About 15 years ago, bought a gibson goldtop from one of matt's workers at the shop. Got home to Long Island and had to adjust trussrod for the humidity. Found out truss rod didn't work?. Called Matt and he said it was my problem because I lived near the beach?. Truss rod not functional, how is that my problem?. Accused me of having buyer's remorse?. Finally returned the guitar but it left a bad taste in my mouth. He's great with name players, but he's really an A hole!. read more

Do not send in your guitar if you want it back any time soon. Quoted me 1 week for a repair at ~$125. I patiently called every week for 4 weeks to get a status update. Every week the story was the same "we're still working on it, call back next week." At week 5 the owner had the audacity to double the initial quote and tell me "I need you to commit to the price or get this guitar out of my store right away." It was clearly the first time he even looked at it. I understand quotes changing. I understand timelines changing. I understand that it's NYC and there's limited space in the shop. What I don't understand is how you can let a guitar sit for 5 weeks and then have an attitude and a ton of urgency about pickup. Save your money and your time and go elsewhere. read more

I have been a consistent and far more than satisfied customer for 25+ years. Matt and his team are brilliant at what they do. Repairs/setups are always astonishingly better than anticipated and if I didn't live in NYC I would make the trip to get my guitars worked on there! Thank you Matt read more

As someone who's in the business of music for over 40 years, played with all top musicians, HEAR ME WHEN I SAY! You won't find better guitar store\Repair in NY than 30th street guitars! Matt is amazing and he surprising me every time when I lost all hope on my guitar' absolutely recommended! read more

Thanks Matt for you continued great service and fair pricing. You have always gotten the job done! Through the years I have had all kinds of work needed on virtually every guitar that I have owned. Always vastly improved. read more

Anytime I'm in New York. I always make sure I go by the store and they remember my name. It's truly one of the gems of New York City read more

These guys are the best in the biz! Not only do they truly know what they are doing, but they are all awesome people. I have had extensive work done on multiple guitars, and have never been let down. It's obvious they care about what they do, and take their work seriously. From basic setups to repairs to consulting about upgrades, Matt, Chris, and Nate are the only people I trust. And their prices are more than fair for the value you get. read more

If you want to play an instrument, it's important that it does its job correctly. You need a good axe to start, but you also need it adjusted perfectly to maximize its potential, and yours. I'm a drummer who knows his stuff. Guitars, however, are an unknown area for me. What I do know is that I like nice instruments and don't want to waste time or money learning the ins and outs of setting up or adjusting these things. I brought a brand new bass (a Gibson, glued neck, came from a big box store, see my other reviews) into 30th St a few years back and they did a great job with it! It had been on the floor for a year and needed a good setup and string change. Things got a little weird with the intonation so I brought it back in a year later with great success. It's been three years now and that bass is still in a very happy place. I wanted a change of tone, so I found a Japanese Jazz bass that looked okay online for a great price. When I got it, it was a MESS! The neck was doing what, apparently, all Fender necks go through with age, and was almost unplayable after the 10th fret. I brought her into 30th St, and they were able to dial that bass IN! Now it plays smoothly and clean all the way up the fretboard, and I'm enjoying it immensely--which is what you want of out a musical instrument. Matt was the tech for both basses, and the man couldn't have been more enthusiastic about my axes! I like to think I have a couple of nice, slightly basic pro-level instruments--nothing super special, just really decent. Matt gushed over both of them the whole time I was there! Maybe I really have two outstanding axes, or maybe Matt just loves basses and dialing them in. I suspect it's the latter. There's always been at least a week+ turnaround for the work and I've seen some important names/productions on the cases of guitars waiting for work. His rent has to be enormous and the prices for instruments there seem reasonable, so I'm guessing it's the great work (and the enthusiasm to do it, which really matters) that keeps this place afloat. I even came in with notions of upgrades--I had read all about the things players do to their Fenders: new bridge, hum cancelling pickups, blah blah blah. Matt talked me off that ledge and told me to keep it like it is. To me, that's a sign that he really cares about the gear itself, not just a dude that wants to mod anything and everything. As a drummer who does his own repairs and maintenance, it was tough at first to accept that a guitar likely needs work before it's really "yours." ("I just bought a $1,000 bass and now I gotta put another $150 in?"), but like I said, it's always worth it, and in the end, the work didn't really cost me all that much, considering the Fender neck was playing twister. I wound up with the neck work, new strings, a setup and fret dress, with my bass wrapped up in a brand new gig bag, for less than half of what I paid for the bass--a very good price considering it went from Junky to Hunky. It reminds me of the best music shops I've been in, and despite it being a little out of my way, and the wait time, I couldn't imagine taking an instrument anywhere else. read more

THE very best guitar tech in the five boroughs. Matt Brewster transformed a vintage Gibson Firebird I'd picked up for about half price, because it had been tampered with, wired wrong,and just all wrong. In just about 2-3 days, he found a big issue that the last tech had missed. I got phone calls on the progress, he asked permission before doing a fret level and polish, and replaced the tuners, full setup, fret level and he transformed it from a "player's project" into an Instrument that played like a new Gibson. The price I paid for the work was so fair, I know him and his techs worked on that thing for days. Everyone at the shop knew about its progress, and they all seemed proud of their work. Good Vibes, Honesty, and integrity along with getting a tech that's mentioned in Rig Rundowns, he works on Rock Star's guitars, and you'll get the same quality work as those celebs on Rig Rundown for the same price a local music shop charges. Matt, Chris and everyone working at 30th street always greet me with smiles and warmth. That is the cherry on the sundae. Retail professionalism along with the best setup man in NYC, these are rock solid fellas. read more

30th Street Guitars - Thanks Matt - Guitar Stores Near Me - New York, New York

Matt did a great job with 2 acoustic guitars of mine. Both play and sound amazing now. Very happy with the results. Highly recommend!

The older guy who works there is a complete jerk with no regard for the customer. Immediately the customer is condescended to and denied whatever they're asking for. Constantly the customer is forced to apologize for lack of knowledge or whatever. Not to mention the exceptionally long wait time. Would give 0 stars if I could. CUSTOMER BEWARE! read more

I brought a new guitar to the shop for a setup. NASA couldn't have dialed this guitar in better than Matt. Super talented, super cool, super enthusiastic guy. He may have been more excited about my guitar than I was. Highly recommend Matt for any work you need. The shop is one of the last independent shops in the city and they have more interesting gear than the cookie cutter big boxes. All around, awesome place with a great staff. read more

30th Street Guitars - Guitar - Guitar Stores Near Me - New York, New York

Brought a bass here for a set up that I had neglected for years. They did an amazing job, feels like a different guitar. I immediately brought them my other bass. Highly recommend. read more

30th Street Guitars - Fender Jazz 5 String - post set up. - Guitar Stores Near Me - New York, New York

These guys are truly the best. No ego, so welcoming, and so good at what they do. I took my American mustang in that was all kinds of screwed up by the last tech who worked on it. Matt saw everything that was wrong and made it play like it should and then some. Also swapped the pickups and wired them so I could get out of phase sounds from a push pull, all for a really affordable price. The guitars on the wall and the players that come in here don't affect the way they treat people. Keep supporting these guys. read more

Matt Brewster is simply the best! and a gentleman to boot. I would not hesitate to recommend 30th st guitars . Matt and his staff are down to earth and professional. Go there! read more

Fantastic little narrow shop with the most amazing grid of used stomp boxes I have ever seen. Some super high end stuff to be found here as well as some nice 'gig-able' instruments. I mean you didn't want to play that club with your 12,000 USD 60's Strat did you? Shop keeps are friendly and helpful...this place gave me the feeling that they cater to the local musicians...which is awesome. read more

I can't say enough good things about 30th Street Guitars. I had the experience of buying a very expensive Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster from a major online dealer that I knew SHOULD be a great guitar. Before buying it I could see that the nut spacing was incorrect, and it was redone before it came to me. Unfortunately when the guitar arrived, the D string buzzed on EVERY fret. Also, the action was set too high at the bridge. 30th Street Guitars has been my go to place for repair for the last ten years, so I brought then guitar in to Matt to see if this was something that he'd be able to get into an acceptable playing condition. I could see that he also recognized that it could be a great guitar, so I left it with him. I was still quite unsure if this was a good purchase, or something I would have to get rid of because of the possibility of going mad playing a buzzing guitar after having paid $$$$. Matt looked at it and saw that there were some high frets, and that he would need to level them. He used a tool that he designed for this, which allows the strings to be kept on the guitar while the leveling is done. This way the tension isn't lost and readjusted, and changes to the nut made. all that can lead to futility in chasing these exact problem down. This I knew, which is why I didn't even want to try to fix it myself. I went in and plugged in in the blast room. To my amazement, it plays absolutely perfectly. Even in BOTH standard tuning and 1/2 step down. NO BUZZ. This Strat is truly an amazing machine now! I'm happy every time I play it, which I make sure is every day. It is amazing to me that Fender doesn't address these issues of quality, even at this price point. I'm also surprised that these online dealers don't make sure these issues are addressed before being sent out. The dealer did reimburse the cost of repair, which was very reasonably priced. read more

Best guitar shop in the city. 30th street has been my go to for pedals, amps and guitars since 1999. I was 18 and had just moved to Manhattan. Matt and his team have always been friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Their collection of pedals is first rate, with all the standard "must haves" along with all the experimental "never heard ofs". The guitars are carefully selected and curated, with each piece in the shop being a worthy axe, ready to take home or on tour. After 24 years it's still the first place I go when in town. And just yesterday I stopped by and found another gem, reasonably priced, that's coming back to the studio with me. Thanks Matt! read more

Somehow I'd never heard of this place until recently but man, was I missing out. They did a great job and were friendly and inviting. Absolutely ZERO snobbery, which is the way it should be. I recommend this place highly. read more

Matt and Staff at 30th Street Guitars are far and away thee BEST!!! Matt's setup's and his delicate hand sanding on the back of my RUST Tele and Strat necks made them like Silk!!! Let's not forget about The BEST tube Amps on the planet there which I own 2 a TYLER JT14 Mahogany Custom and a TYLER HM18 Carmelized Tweed Combo!! John Brinton (Tyler Ampworks) and Matt (30th Street Guitars) what more do you need. Simply THE BEST. read more

Unfortunately this is a negative review as Matt had done good work prior to this. However his trust in his clerk, Jimmy, undermined an otherwise good relationship. Despite my reservations with Jimmy I waited patiently for 8 months as Matt repeatedly promised to complete the work he had agreed to do. He never completed the work and became combative despite my pleas. read more

I can't say enough good things about this shop, Matt, and everyone who works with him. I've been a happy customer for years. They've done fantastic work on a lot of my guitars. Recently, however, my appreciation expanded even more when my teenage daughter began playing guitar. Matt, not only did an amazing job setting up her Hagstrom, he also helped her hone in on the pedals she might want to consider for the sounds she was looking for based on the bands she loves. I have witnessed many times employees from other guitar shops outright ignore her based on the mere fact that she's a girl...But not Matt and his crew! They treat her with respect and truly listen to her to find her what she was asking for. They let her play stuff and couldn't be cooler about her questions. It's the only shop she ever asks to go to on weekends. Thanks 30th Street! read more

One of the best Luthiers in the NYC area, bar none. Matt listened to what I wanted from the setup and he's gone above and beyond with every Guitar I brought in. The guitar selections are really carefully selected and I found an Epiphone jazz box that really surprised me. The price was good and the guitar has been a great value. The pedal selection is very good and you can try them out in a sound proof room that really allows you to focus in on loud and soft settings. One reviewer has claimed the staff are racist and that is flat out untrue. I have never, ever been mistreated, based on my national origin or anything else. I wish every store that I've dealt with was as nice as these guys. read more

I took 3 guitars there for set-up and repair. Reasonable prices, excellent job, and they let you plug in and play to make sure everything is done correctly. The staff is cool, down to earth guys. Easy to chat with. Strongly recommend. read more

Always love stopping at 30th Street (now on 27th Street!" When I'm in the city! They have a nice selection of used and vintage instruments here. To me the strong suits of this place are the owner Matt B and his people skills, and his luthier skills, number 1. And the pedal selection! Just incredible, the number of brands and the variety of effects. I watched a YouTube video from a session ace in Nashville. This well respected player in Tenn was wearing a 30th Street Guitars t-shirt! Word gets around! read more

Matt is legit the best luthier in New York City and an INCREDIBLY nice guy to boot. Staff is super friendly and cool as well. Anyone with complaints on here about staff members being "rude" needs to keep in mind how tough it is to run a shop like this - day in and day out they deal with people coming in off the street to just mess around with vintage instruments worth thousands of dollars. I've been to plenty of shops where the staff is rude/condescending and I can guarantee this isn't one of them! read more

Had the most wonderful experience at 30th st guitars yesterday! I am a beginner, learning bass and typically I feel very intimidated to go into music stores. I've been buying only online due to this reason. I enjoyed my 1st pedal so much and wanted an expert recommendation for a next one, and after seeing wonderful reviews of this place I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! I received thoughtful and detailed explanation on a pedal. Everyone at the store was genuinely kind and had awesome personalities. Definitely will be visiting and purchasing from this store again (and again). read more

30th street Guitars is the BOMB. Matt is a master luthier. Regardless of how busy everyone is in guitar repair at the moment, this place will still find a way to squeeze you in. And if you need to bring in 2-5 guitars at a time as I usually do, they'll find a way to make it work. For general set ups they're great. For serious fixing of high value vintage guitars they're even better. Just one of the best luthiers working in the US. Highly recommended. read more

I've been going to 30th St Guitars since the '90s. I have bought and sold numerous vintage guitars and amplifiers from them. I have taken all of my guitars and amplifiers, at one time or another, to them for repair, or upgrades. They have come through every single time. I have never walked out of there thinking I should've paid less, and always found them to be incredibly personable, professional, reliable, and knowledgeable. Talk to Matt the owner, Jimmy at the front desk, or Nate in repairs, and you will find 30th St Guitars to belong in the guitar shop Hall of Fame as one of the all time greats! read more

I just want to echo everyone else's positive reviews of 30th St.'s repair service. Absolute top in terms of knowledge, skill, value ... and bedside manner. In the past I went to Roger Sadowski, who now only repairs his own instruments, and Jimmy Coppolo, who left for California. So the bar was pretty high. Matt Brewster at 30th St. does work on the same level. read more

I have a strat that I had painted elsewhere and a few months after the paint-job the guitar developed horrible cracks and vertical lines all over it. So I got the idea to purchase a body only which I did but I needed someone to assemble the new body and transfer it over to my guitar. Brought it to 30th st. for that job and i'm here to say I couldn't be happier with 30th st Guitars. My strat looks great and Matt is a terrific guy. Staff is cool also! Highly recommended. Thanks guys read more

Matt and the guys there are top notch gentlemen. I was referred their by a friend and I must say that I immediately felt part of the 30th street family. I purchased a new Martin D-45 and I went there for it to checked out, something didn't feel right and rest assured Matt agreed, he said send it back. I sent it back and they sent me a pristine new one. I felt the trust in Matt and I have become a loyal customer and friend. I just purchased a Luther Dickinson Gibson ES-335 and, a 73'- Gibson ES-175 from them with confidence. The prices were very fare and the work he did with them are outstanding. They took the time to go over every detail of the guitars and taught me more than imagine. Thank you guys for the happiness of being a player. Michael read more

I've been a devotee of 39th Street Guitars for many years. I've bought guitars, amps and pedals, strings and straps from Matt, the erstwhile proprietor, as well as getting all my repair work done by him for at least a decade. Nobody is better at setting up a fretted instrument than Matt. There are some businesses that not only fulfill and execute the skills and responsibilities of their trade, but through their trustworthiness and constant availability as a resource, become part of the fabric of your own ability to discharge your own responsibilities faithfully. I can't give them an extra star for it so here's a unicorn. read more

30th Street Guitars (now on 27th) is a must see for any guitar player or bass player. They have an amazing selection of vintage guitars and basses, along with contemporary guitars as well. Along with this, their pedal selection is AMAZING! They've got all the goods. Strymon, Fulltone, Xotic, you name it. Such a fantastic shop. Matt Brewster, the owner of 30th, also builds absolutely incredible guitars in the back area of the shop. I own 2 of them, a white Stratocaster and a double bound Telecaster. They are my go-to guitars! Besides from being an awesome guitar store, Matt also does world class guitar setups and repairs. He's truly an awesome guy and a joy to chat with. He and the staff are incredibly passionate about what they do and it's a pleasure to shop there. read more

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I had a great experience working with Matt to get my guitar fixed. It looks so good, you can't tell it was broken before. read more

30th Street Guitars - Guitar Stores Near Me - New York, New York

I've been coming to 30th street for years to get my bass setups done right. Matt is an expert who always does a flawless setup. He's a great guy too who remembers your name, instrument, and preferences after less time than you'd think. It's impressive how individualized the customer service is there despite managing a very busy operation with a lot of faces coming and going. Awesome pedal collection on display too. I've recommended this place to several guitarists and bassists and they all are repeat customers too. Thanks for the awesome work Matt! read more

I have brought guitars here for years, many repairs, pickup installations, even a broken headstock. They have been excellent. I recently brought my amp for a repair, and I was very disappointed. While they only act a drop off/ pick up spot for a 3rd party to repair. The guy who took my amp had it for almost 3 months. Repeatedly told me he couldn't figure it and then finally did after I called concerned weeks later. When I got back to the shop the staff was rude and short with me, telling me the technician worked very hard it. I'd been going there for years and there was no customer loyalty and no understanding of my frustration. Sad because I loved going there. read more

NYC is guitar shop heaven and 30th Street Guitars is one of the most prominent stops. Like other special guitar stores like Carmine Street Guitars and Rudy's Guitars, 30th Street Guitars offers their own line of custom made guitars sold under the RUST brand. They are reknowned for their guitar repair talents. Their website leaves much to be desired so the best way to take in this iconic guitars store is to pay a visit in person. read more

Came here hoping to find a small body acoustic and got exactly that! Customer service was great and the selection is amazing! They have plenty of gems, pedals, and affordable instruments too. Kick ass straps as well! Definitely coming back! read more

30th Street Guitars - Guitar Stores Near Me - New York, New York

The owner Matt is literally a wizard. I took a guitar to him that had such a crazy warped neck (from being keep in an improper case it developed dips and warps that no guitar neck would come by naturally) that was looking for replacement necks. I kid you not it's the nicest playing guitar I own now. He is a wizard. I take every guitar new to my possession to him straight away and they all play SO good. Everyone that works there are super cool and really care about the customer. I can't recommend them highly enough. read more