "I guess they'll tell me that I need an undercoating and a Johnson rod next" but decided to see what was going to happen.
A couple days before I was supposed to pick up my Bass they called me to tell me they couldn't straighten the neck and that I may need to re-fret it for boo coo $$$$. I asked them to do the best they can with the "set up" and leave it at that. I have to say at this point I didn't have a very good impression of these guys. Maybe it's my natural paranoia but I decided that they were trying to scam me.
I went in to pick up my Bass ready for a fight, man was I wrong about this place. The other guy, not the one I talked to the first time, Showed and explained everything going on with my instrument until I was completely satisfied that they were 100% right.
There are a few problems with the neck way down where I never play anyway, I'm not playing Jazz here, but otherwise It's great. They did a terrific job!!
They did a little extra work beyond the normal "set up" and the price ended up being $135 after tax and everything. I'll definitely go back here for any future work. -
Review from Sammy P.
San Francisco, CA
9/30/2010
S.F. Guitar Works makes sure the music never stops. These guys are great and should be the go-to folks for guitarists and bassists at any level - Beginning musicians will gain greatly from their thorough setup and fret leveling procedures, as having a guitar or bass with proper action and intonation will allow the learner to focus on technique and playing instead of having to fight with uncomfortable action and overall sub-par playability. Professional players will find that S.F. Guitar Works' approach applies scientific, practical, and case-by-case exploratory methods to solving problems and getting or restoring the instrument to professional, stage-ready status.
They have a great system of structure in place, as well. I don't have to recommend that you go in and ask for Benjamin or Geoff or Aaron to get great results. They each follow a specific method to examining, explaining, and investigating (as to how the guitar is actually being played and what the customer's desired end result is with the instrument), along with a very organized way of scheduling the repairs or modifications and processing the instrument into their possession. There isn't a gray area surrounding the time frame in which the work will be done; rather, you will experience that they operate on a specific time schedule, which makes planning more simple for the customers. From weeks out, you will know exactly when the work will be done.
S.F. Guitar Works has been like the family physician for my three main guitars, and they also have worked on an emergency basis for me. And in those emergency crisis situations, it was calming to have them immediately working to diagnose the problem.
One more thing I would like to recommend (that is often overlooked on guitars) is having them create a new nut and saddle of bone if the ones on your guitar are either plastic or compromised in some way. That is really one of the most inexpensive upgrades that will enhance tone.
Thanks for the all the great work guys and for recommending the Lindy Fralin Humbucker and P90 that went into my Martin Stinger!
Fully satisfied with all the work,
Sammy Patrick
http://www.sammypatric... -
Review from Brandon B.
El Cerrito, CA
5/15/2006
Ooh, I'm stoked to be the first one to review SF Guitarworks. As a guitar player of 15 years and someone who is REALLY picky about how their instrument feels, I brought my main two guitars--an Ibanez Jem and a Schecter C-Series Custom--to them before I was going into the studio to record. Both of them needed quite a bit of set-up work, and I gave him some pretty tough guidelines to work within. He told me it would be a few days, and he called me within two.
I tried them out in the shop, and wasn't really happy with one of them so he gladly said he would work on it till I was happy for no extra charge. I got a call within a day, and the guitar was indeed in fine shape.
I haven't needed any major work since then, but I will certainly only go to Geoff when I need anything done. He's a really friendly guy and from what I gather, he works on all the guitars personally and by himself. He's gotten some 'Best of the Bay' awards from the Guardian, too, so I know I'm not the only one who thinks that he's rad.Listed in: The Best San Francisco…
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Review from cronelesbo c.
San Francisco, CA
8/15/2009
CHAPTER 1:
Nice enough when took it in.
Nice when I picked it up and spoke
with Spencer. Delivered the guitar back to
me on the date projected, appreciated that.
Problems with the repair, however.
Took my new guitar in for a "set-up". Told them needed the action lowered and the buzzing on E string fixed. Got the guitar back on the day promised which was nice. When I got it home the action on the neck was better, but not only was the E string still buzzing, but the A string was buzzing in addition, a new problem.
If they are courteous and rectify it I'll let you know. But having it not done right the first time and having a new problem with the guitar does not make me a happy customer.
Says they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and state they will do it right the first time on their website.
I am hoping that things go okay when I take it back in and they will rectify the problem or refund my money in a courteous, timely manner.
Just disappointing. So far, the doing it right the first time and 100% satisfaction has not panned out. Hope that they will step up to the plate and not make it a hassle and time consuming to get it right the second time, sinceI have to take it back in and see what happens.
Just a note:
They listed me as a "beginner player" on the workorder. Hmmmm, how do they know what level I am (sexist?) or maybe a judgement
on my guitar itself? I am not a beginner player, even if I may not be Carlos Santana, and wonder why they EVEN write such a thing on the work order. It's about the guitar I would think. I never said anything about my playing level.
**CHAPTER 2:
Took guitar back to discuss prob. Almost literally, the first thing Geoff says to me is "I saw your review on Yelp" and then proceeds to light into me, saying I should have brought it back first before reviewing, defending the things he didn't like about the review, saying they are not sexist, he thought he heard me say I was a "beginning player" (as they had listed me as). I stated that I had never said I was a beginning player. Some searching for excuses/explanations on his part for that (IMHO).
No apologies,
NO, EVEN HI, WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU? Then listen to the prob and attempt to rectify the it. All about attacking me and the Yelp review. IMHO, a professional would not have brought up the review at all, been courteous and just tried to work on recitifying the customer's problem to back-up the100% sat. guarantee on their website.
Great way to try and improve your Yelp review, NOT!
Shocked at unprofessional behavior.
Last thing I expected to hear first thing, or at all, when I walked in was his anger about the review. I expected that we would discuss the prob with the guitar and try to resolve it, hopefully amicably.
Communication was brought up in another review and I feel that this was definetly an issue here.
The QUESTION is: If your customer is not happy with your service and you don't like their review on Yelp, what is the appropriate way to deal with it? One would think that trying to help the customer immediately, rather than take them to task about their review would make good business sense, Doing this might warrant an improved review, jumping on them (and that is what it felt like to me and my GF witnessed it similarly), the minute they walk in about a review isn't likely to leave customer with a good feeling. Regardless, of what the owner thought of the review, it's just unprofessional to relate to a customer like that IMHO.
It was not lost on me that there happened to be no customers in the shop while he was giving me a hard time about the Yelp review. Just me and my GF.
FINALLY, my GF stopped the angry attitude aimed at me, by asking what he was going to do about it NOW?
He proceeded to try and adjust guitar a number of times. At one point he asked to see how I play, and attributed the issue to my style of playing. Since the problem could be duplicated without my even playing it, and I had, had another pro look at it previous to bringing it back who affirmed this, this to me was more reaching. In the end, I was told that it was a neck issue that couldn't be resolved without fret work.
They never asked me to play the guitar for them before the repair or before I took it home the first time.
I checked it briefly but not putting it on and playing. Learned MY lesson there, but have not had this at other luthiers, esp. the 'tude upon entering. Only when I came back after the initial repair, and he was trying to fix it did he ask to see how I played.
MONEY WAS REFUNDED after number of attempts to fix, that I felt was Geoff saying he was done, and to demonstrate his fairness.
I accepted the money, but asked he at least get it back to where it was when I had brought it in that day, which was better than what it was at that moment. He did that.
Minus anger episode, better odds for cust. satisifaction and a completely diff Yelp review which can be revised. -
Review from Abendigo R.
San Francisco, CA
9/28/2006
Best guitar repair shop in SF!
Geoffrey rocks -- it's clear he's an expert and knows exactly what the heck he's doing. He's there to service your guitar and that's his prime motive -- it's not about taking your money. He'll tell you exactly what you need, nothing more and nothing less.
If you or anyone needs guitar repair, this is THE PLACE to go in San Francisco. Geoffrey is personable and professional. Forget about Guitar World or whatever. GO TO GUITARWORKS and give Geoffrey your business. -
Review from Rob V.
South San Francisco, CA
10/25/2011
Geoff has done great work on 2 of my vintage lefty Gibsons. He made 2 lefty nuts that look like they came from the factory that way, real quality work. 1 was a beat up 65' SG JR. that had bad tuning problems, Geoff made it one of the most stable guitars that I own with just making a new nut and some adjusting. The work was done within a week at the price he quoted (not a questionable job in a month for twice the price that was quoted like other shops). The other shops are hit and miss but SF.G.W. is on it all the the time. I have recommended a lot of people to Geoff and they all are really happy with him.
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Review from Tom Y.
Mill Valley, CA
11/2/2007
So , I "discovered" this place here on Yelp despite the fact that I lived about 5 blocks from here for 4 years. Oh well, I took my $279 Takamine in here to see if they could help make it more playable. I am trying to learn to play the guitar and I stink (see my profile where I claim, I stink).
Geoff was very helpful, extremely non-judgmental all around great. He played my guitar for a minute and said he could definitely help me.
I got the guitar about 5 days later and it has been much easier to play. When I actually get proficient on the guitar I am going to buy a better one and if it also needs work I will bring it here. -
Review from Morgan F.
San Francisco, CA
7/13/2009
I'm unable to comment on their ability to repair, which is their main focus.
I would, however, like to comment on how poorly they treated me when I went in to get strings really fast. Here's how it went:
* Open door, and I look around
* 'Hello, how can I help you?'
* 'I just need some strings.'
* 'What gauge?'
* Not knowing what gauge I want, I say 'regular,' meaning the most common
* In the most smart ass tone you can imagine, clerk retorts 'well, what is regular to you?!'
I should have walked out and not bought from them. I couldn't believe it. I will never go back here for strings or repair. -
Review from Allan H.
San Francisco, CA
3/29/2011
Treats guitars like it's their own. The guys are really friendly, and were very informative about what to do with my guitar. I needed to re-solder my guitar input, and most shops would probably say let us do it. They told me what to do, and wa-la my guitar works now. They also let me go on their computer and check my email, so I could show them a guitar I was going to get. They know a lot about guitars(probably all of it). If you ever need ANYTHING done on guitars, they are the people to go to.
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Review from Gregory K.
Bakersfield, CA
8/19/2010
I made a trip up to San Francisco from Bakersfield, CA. While I was staying with friends, I brought my 2009 Les Paul Traditional with me. I got to the shop just as they opened Tuesday. I explained I wanted to get my guitar, PLEK'd from the factory, professionally set up. Geoff checked in my guitar, and was more than happy to accomidate me (I was leaving that Thursday). They took very detailed notes, gave me an accurate price quote for the fret level and dressing service, and off I went.
Wednesday around 5 pm, I got a call from Benjamin telling me that the guitar was done. While he offered to stay late to let me pick it up, I didn't want to make them wait while I drove all the way from Pacifica to pick it up. As a consolation, they let me in early the next morning to pick it up. Benjamin checked me out, as Aaron worked in the back. He did peak out to tell me how killer the guitar came out after the setup. I tried it out for a few minutes in the shop, and it was way better than when it came in.
Now, after a 6 hour drive, I'm digging into the guitar. I can't express enough how amazing their techwork is. Is it a lot? It can be. But, I can't fault the price as the quality is beyond anyone in Bakersfield can do at the moment. The level of professionalism (down to the detailed checklist and notes given to me after the setup) is top notch. All three of the guys I interacted with genuinely showed how much they care about the instruments and their customers. I have 12 more guitars that I cannot rationalize taking to anyone else but SF Guitarworks. It's going to cost me an arm and a leg, but it will be worth it. Great job guys! Keep it up! -
Review from Jen D.
12/3/2009
McL wanted to change the setup on his Martin DX-1. Something about making it easier to play and sounding better. I had no idea what he was talking about since I'm a guitar n00b... But thank to yelp, he was able to find Guitarworks. So during the weekend, I stopped by here and dropped off his guitar. I explained the best way I could what he wanted to get out of changing the setup. I felt like I was speaking a foreign language since none of it made sense to me. But the guys at GW seemed to understand every word. I was told it would be ready in a week.
Sure enough, a week later I got a call saying the guitar was ready to be picked up. The guy who left the voicemail sounded so enthused when speaking of the guitar. I couldn't help but smile listening to the message. If only everyone were that excited about their work.
McL was extremely happy with the outcome, as the enthusiastic man said he would be.
These guys know their guitars and they seem genuinely happy to be doing what they do. While waiting for my turn to speak to the guy behind the counter, I listened to the guy ahead of me speak "guitar" with them. They know their shit.
If you need to get your guitar worked on, I HIGHLY recommend this place. -
Review from joel h.
San Francisco, CA
7/16/2005
Geoff Rocks!!!
Great little shop I'd past by a few times. I recently got two really nice instruments and wanted to get them set up, so I stopped by and gave it a shot. Geoff handled them both with great care and respect. He even found a few things wrong that I wasn't aware of and fixed them. They both play great! I'd recommend his work to every one! -
Review from Brian D.
San Francisco, CA
3/6/2010
The folks here are great at customer service. They want to talk about your instrument (a 15 year old bass in my case), how you play, where you're from. I think this is to both make you at ease and create a player profile of you, which they'll use when working on your gear.
My bass receives a lot of love in playing-terms, but not in cleaning-terms. The thing was filthy, the action was too high, the strings mis-aligned. The final straw was a short in the electronics. The Guitarworks folks recognized each of these issues and fixed them all for about $170. A little pricey, which is why their 4.5 rating is right-on: 5 star service, 4 star price. Definitely recommended. -
Review from EJ K.
5/25/2007
Awesome service!
So I want to give my ole' beaten down Harmony the love it needs (although it's my back up gitar) and I take it to Geoff and San Francisco Guitarworks for the first time, based upon my friends at Digidesign's recommendation.
It came back in great shape, plugged it in and signed off, I go to practice. But I forgot that I tune down my top E down to a D in some songs, and so there was an issue with a buzz, when I played chords in the different tuning.
I go back to the shop (and he happened to serving a customer who is Sonic Youth's guitar tech, and had this AMAZING Jag....yeah Geoff sets up Thurston's guitars...) and let him know that I forgot to tell him that I play with a drop D sometimes, and that there was a buzz. He then tooled around with my guitar until it was virtually gone, while I was there!
I mean that is triple A service! -
Review from Chris C.
Oakland, CA
2/27/2009
If you want the job done right, go see Geoff.
He's by far the most knowledgeable, professional, friendly, and personable guitar tech in the SF Bay area.
A friend recommended me to Geoff about 4 years ago when his shop was still fairly new. After my first setup, I was hooked.
There are never any worries about whether or not your instrument will be fixed correctly. Simply put - it will be fixed, and it will be fixed right - just the way you want it. And on top of that, it will be fixed on-time. Geoff is always very courteous regarding turn around time, and he always communicates everything that is going on with the repair.
Last week I brought Geoff my favorite old Kay hollowbody electric to have the electronics fixed, the neck planed, and new frets installed. Being a 40+ year old guitar, the neck was so drastically twisted that I was sure he was going to tell me it was un-repairable.
But I was wrong. He worked his magic and brought new life back into the guitar. It does things it could never do before. It has amazing action, perfect intonation, and it looks absolutely wonderful. He really is a master luthier. I couldn't be happier.
I'll never bring my instruments to anyone else. Geoff will treat you and your instrument with ultimate respect. It's great to see local businesses like SF Guitarworks receive the success and credibility they deserve. -
Review from Igliashon J.
Oakland, CA
8/14/2007
Never before in my life have I met a guitar repair person for whom time passes normally. For most of them, a month of their time actually equals about 3 or 4 months of my time, so when they tell me "Oh yeah, your guitar will be done next month", what they really mean is "If you call me and bug me every week, I MIGHT finish your guitar in three months. Maybe." This wouldn't be so bad if at least after those three months, the guitar was actually fixed properly to my specs...but it seldom if ever is, necessitating a trip back, more money, and more time without one of my beloved axes.
Geoff is the only exception to this that I have ever encountered. He is the first repairman I've ever met who measures time not in months but in hours, and yet somehow does an absolutely flawless job. I needed a complete rewire on one of my electrics--the electronics were totally shot, the pots and switches needed replacing, the pickups were a microphonic mess--and when I walked into his shop, I expected him to tell me "it'll be done in a month." When he told me next Tuesday, I almost laughed in his face. But sure enough: next Tuesday morning I get a call from Geoff, telling me it's ready to pick up. I couldn't believe it. Even more amazing was that the guitar sounded perfect...no hum, no microphonics, no random buzzes, no scratchy pots...just perfect. And for under $200!
In short, Geoff is now the only repairman I will ever return to. He is faster than anyone, more professional, and offers the best prices. If you need any work done on a guitar, he's the man to see. -
Review from Yvette K.
San Francisco, CA
1/19/2010
Excellent service! I have brought a few acoustic guitars into their shop for different reasons. Geoff did great repair work and I felt I was in good hands.
They much improved the playability of both my Martin and Taylor guitars. Geoff also did a lot of work on an old English-made banjo that belonged to my mother.
It's definitely best if you schedule an appointment before you bring your instrument in for repair; otherwise, there could be a long wait. With an appointment you will get your instrument back in a short time.
I used to work in a musical instrument store that had in-house repair people, they were decent, but Goeff is a level above the norm and I am thrilled to have found him.
I highly recommend San Francisco Guitarworks for your stringed instrument repairs. As soon as I have some more money I will be bringing them my electric guitars and bass.
Thanks!! -
Review from Tom S.
Placer County, CA
1/25/2009
Great little guitar shop. Pride of ownership and workmanship is very apparent.
Sells Reverend & Eastwood guitar brands. Decent quality fairly priced Korean made guitars.
This ain't Guitar Center - THANK GOD! -
Review from playa a.
San Francisco, CA
8/26/2009
I brought a new guitar here for a set up and got it back a week later as promised... sounding and playing nice. Spencer handled my order in a pleasant and professional way.
overall a good experience...and unless i discover an issue with my guitar over the next week........im happy.
UpDATE. no problems with my guitar...sounds Great!!! -
Review from Stephen B.
Lafayette, CA
6/10/2010
Well, I'm going to admit that I wasn't completely sold on the level and dress recommendation from these guys. At first. Let's face it, $250 is a lot to pay.
Well, I got the guitar back yesterday, and I had a hard time putting it down all night. Absolutely changed the instrument. No fretting out, no buzz, nothing. I love it. The guys were upfront about when it would be done, and when their calendar system went down and it took a bit longer to complete, they contacted me and let me know. Overall, just a set of incredibly knowledgeable guys who love to work on guitars. It's evident from the time you walk into the shop. In sum, money well spent.
Thanks, guys. -
Review from Rick V.
South San Francisco, CA
5/2/2009
One of my basses, a Peavey Foundation S needed some work badly, so I took it in after going over a few reviews here. I am so glad I did.
Super friendly service and knowledgeable, Spencer... you are da man! I said this axe is just out of tune all over the place and to do whatever set up adjustments it would take. Also throw some heavier gauge strings for deeper sound. He told me that would be no problem, gave me a due date, and a service stub.
They finished up on time, adjusted the neck, action, pick up position and polished the fingerboard. This Peavey's always been just an adequate performer, but now it's being the best it can be. Thanks guys!
This place gets lots of business so the work time can be a couple or three weeks. Guitarworks is VERY COOL!!! -
Review from Adam D.
Oakland, CA
3/1/2010
This is the healthy alternative to ever having to deal with Guitar Center.
I've had nearly all of my guitars set-up/worked on/overhauled here. I'm super hard on my gear. All of my guitars have come back feeling great, sounding great, and looking great. They go into a lot of detail on what they have done to work on the guitars, which is usually more than I need information-wise. They definitely know their craft and it shows.
The "negative" aspects one might come across (but that won't effect my rating):
-It's kind of hard to get there. I usually take bart to 16th & Mission and walk down. I don't want to take the bus. I don't want to drive there. So yea. that's on me. Maybe it'll be easy for you to get to.
-It's expensive, but quality worksmanship costs money. You get what you pay for, and I'd rather just pay a bit more and know it's done right. it's not obscenely expensive, mind you.
They also do a really great newsletter with lots of step-by-steps on interesting guitars they've worked on, or problems they had to work around.
Also, to the people who gave the 1 star reviews: Stick with Guitar Center. You're gonna need a little thicker skin if having someone ask "what's normal for you?" when picking guitar string gauges sets you off.
