Excellent, unique and personal shop for all things stringed, with a master luthier at the helm and some beautiful instruments and many happy clients. This shop epitomizes what I love about Marin county, the vibe, the personality and the specialness.... read more

John has a wealth of experience and some beautiful instruments. I highly recommend this shop, especially if you are looking for high end vintage instruments. read more

In summary: best of the best and highly recommended!!!! My unusual string instrument arrived from overseas with a broken headstock. I contacted various other stores and luthiers for repair but to no avail. They either don't work on unfamiliar instrument, they can only do a partial repair, the wait is too long, or the cost is too high. Very thankful to Schoenberg Guitars for referring me to Amazing Grace as a trusted store that can deal with all sorts of string instruments. Sure enough, the owner (John) recognized the instrument right away (I was very impressed) and done a great job repairing it in a reasonable time and cost. I couldn't be any happier with the results. As an extra bonus, the store has very interesting instruments that made it fun to browse around. read more

Had a wonderful experience with Amazing Grace. The prices are great and the service I brought in my bass for a restring and got a neck alignment, board wipe down, and a restring. All for $30 Everything was done well. I even got a call explaining about the free neck alignment and why I needed it. Had my bass sounding great, very helpful and friendly, and they even stayed open a little late to let me pick it up. Amazing service, 5 stars. Highly recommended read more

A wide range of wonderful instruments, accessories, books and a full service excellent instrument repair service. I love this place.

Wonderful! Great job and amazing price. Have been here numerous times. Always attentive and knowledgeable.

My husband brought in a guitar TWO years ago to be fixed and it's still not done. I have no understanding how this person is still in business. read more

I bought my beloved, beautiful violin that came with a bit of history from Amazing Grace. Did I say it's beautiful? I am an adult violin learner, and John was extremely kind and helpful. A few month later I brought it back for a repair because one of the pegs broke in the peg box. John repaired it for free. "If you buy it from us, we'll take a good care of you," said John. The shop has a unique, personal feel, like a library. I could sit there all day and people-watch, and listen to John play. It is a local gem. Please stay here forever. read more

Love these folks. Need help, they are the ones to go to! John really knows his stuff.

A friend referred me to John to troubleshoot and repair an issue with one of my guitars. (I am relatively new to the area.) During our initial meeting, John took his time to evaluate the instrument; he freely recommended I try a few adjustments on my own to see if that would resolve the issue. I took his advice to heart, but the fretting issue remained. After explaining that the adjustment I made helped, but it looked like his expertise would be needed to rectify the problem completely. When John informed me the guitar was ready, he detailed all of the work performed. His fee was incredibly reasonable--less than what he had estimated. I have been playing professionally for nearly 30 years; many different luthiers have done work on various guitars over these years. John's work is exceptional. He is meticulous and thorough. He takes pride in his work and stands by it. As skilled as John is, he very congenial. He hasn't a holier-than-thou attitude that some luthiers unfortunately adopt. I'll be recommending John to students and friends. read more

I just brought my guitar in to swap out my nut and saddle for bone - I'm trying to get the most out of my old Yamaha. John had the integrity to tell me that he didn't think it would make a huge difference given my current set-up, and that I should consider my ROI. Whoa. Years ago, he did a set-up on said Yamaha, and it made a huge difference in terms of playability. This time he was more than willing to feed my curiosity about guitars by answering a bunch of random questions. I'll be coming back here next time I need anything guitar-related. He has some interesting used guitars for sale, though I wish there were a few more to play (he seems to have a wide selection of banjos, ukes, and fiddles, though). Other than that, the space is beautiful, warm, and welcoming. Cool business, good people. read more

I bought my Takamine classical guitar at Amazing Grace in 1980. John and his wife have restrung it for me, lubricated the hardware, it is better than new. Also, John adjusted a Mitchell guitar for my husband & me, which we bought used. If you own a stringed instrument, or are looking for one to buy, this is your go to place. read more

Judy and John are wonderful to deal with and have always been dependable. I have bought many musical instruments from them over the years and always enjoy the experience. read more

I bought more than a few intruments here. I buy my strings here. The owners John and Judy Pedersen genuinely care for their customers. This is the gem of Marin and if you are looking for strings, fiddles, guitars, harps, accordions, ukuleles, mandolins, banjos, or music books for bluegrass and oldtime music, this is your place. They also do fabulous repair work. read more

John Pedersen, the guitar gurus luthier, gets my guitars as soon as new purchases arrive. He's worked on all 3 of my vintage 80+ year old Tenor guitars. Just made my last purchase, 1932 Dobro tri-cone resonator Tenor sound like new! read more

Great Place: Great People! (I know this is a longish review - but there is a lot to say about Amazing Grace! I hope folks will take the time to read and consider this ... If you love your stringed (and other) instruments, Amazing Grace is a place you really need to know about.) I am a fan of and am admittedly somewhat addicted to stringed instruments. For the past 50 years or so, I have played guitar - all acoustic, shifting gradually to acoustic-electrics and recently have added an electric. For many years now, my first stop with a new instrument (and many have spent time at my house and in my hands) is to Amazing Grace where John Pedersen skillfully performs a masterful set-up: Getting the neck, bridge, nut and frets finely tuned so that the instrument is just the way I like it. A new instrument may LOOK all ready to play when it comes out of the box, but usually is not. What the factory (or many retailers call a 'set up' isn't much of one at all. My experience is that most new instruments - even some of the most famous and expensive of them require a good, personalized set-up, ideally by a skilled local technician or, even more ideally a luthier (someone who has the skills to actually build a guitar or other stringed instrument) knows your preferences. Many years and 15-20 instruments later, Amazing Grace is THE place and John Pederson is THE man! His highly developed skills are equalled only by his often wry but always kind humor! The shop moved some years ago a few doors up the Miracle MIle in San Anselmo to a new building which was an expression of appreciation by one of Amazing Grace's local music lovers and San Anselmo patron, George Lucas. John and his wife, Judy, run a friendly and always-helpful operation. They accept instruments on consignment and manage to sell them at prices that are fair, and because of their reputation for quality work and honest dealing, maintain a revisiting clientele of instrument seekers who regularly check out their inventory of nicely displayed used instruments. I have sold a good many there over the years and the 30% of the selling price which they keep (the standard rate of consignment commission) is well worth the time I would otherwise spend dealing with Craigslist inquiries and 'possibly interested' buyers. They also carry a couple of lines of new instruments, including being the local authorized source for products made by KALA (the now quite famous and successful ukulele company headquartered in Petaluma.) John can fix anything that makes music, I suspect. In fact, when an old fiddle was knocked down by a housekeeper and shattered hitting the floor, John was able to rebuild it so as to make it playable again - signs of repair being essentially invisible! Used instruments ranging from old ( classic and reconditioned) autoharps, accordions and zithers - fiddles and ukuleles among others. And, to top it all off, it is a great place to just drop into to talk music and instruments with John and Judy who are incredibly knowledgeable and are quite generous with that knowledge. A conversation there always ends with me learning something I really needed to know! You don't have to buy something to feel and be welcome at Amazing Grace. A multi-talented musician, John is comfortable and capable with many, many instruments - including Uilleann bagpipes! Banjo, fiddle, ukulele, guitar and mandolin are only some of the instruments he is instantly comfortable with and plays each and every one as though it were his only instrument. To me, Amazing Grace, John and Judy are local treasures - a place with people I trust with some of my most valuable and beloved possessions - my instruments. Great place: Great people! And as though that were not enough, fair prices for genuinely top-quality set-up and repair work. If you haven't been in there - you are missing something quite special. read more

Amazing Grace has always been good to me. John is a most excellent luthor, very good. read more

John has been setting up my guitars for a few years now. Everyone he touches comes back playing better than ever. My Martin D 41 is the latest example. He not only got it dialed in, but he likes to make them shine literally; polishing the guitar, fretboard and frets. I brought him a Martin OM 42 that was stored in a humid and hot attic. The neck binding had pulled away at the top, strings buzzed and the guitar was unplayable. This guy is a wizard! It came back in showroom condition, the abalone inlays sparkled and the guitar sang!! Another time I brought John a Martin that had been dropped on a table edge denting three frets. The neck was bowed and I held my breath hoping it could be repaired. Now it's my regular player. If you have a problem guitar, don't like the way it plays, has a buzz or maybe you want to sell it. GO TO AMAZING GRACE MUSIC!! You will be pleased. read more

I dropped my precious ukulele and thought it was a goner. John lovingly made it whole--better than new! John and Judy are the embodiment of amazing! Also professional, kind, patient, and Covid-compliant. Love this place! read more

John is the Master- my guitar wouldn't play in tune, sent it to him and now it rings true and beautifully.

John has done at least 15 guitar setups for me and a couple of repairs. The guitars range from multi-thousand dollar Martins and Gibson's to inexpensive travel guitars. He will always extract out the best performance that each instrument is capable of delivering.The instrument will be setup to your individual preferences and he will readjust it until you are happy. His work is always great and he is the only one that I have work on my instruments any more. He really does spoil you and once he has done some work for you won't be satisfied with anyone else. read more

John set up my Ovation 1717 twice during the last 25 years, each time bringing the instrument to its max capability - I could not be happier with his work. I've referred others who have given similar reports. Without a doubt, John knows what he's doing. The place is warm and friendly, the work is very good, the prices are good, the shared wisdom is much appreciated. read more

I have a history with Amazing Grace going back to 1974. Owners John and Judy Pedersen are local treasures. John does great instrument work and both John and Judy are wonderful, generous people who truly care for their customers. This is THE place to go for acoustic (and some electric) instruments needs. Prices are really fair (sometimes you can find GREAT deals) and service is wonderful. This store deserves your support! read more

I've had my Paramount Style "B" Tenor Banjo since 1978 (it will turn 100 in 1922). I found out the hard way that it's my most prized possession. While entertaining at a Novato retirement home one of the residents came forward during a break and being visually impaired knocked my banjo over. Even though it was a carpeted floor, the weight of the banjo was too much and the neck snapped off at the base of the headstock. I felt as though I had been in an automobile accident as the loss of my instrument registered sickeningly. But if anyone could help, I knew who that was and by the end of that Saturday we rushed my baby to the the ER. Otherwise known as Amazing Grace Music in San Anselmo. John and Judy Pedersen were on hand as usual and they looked on sympathetically as I opened the case, my face still white with shock. It's a great comfort to have craftsmen like John in our community. Here's someone who has worked on instruments their whole life and has the skill to make concert level Irish bagpipes from the ground up let alone fix the action on a guitar or re-fret a mandolin. John told me that putting the neck back together would be a pretty straightforward glue job, but redoing the mother of pearl ornamentation on the headstock would take some time. He could either send it to the east coast to a friend who specializes in such things or he could do it himself. I chose to keep the banjo close to home and asked John to do the job. A few months later it was ready and when I opened the case my mouth fell to the ground. The headstock actually looked better than it did before it was broken. The piece of ebony that covers the headstock had been completely replaced. The tiny pieces of mother-of-pearl that I had gathered up at the time of the accident had been carefully placed and you can still read the name of the maker, Wm. Lange. When asked how in the world he was able to redo the headstock with the original mother-of-pear John just shrugged and said, "Oh, I just used a router." Yes, and Michelangelo just used a paintbrush. I loved and adored my Paramount before the accident, but now, every time I pick it up I'm filled with gratitude that I still have it. Thanks to Amazing Grace. I wish I could share the before and after pictures of my banjo on Yelp, but I will put them on my Facebook page. read more

John Pedersen, owner and operator of Amazing Grace Music is truly a great guy. I have known him since 1981 and found him be genuine, down to earth and has a "Heart of Gold". He is the only person I am confident enough with that I would let touch my 1980 Martin D-38. He has a skillful touch as a luthier with many year of experience backing him up and ....... he's a wonderful musician to boot. And you should see the craftsmanship that goes into the bag pipes he puts together from scratch. Amazing! He's creative, confident and a good man to do business with. read more

BEWARE! Don't go to this music store to have your instrument worked on! EVER! John will ruin your instrument, and he may ruin it because he enjoys doing so especially if he doesn't like you and wants to screw you over. These owners have no integrity at all and this "luthier" has NO NONE ZERO talent for fixing instruments. He completely ruined my instrument and it is now unplayable. These owners are insincere, dishonest, and untrustworthy. read more

John has been repairing, fine-tuning, providing advice, information about my guitars since my son [now 44] first started lessons in his shop, some thirty-five years ago. He just completed an adjustment on my Ramirez this morning, and has always been the case, it's perfect. Master craftsmanship, a considered appraisal about what is appropriate for the project at hand, fair pricing, good humor--and parking!-- read more

Great shop. Lots of cool old guitar/banjo/mandos, and very fair pricing. I bought a banjo here and the set up was really great, when I picked it up I played an old Alvarez Yairi and loved it. Sold something else and bought it the next week.... great stuff here but above all, John is a great luthier. I understand he is amazing with fiddles but I've never played a better set up steel string acoustic. Will definitely be back, thanks! read more

I dealt with John at Amazing Grace on a consignment which fell through due to owner-ambivalence, He went above and beyond the call of duty and was a complete pleasure to deal with. read more