I'd give this more than five stars if I could. this was my first time here. I emailed Jake Cavaliere a somewhat imperfect, partially complete design with some suggestions on what I would like to see and what I would like to change and he brought the design to life. He added some of his own suggestions, and utterly nailed it. This tat exceeded my expectations and I could not be happier with the results. Jake is a consummate professional and is highly customer oriented. The studio is clean and comfortable and they play good music. I would recommend this studio and this artist to anybody . read more

American Electric Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Sean Smith The best, service, quality, vibe He's done dozens of pieces for me Will post photos, going back this week and bringing a friend! read more

Called in ahead of time with Craig for an appointment. Once I was there we discussed on I had in mind for a tattoo. Craig was very knowledgeable in advising me on the design of the tattoo and placement orientation. The end result speaks for itself. Not to mention a good amount of the design of the tattoo was done free hand. Will 100% recommend read more

American Electric Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Always assumed the place had a long waiting list. One day I finally decided to cruise by, I walk in, meet the owner Craig where an unplanned consultation takes place, and within 24 hours I walk out with a shinny new tat. Craig is talented. He free-hands both the concept and execution after I showed him the idea. We picked out the color and went to town. The finished product speaks for itself. As I am leaving this review I had just gotten out of the shop once again having another tat done all within a month. read more

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I've had the pleasure of communicating with Craig (the owner) via email because I was doing my research for tattoo shops within radius of me. I went in on a whim and emailed a few businesses to see if they can give me a quote via email with an attached picture of what I wanted to get done. Craig replied within timeframe and had the most reasonable price and their reviews were great! I scheduled an appointment, I arrived, was greeted by another tattoo artist that led me to Craig. There were a few other people getting tattoos done and the different artist's had a nice vibe towards everyone! I got a tattoo in my wrist area and I wasn't in pain at all! Craig was very nice, had no judgement, extremely meticulous, and was very delicate during the process. ++ Cash only and Parking is on the street! Very clean business as well. ++ I will recommend everyone I know who are interested in getting anything done. read more

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My mom and I got tattoos here by Jake. He was able to accommodate us on a holiday and did a great job on our tattoos. He took the time to make sure we were both happy with our tattoos and did not rush us. Great conversation and a nice guy. We both are very happy with our tattoos. Price was very reasonable too. I have already recommended them to friends. Will definitely be back! read more

American Electric Tattoo - California poppy flower - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I've been going to this tattoo shop for so long that I completely forgot about giving them a review. This place will always get my business. The shop is always clean, friendly, professional, and GOOD. They work fast and will always tell you the truth. I highly recommend booking with Sean or Craig. Enjoy. read more

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I remember the first time I walked into American Electric in 2006. I had been to several other shops in LA looking for someone to do my first tattoo and felt put off and intimidated everywhere I'd visited. Craig Jackman's shop instantly felt like a breath of fresh air. I was welcomed warmly from the get go and began a tattooing journey with Craig that continues to this very day. We conceptualize my tattoos together-that can involve discussion but also arguing at times and that process always leads to the best possible outcome. I have learned over time to trust Craig and his tattooists implicitly. He is a true tattoo wizard and unequivocally one of the most influential Los Angeles and national masters of fine-line tattooing. Having said that though, Craig has such a broad range of expertise in different techniques and styles of ink art. His imagination and impromptu creativity know no bounds. I always love the repartee in the shop and I leave the shop feeling like I've spent time with a community and with a good friend. Craig is funny as hell btw! He has inked so much of the story of my life onto my body and the relationship with him and his shop are an integral part of the work that I sport. I give my highest, wholehearted recommendation to Craig and his small cadre of artists. A trip from anywhere in the world to have work done at American Electric will be worth your time, money and energy. I simply love American Electric! read more

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I got my first tattoo here earlier today, and it was sick. The artists were super knowledgeable and chill, and they did an amazing job. I'll 100% be coming back. read more

There was a white guy (hipster-ish with brown hair and blue eyes) in the shop when I visited to inquire about a tattoo a couple months ago that just gave me the worst attitude for having done my research and not taking his word for everything. He kept saying, "There you go again!!!" for every question I asked since I'm new to tattoos. Then he recommended a really shitty ramen place to me when I said I'm leaving for ramen. Bad taste, bad attitude. Not sure if he was the owner, but he was covered in bad tattoos that didn't take to his skin and was recommending some guy Craig. Usually, when someone keeps telling me between the lines to stay away from the business, I listen. Now, I'm aware there are other artists that work here, hence not a one star rating, but I didn't see any of them when I went in. read more

Sage took care of me this past weekend; I came in a week prior, wanting to check out the studio and maybe get a tattoo. (Some of us girls get our haircut after a bout of emotional turmoil; this time I thought I'd take it up a notch.) I showed Sage the sketch I wanted, and he said he'd make it look just like it was drawn on my skin. Fast-forward to the day of the appointment. He was efficient, detailed, and best of all, true to his word - my new tattoo looks like it was drawn on my back. Line strokes and all! By the way, I got Leonardo da Vinci's sketch for a helicopter design on my upper back. The price was more than fair, and... may I just underline once again how much I love how my tatt came out? Yes! So if you stop by, check out Sage's work. I caught glimpses of what the other artists were working on, there is some serious artistry going on here. read more

American Electric Tattoo - Seriously, the linework is sweeeeeet. - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Had a great time tattooed by Jake - great guy to hang out with, with a steady hand, top tier stories, and an easy personality. Super happy to have come here, and looking forward to a custom piece of that dragon w a coffee cup next time I'm in town, and I'll keep an eye out for his band if they ever come back to Brooklyn. Jake's a legend. Thanks read more

Visit Date: February 11th, 2018 For the few months leading up to February, I had been playing around with a new tattoo idea for my wrist. I knew I wanted to get it done in LA, but since I was visiting from Chicago, I had no previous experience with getting ink in LA. So I asked my LA friends and they recommended a couple different places around the city. I went with American Electric because I liked the vibe of the website and the past reviews were what I needed to hear to make my decision. I decided to be a walk in in hopes of being able to get it done day of (we were leaving the next morning). Both artists were busy, but said I would be able to get an hour later. I'm incredibly happy with my choice in American Electric Tattoo. Sean Smith took the time to listen to my wishes. I admit my tattoo is not an intricate one, but he still made sure to capture exactly what I wanted. He also listened as I explained my last tattoo experience in NYC that didn't go as planned. He made sure to get the tattoo done the way I wanted on the FIRST go around. Which seems like a no-brainer, but again, NYC artist fail. I truly appreciate Sean's attention to detail even with something so small and I couldn't be happier with the result. He took my significant other's handwriting and made it perfectly permanent on my left wrist. Thank you, thank you, thank you! American Electric is definitely a stop I will make again when I am in town and will definitely recommend to my LA friends! read more

Craig Jackman is one of the best tattoo artists who ever lived. I got a tattoo of an iris ten years ago and it still looks fantastic. I get compliments on it a lot. Great work! read more

I've been coming to American Electric for the last few years now, and no matter how wacky my requests--a "watercolor" silhouette of Elliott Gould smoking from THE LONG GOODBYE, a hyper-bright BADLANDS tribute on my entire forearm--Craig is always down to translate my weird requests into an inked reality (while also making interesting conversation during long sessions). The vibe of American Electric is like a laidback and humongous living room; everyone there is BS-free. The only place in L.A. that I'll go for a tattoo. read more

American Electric Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Been here now 3 times for little banger tattoos. The bf and I have an "LA Day" tradition of a Dodgers game followed by a bar crawl down Sunset Blvd, then +/- a tattoo from American Electric. Each artist has always been super professional, low-pressure, and incredibly skilled. I look forward to continuing our tradition here. read more

I got a tattoo here recently and I had Craig as my artist. He was very chill and funny and reassuring. I was a walk-in and I waited a very short time, as they had guaranteed me on the phone. The price was extremely reasonable. Overall, a great experience. I highly recommend Craig. read more

Oh my fellow yelpers, you failed me. My first tattoo and I wanted a good, memorable experience. Based on the other reviews, I was expecting top-notch friendly service, but was disappointed. First off, I arrived right when they opened so there were no other customers. I guess the employees just arrived since they were setting up. I walked in and stood at the counter for about 5 minutes without any acknowledgment. Not even a "Hi". I didn't want to interrupt them (I was already nervous to begin with). Finally I was addressed and I guess because I didn't make an appointment, they didn't really want to help me (or that was the impression I got), although when I called in the day before, they said walk-ins were always welcomed. Well, the guy that was talking to me asked the other guy if he wanted to do my tattoo and he said, "no". So, I guess the other guy was stuck with me. I showed him what I wanted and he said it was easy enough and that he could do it in 20 minutes. That was fine. Because of the Yelp reviews, I thought the artist would calm my nerves but he didn't say a thing. AHHH. Anyway, my tattoo turned out OK, but I'm not completely satisfied. The outline is a little crooked and the color came out blotchy. My friend said the blotchiness was normal and said I should go back for a touch-up. I e-mailed Adrian and he said for me to wait a few weeks and come in. I live in Santa Monica, so driving all the way to Silverlake is a pain in the butt. I might just have to go to someone else to get the touch-up. The whole experience was EH. How disappointing. read more

Called for a walk in and was able to secure spot. The artist helped transform a flash design to my liking and I could not be happier! Very professional staff and owner, clean facility and phenomenal work! Will be back to finish my arm! read more

Adrian puts the awe in awesome. I know, corny right? He's quiet, but sarcastic, chill and kind of stern, and downright a cool dude. He gave me good advice about the aesthetic characteristics of the design I wanted. At first, the design wasn't quite what I envisioned, but after it peeled over, I am so glad he knocked sense into me. I wanted too much in my tattoo, and he said if there were elements I wanted to highlight that I should pull them out so it wouldn't look convoluted or look like a cover up. He definitely knows what he's talking about. I appreciate honesty in tattoo artists, because let's face it, you don't really have the chance to f$!& up, every piece is an advertisement of your ability, and if you suck, people will find out. My friend was tattooed by Craig, and it is one of the most bada$$ eagles I have seen. He is super professional and he evokes the professionalism with the rest of artists in the shop. Everyone was awesome and super down to earth. The days of getting pricked by a razor and a ballpoint pen in an 8 x 10 are long gone. I think a huge part of getting tattooed is the experience, and each person made you feel comfortable and at ease. read more

Just got my very first tattoo done here by Sean! Very happy with it. I came as a walk-in and luckily was helped right away. My tattoo was very simple (one word in cursive on the back of my left shoulder) and Sean was great with the tattoo's font/design and body placement, modifying the design until it was just right for me! He made it a super comfortable first-time tattoo experience; I highly recommend him! I plan on coming back here for my second tattoo very soon. Note: They also have a minimum charge of $100, cash only. At first, I thought this was pretty pricey for such a simple, quick tattoo but I was very happy with the result! read more

I came in as a walk in, I was greeted by the lovely dame at the desk. The rest is history! The shop is super clean, you kinda lose yourself in all the decor on the walls. I was tattooed by Craig and I couldn't be more happier! It's just a simple Slice of pizza, I told him my idea and he executed it ver well! PS. The front door is heavy so use your muscles when pushing it open. :) read more

American Electric Tattoo - Thank you Craig! You wonderful chap! - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The photos are of my coverup from Craig. Took my daughter back with me for my second session and she got a wee anchor on her ankle from Sean. Much like my brain surgeon, he has a true eye and a sure hand. I think he refers to himself as "Cool Hand," but either way, he banged it out like he had done this type of thing before. Smooth clean lines. Nice! read more

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Got my first tattoo with Craig Jackman and it was an amazing experience! We had great conversations through the process read more

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Awesome tattoo joint. They don't take credit so bring the banjamins. I had my tatt done by Craig Jackman. I would highly recommend. I wanted a quote on my arm at like 9:30 pm on a weekday and he stayed late just to do it. Aweome precision on the cursive letters. Would get 5 stars if they had a parking lot and took plastic. read more

This is my new favorite tattoo studio. It is extremely clean, professional and everyone is so nice. I was recommended to Austin from a friend who got one tattoo by him. I went in this past Sunday for my scheduled appointment at noon. Not only was he on time, he had my art all ready to go. I'm absolutely in love with what he did. In fact, I'm going in for another tattoo this coming Saturday. Austin, is an amazing artist! Anyone looking for an amazing artist Austin is your guy. He is super chill and easy going which makes you also feel at ease! If I could give him 20 stars I would!! read more

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Bin going to Craig for 19 years. I enjoy the days when I come in. Funny chatter good music. It's great to walk into a shop where you feel welcomed. All the artist are great guys funny, kind and professional. Clean neat shop. Also the minimum shop $ is 100 And hourly is $175 read more

My first tattoo is something that was very important to me. After looking at a few different shops and many more artists, I decided to get my tattoo here with Craig. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. He was funny and respectful, not to mention an amazing artist! Could not be happier with the outcome, getting all my future ink here. read more

Craig is awesome! My tattoo was pretty simple, but he made it amazing. He also uses a very light hand, so it's not nearly as painful as one would expect. I can't believe that I haven't been here sooner, considering I have lived right up the street for about 4 years. Whether it's for your first tattoo or an addition to your collection, American Electric is the place to go! read more

American Electric Tattoo - Thank you, Craig! You've earned yourself a regular guest, so don't you go anywhere! - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I came in to get tatted at this shop last September. Tattoo artist name is Justin. Super nice guy and made the experience good. Came in with an idea and he made it better and more of my style. Fell in love with the first tattoo he gave me that I had to go back to again to the same artist in November. Both healed well and both tattoos get a lot of love by strangers. read more

American Electric Tattoo - Third eye skull by Justin. September 2018 - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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This shop has been around for a long time and has a solid reputation. If you want a tattoo, go there and get it. There's no risk. Every piece is solid and they have artists work there for long periods of time. I follow them on insta. I liked one of the guys work. I called them up and set up a time to talk. I said I want this and showed him a picture. He said ok, and had better suggestions. I set up an appointment and got tattooed. Now I have a tattoo that I'm very happy with and a cool shop to continue to go to. I have 4 other tattoos I'm very happy with and 1 that sucks. That's because I went to a bad shop. Go here. Stay here. No risk. Good work. read more

Based on Yelp reviews, I walked in to American Electric late this past Saturday afternoon to see if I could book some time for a small wrist tattoo on Sunday. I am no stranger to ink; this was not a first time deal for me. I was welcomed by the sound of many buzzing needles, funky taxidermy, and the kind and beautiful Rosie. As explained in previous reviews, it is a cash only shop. An ATM is available next door at Millie's but I'd recommend getting cash ahead of time. Thankfully, Sean Smith was able to fit me in before one of his other appointments. I wanted a bee; not too cartoon-ish and not too biology book. What I ended up with was a fantastic blend that Sean drew in just minutes. Not only is he a super talented artist, he is also a super chill, friendly dude that made me feel like at ease immediately. In no time, I walked out more than pleased. He even managed to shade the bee wings to show off the transparency. It's hard to explain, but very cool if you see it. There were many topnotch pieces being done and it was a treat just to see everyone in action. Definitely one of the best tattoo experiences that I've ever had. The shop is clean, pricing is fair, and while everyone is friendly and entertaining, you can tell they are serious about their art. Highly recommended! No attitudes, just stellar work. read more

I got my first tattoo 9 years ago by Craig the owner. He has done most of my leg and I couldn't have asked for a better piece. He not only did an amazing tattoo job but he also helped me organize my ideas for my leg. He is amazing! I forgot to add that he does great with all types of tattoos! read more

Sagent Staygold has been my artist for over a year and a half, he has always attend to my needs Sagent is very professional as well as the shop.. I would recommend him to anyone that wants at tattoo best artist around! Thank you Sage Your truly an amazing artist. read more

I've been here 3 times, and I will never go back. The tattoos I've gotten are not bad, but the energy of the artists there are very low. Aside from sean who is by far the most friendly artist there, the other 3 artists with whom I've interacted with left me feeling very low. They don't seem excited about there work, and actually seem like they'd prefer to not be there. Twice, I have asked for the stencil to be placed differently on my skin, and have been scolded by two different artist for it not being where they wanted it.... also any light conversation starters seemed to just be reciprocated with harsh/rude responses. Would not recommend. Terrible energy read more

Came in yesterday for my 18th birthday, Mike V took really good care of me and was super nice knowing it was my first tattoo. He has a ton of experience and was super quick and the quality of his work is amazing! You pay for quality here and it was totally worth it my tattoo is doing great there isn't any itching and everything looks amazing. I brought my mom who approved! We had gone to a few tattoo shops down the place and they were really sketchy and for a few more bucks here you walk out with a tattoo that won't disappoint. This place is legit! read more

American Electric Tattoo - Mike V did an amazing job! You pay for quality which was worth it! (150) - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Every great review on Yelp for this place is totally warranted. I was a walk in this afternoon and an hour later I'm out and incredibly happy with the result. I had some ideas for the designs and Craig (who is the owner) drew up a design that I think is even more beautiful than the examples I'd shown him. He was really friendly and put me at ease straight away, and the tattoo was relatively painless (no more painful than if I was epilating). All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Thanks Craig! read more

American Electric Tattoo - Eucalyptus leaves and gumnuts - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Feelin' a lil frisky, my best bud and I decided to get a matching tat. After reading the stellar reviews of this local place we made a quick call and zoom we were in like flynn. We discussed what we wanted with the 3 humorous artists in this very kitschy, taxidermy filled studio. Craig, the Brit, drew our art on the spot and zzzzz I was on the block. We were in and out in just over an hour. It's still a bit scabby but looks fan-tas-tic. BTW the tats are teeny, hence the quickness. It was just us and the artists on a Sunday night which made the experience very personal. The radio was playing fantasy metal which was divine. Craig was a great artist. What are you waiting for...go get inked!!! Update: so nearly 2 weeks later and I'm not as happy with my tattoo. It's on my wrist which I've read is a tempermental location for a tattoo but I don't think that it was supposed to react like this. It totally scabbed over after the 4 day and then proceeded to flake off. Now a new layer of skin covers it but I can tell that it looks pretty faded. I've read that when a tat scabs over it means that the artist went too deep and that your body is rejecting the ink, hence the faded color. I returned to the studio and asked Craig if this was normal and he said oh yeah...once that new skin peels off it will be vibrant once again. We'll see. Thankfully he offered to do any retouches I wanted for free. So now I wait.... And wait I did. It looks perfect now. My impatience was silly. Yippee for body art and yippee for Craig! read more

I got a tattoo here about 8 months ago. I looked up reviews and saw the positive feedback (thank you yelp again, always) and called and came in 30 minutes after calling. Everyone in the shop was very friendly/convivial, things were straightforward. This was kind of an impulse tattoo- something I had thought about conceptually for years, but only just decided to finally do that evening. The tattoo was of my grandmother's signature on my wrist, to scale, photocopied from her bible. The guy (forgot his name, he was a total babe though, bookish with glasses and a british accent) did a perfect job, and it was done fast. Minimum charge- $60. Why I write the review is because the tattoo is perfect, perfect to where the cursive line faded in and out with the pen ink. I showed a friend the next week and she was like, "oh, your's looks really good- I had a friend who did that [cursive handwriting] and it was all F'd up and shaky...." This guy did my grandmother's fine tipped pen handwriting perfectly, in one go. In hindsight, I realize how much trust I put into this shop/this guy, as the tattoo is literally a single continuous cursive line with variations in lineweight- any mistake or misstep would have completely ruined the tattoo. I am so very thankful that they did the job perfectly. This is my 3rd tattoo. Definitely the best. I get compliments on it every single day. Think it's good to write a tat review about a year in, you always want to know how these things fare... Also, I was offered free touch ups, FYI. read more

Please Note: This very is for my tattoo artist AMY, not the shop as a whole. I came to American Electric a couple years ago to get color in an outlined tattoo I had gotten 4 years earlier at another shop. I had seen the good reviews on Yelp and I liked the look of their work on their website, so I decided to give it a try. After all, it was just to color in the outline, so I figured I would be pretty safe considering the linework was already done. When I came in, Amy was the only working and she offered to do it for me. Perhaps not my best move considering I didn't see her work online first like I did with the other artists and the portfolio she had on site was pretty minimal. She was very pleasant, but unfortunately, she did a pretty poor job. She missed spots and the color didn't seem even in depth. It looked as though some of the color was deeper in the skin in certain areas. I know nothing about the details of tattooing though, so I won't presume to know what technique or error caused this. I just know it wasn't what I was hoping for. I called her after it had healed and she agreed to do some touch ups on it, which I was appreciative of. Even after the touch up though, it still has some small areas where she didn't bring the color to the outline and the overall color just seems kind of weak. I take partial responsibility for not doing enough research on my artist beforehand, but it was definitely a disappointing experience. I have heard good things about the other artists at the shop, so I am not saying it's a bad place to get a tattoo. But the only personal experience I have there is with Amy and she was a representative of American Electric, so that is why I am giving it such a low rating. read more