Needed a pickup swap & setup on a used guitar I bought elsewhere. Eddie charged less than my usual luthier, and promised a next-day turnaround (which is quite rare). In addition to typical setup work, Eddie replaced some worn screws and fixed a few minor things - which is really appreciated. And it was timely, as promised. He gave some good advice for aftercare, and the guy is very passionate about the work. My guitar plays and sounds amazing. Really happy with the value and experience! read more

This past January I had an itch to get back into playing. I stopped into Carlinos after working for the last couple of months passing Eddies store. He had a beautiful Charvel. I looked and bought it. It was late at night. I paid for it and was told to come back Monday. He needed time to change the strings before he let it leave his shop. Monday turned into Next week. Stop by again and he tells me it's not ready yet. Came by to pick up the guitar after two weeks of waiting to replace the strings. To my amazement it's now missing two knobs. He said he would order it from Charvel. Take the guitar home he never changed the strings. 8 weeks later no contact from Ed telling me the knobs are in. After exchanging nasty text messages I drove up to Danvers at Guitar Center and they hooked me up on the spot with aftermarket knobs. 1st impressions of Eddy. He comes across as a very nice guy. Personable, shared some good stories. As it turned out we knew some of the same people.....after reading reviews here the results are the same. I understand he is on his own and overwhelmed. I get that. I am in the Plumbing Business and get overwhelmed sometimes. Only Ed knows why he does what he does to some of his customers. I wish him all the success but I know I will not be back. read more

Ed Carlino's Dean Deposit Fraud Scheme. On August 8th of 2022, Ed billed me $6600 to my credit card for a deposit on 3 Dean Guitars. Over the past 4 years, I was assured that the guitars were going to be delivered but the Dean production queue was behind schedule. Throughout this entire time I was assured that they would be delivered. In early March of this year I finally reached out directly to Dean for the status of the guitars and was told the orders were canceled years ago. When I found out, I tried to reach out to Ed about the status of my guitars and deposit. Ed has not communicated back ever since. He has turned into a cowardly ghost. I tried one more time yesterday to reach him by text and email and he has not replied once again.  Sincerely,  Brett Wilson read more

I'd give him 0 stars if possible. I have ordered multiple straps over the years with no issues. I ordered and paid for one 19 months ago. Eddie has never contacted me once. I have reached out to him multiple times. He always had a different excuse and got angry at me the last time I called. He told me he would refund my money and hung up on me. No refund, and no communication since then. Oh, and no strap. Avoid this scammer. read more

Ordered a strap in May 2024. Was told several times its shipping next week. After 6+ months of waiting still no strap. I ordered a custom shop guitar on the same day, it arrived BEFORE the strap. read more

Steer clear of this guy, Mr Carlino. He will take your money, but you won't receive your goods. And it will be like pulling teeth trying to get your money back. He will not answer any emails you might send to him. I made multiple phone calls, initally asking when I would receive my purchase, and then transitioning over to when I will get my money back. Each call he had a different excuse, some of them outright lies, and he would become angry, yelling at me, as if he were the victim, and hang up on me. I finally had to get my my credit card company involved, and after reviewing transaction & situation, they reversed the charges and I got my money back. But from what I've read, others aren't so lucky, and they are out for much larger dollar amounts than what I'd spent. If you do decide to make a purchase, please go through something like PayPal, which will back you up and help you get your money back when he leaves you hanging. Do not go through Shop, which is what his website prefers. You have no recourse through Shop. And note, you will not find negative reviews for him on Google. He seems to have found a way to erase those. When they appear, it's a matter of a short time before Google reviews for him disappear, and when they re-appear, there are only positive reviews visible. But please do check out the Better Business Bureau reviews and feedback on him. Lets just say he'll never be accredited with the BBB. read more

Paid Eddie half in advance for an Explorer build. Was that ever a mistake. Strung me along for almost 2 years and ghosted me. No texts or messages ever returned. Got the BBB involved and he finally refunded me. read more

Eddie delivered my guitar. It's top notch. A beautiful instrument. I'm choosing to look forward and be happy. read more

Carlino Guitars - Guitar Stores Near Me - Medford, Massachusetts

See all

If I could leave a zero star review, I would have. NEVER send this guy ANY money in advance! He will string you along for years, and you will NEVER see the thing you paid for. read more

I had Eddie Carlino work on my Gothic Explorer literally well over a decade ago. The guitar plays flawlessly and hasn't gone more than a quarter step out of tune since 2006. And I play like James Hetfield, I really pound on the thing -- that first year we gigged every weekend night for almost the whole year, beating the hell out of that thing, and it barely broke a sweat. That guitar is probably going to be a mild family heirloom at this point and I am betting it will probably still be in tune at my funeral. Absolutely pitch perfect job. read more

I stumbled upon Eddie's place, it's an undiscovered gem. He's a true artisan and a master guitar builder/luthier who has built custom guitars for dozens of music stars and even better, beautiful guitar straps for the likes of Taylor Swift, Paul Stanley and Joe Bonamassa. And an extremely humble and helpful. Go see his art. read more

Eddie Carlino of Carlino Guitars my money for a guitar in September 2019. It was said to take 6-8 months but then COVID hit. I gave him that money in good faith. When things lightened up Carlino informed me it was a supply chain issues and the luthier he was using sucked so he was having a luthier from another company do it. Then I was told supply chain issues. Finally in February of this year he informed me that it could not be delivered as promised. I asked for a refund. He said I would get it but it has not come. He stated that he couldn't charge back to my card because they don't have that system anymore and he would mail me a check. Still not here and he has stopped replying to my emails and messages. Do not buy from this business because he WILL take your money and run!!! My money is gone now and Carlino Guitars is laughing all the way to the bank. read more

Strung me along for a year on a guitar that I was originally told would be a couple months. Paid 3500 up front. He never reached out to give me updates, when I reached out to him he was rude condescending and argumentative. he would come up with incred stories about how it's too humid to paint in Florida. has no idea how to treat customers. avoid at all cost read more

Called Eddie about setting up lessons. He put me down for Monday evenings and asked me if I was sure I would be coming in since people tend to cancel. I said yes and that I would be there and was looking forward to it. I come in at that date and time and he told the instructor was running late and that he didn't have me in his system, and then he said he can't set up a time for someone unless they pay in advance. That makes sense, sure. But why not explain that over the phone? He failed to mention that and wasted my time since I fulfilled my commitment to be there. His time isn't more valuable then his customers and he should see that. Since then I started lessons somewhere so it worked out in the end read more

They clearly know their stuff, and they gave a great selection. Not a big selection, just the right selection. I bought my bass and my guitar there. I took some lessons with Joe, who is great, and one of the most interesting men I've ever met. But I went there for my scheduled lesson on 2 occasions to find them closed without notice. I get it's a small business, and things come up, but it's not hard to let your customers know, especially when they're planning their day off around their lesson. No "gotta close today" or "sorry about that." read more

Always call and ask for the price of an item or service BEFORE you go to the shop. I had an overpriced guitar setup, work was Ok but tuning was way off and guitar had a few new pick scratches. Not what you expect from a "professional" guitar setup. read more

My experience with Eddie at Carlino has not been a good one. I initially purchased a Franklin Strap for my guitar from him via eBay. He didn't have the strap advertised, so after a bit of back and forth, I decided to upgrade and try one of Eddie's custom made straps for considerably more money. I sent him a picture of one of my Franklin's and where I had it set at, and he assured me he could handle it from there. When I received the strap, it was too short, it also was a very different color than what was portrayed online. He was difficult to deal with, but in the end said he would send a longer tail for the one he sent, and also send another strap so i could decide which one I wanted to keep as the color was so far off. It has been 3 months now and Eddie has not come through on either thing he promised, nor is he answering emails I have sent asking for status. I have a very expensive and unusable strap and Eddie seems not to care now that he has my money. I must say, he's smart. He strung me along long enough to where I have no recourse with eBay and or PayPal. BUYER BEWARE! Especially if you're dealing with him online. Edit: After 2 months of no response, the situation was resolved in less than a day after this and a note to the BBB were written. Thanks Yelp, you're the people's BBB read more

I send all of my student to Carlino Guitars to buy their instruments. I NEVER recommend that they go to Guitar Center. When they come back for their next lesson, they always say how awesome their experience was and how Eddie made them feel important. That's what I love about Eddie. Very personal touch. Great businessman and you should see the guitar straps this guy makes. Anything he touches is gold. If want to get the wrong guitar for yourself, or are not interested in a personal touch, then follow John R.'s advice below and purchase online. He obviously knows nothing about guitars and his comments seem to be more on the parking than about the service. Eddie has set-up my guitar and many of my student's guitars. If Eddie cannot fix your guitar, then honestly nobody can. Support your local music shop, Eddie is by far one of the best around. You'll be happy you came in. read more

I have been a customer of Carlino Guitars for 8 years. Eddie Carlino knows *everything* about guitars and accessories as well as equipment in general. He will always walk an extra mile to make a customer happy, and he is always there with some interesting project being done. He even makes his own guitars and the coolest straps (customized or not)... and they are all bold and perfect, with a special attention to details. If a customer also needs some information on products, or ask him something, he is always ready to help. There are always very interesting people stopping by, and checking how his latest model of guitar is looking like, to chat about music-anything. Even buying his wood, engraved picks is a great excuse to go there and check his crafting work in guitars, leather straps and many other items he might be working on. I recommend Carlino Guitars without any restrictions. read more

Where to begin? From the first time I described my project over the phone, to the moment he unveiled his creation, Eddie was friendly, enthusiastic about working with me on my project, and made sure I was getting exactly what I wanted. Beyond his outstanding customer service, Eddie is hands down one of the most talented woodworkers I have ever met. The final product, a custom laser-engraved ceremonial fraternity paddle, went above and beyond my wildest dreams. Not only was the engraving clean and exactly like the design I imagined, he even managed to take a little bit of artistic liberty by adding a dark wood inlay to my Fraternity crest, giving it an unbelievable, elegant pop. Last, and certainly not least, Eddie's prices are far better than any other comparable engraving service in the area; had I gone elsewhere I would have had to pay at least TWICE what Eddie quoted me. Quite simply, you will not find a better person for whatever project you are imagining, and would be doing yourself a disservice if you give your business to anyone other than Eddie. read more

Eddie's so great! I called a couple of days before Valentine's Day after being referred by an area music shop to ask if he could do an engraved guitar pick for me to give as a gift. He told me I could do a walk-in the next day, had tons of beautiful types of wood to choose from for picks, and I was able to do double-sided engraving and pick my own fonts. I got 4 picks in different wood types for much cheaper than the price of a single pick available online or on etsy. After I worked with Eddie to design them I left and he called me back two hours later to pick them up. Eddie also had lots of entertaining stories and beautiful guitar straps and guitars to look at while I was in the shop. Overall, wonderful experience getting a last minute gift. read more

Carlino Guitars - One of the engraved guitar picks - Guitar Stores Near Me - Medford, Massachusetts

This is not a review of the guitar shop, but of the laser engraving Eddie does at the shop. Check out http://laserwooddesign.com/home I recently got a wooden six pack for my home brewing as a Christmas present. The 6 pack was already pretty cool, but I though it would be even more cool if I had my logo engraved on it as well. I emailed Eddie, and within minutes, I got a response. I could tell right away that he was a person though takes great pride in his work, and also gave me a super competitive price. I dropped the six pack off on Sunday, and Eddie emailed me late on Monday to tell me it was done. I was thinking it would be a little longer of a process, but Eddie did it super fast, and he did a great job on it as well. Even though I didn't stop in for a guitar, while talking to him on my visits, and listening to him with another customer as well, you can tell he knows his stuff, and even though the small is rather small, he has a a great selection from great brands. read more

Do not pay for anything up front with this guy. Once he has your money, Eddie will forge a continual excuse trail as to why he cannot deliver on his contractual obligation. He will also eventually ignore your calls and emails. My experience: On July 9, 2015, I purchased a guitar from Eddie and the deal was to include one of his self proclaimed "amazing" straps. This was for a Dean USA Schenker V so I figured it would be awhile to get the guitar since it was a custom made piece. I, stupidly, paid him in full for the guitar and strap. On August 3, 2015, I purchased an additional guitar and this deal also was to include a strap. This also was for a Dean USA Schenker V that was to be custom made. I again, stupidly, paid him in full for this guitar and strap. The guitars understandably took a while to complete, but I have received them. However, I still do not have the straps that were included with both of the deals. 18 months and no straps. In that time Dean was able to build me 2 custom guitars from scratch. I have made numerous inquiries concerning the straps. Eddie indicated in October 2016 that they were being stitched and should be completed "shortly". Since then he has ignored my call and emails regarding this issue. I personally purchase a lot of guitars and related products and have never had a more negative experience with a vendor. The unprofessionalism that I have experienced through this process is unparalleled. The worse part about this is his continual ignoring of my request for an update. He does not even possess the business decency to respond. read more

If you're looking ridiculously expensive guitar strap from a company with cheap strap service, look no further!!

Exceptional customer service. I recently purchased a guitar from Carlino Guitars and everything was delivered as promised. Thanks to Eddie for packaging the product well for shipment as promised...providing the tracking number and responding to my text in a timely manner. read more

Amazing job repairing my Martin and setting up my Taylor with a 24 hour turnaround. Super knowledgeable, does great work, and knows His stuff. read more

I bought a guitar from Carlino via Reverb website. The owner sent me a broken guitar and when I called him, he denied it was broken and started screaming "THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT GUITAR I PACKED IT MYSELF!!". I sent him a video of the strap holder that literally falls out of the guitar. He changed from saying nothing is wrong and said "Not my problem, it's a consignment guitar." Then he told me the guitar doesn't need to be fixed. Next he to use toothpicks to fix the hole (after he said it doesn't need fixing lol). Toothpicks?? I care about my guitars and I DO NOT use toothpicks to repair any of them. This guy owns a guitar repair store and not only did he not check the guitar for damage before he sent it, he then told me to "Spend $10 on some wood glue and fix it yourself." He could have fixed the guitar before selling but I guess that's not their practice at this place. Long story short, I got Reverb involved and seller paid for the repairs. Hopefully he learns a lesson from this. read more

Just to clarify... this place is really great and I highly recommend folks check it out... The upside is that its not Guitar Center. No knuckleheads... etc. The downside is that it doesn't have Guitar Center's Walmart-esque selection. read more

I had a problem with the electronics on a bass guitar I own. I thought the pot on the volume knob needed to be replaced; Eddie quoted me a very, very low price to fix this (~$20, maybe even $10, I don't remember exactly). I went to pick up the guitar the next day (yes, very fast turnaround time on jobs). It turned out there was a more complicated issue with the chips/circuit board that work with the active pickups. Eddie did some diagnostics and narrowed the problem down, but couldn't fix the inside of the chips themselves (obviously). Eddie recommended someone with expertise nearby, gave the guy's name and number, and told me to drop his name to get a better price. The above and beyond part? Eddie filed off the rough edges on some of the frets on my bass. For free. Without me having to ask. He literally would not let me pay him for this work, even when I tried to insist. So he diagnosed my problem and repaired the frets for ZERO DOLLARS because he felt bad that he couldn't fix a problem in the chips/circuitry. As for the complaint by another reviewer about the shop being messy... sure, it's a little cluttered, but Eddie lives and breathes this stuff, and it seems like he spends a lot of time in the shop. Good craftsmen are tinkerers, and they're liable to have a lot of projects going on at once all over the place. I take the clutter as evidence of Eddie's true personal passion for his work. Bottom line: Eddie is the absolute man, and he deserves your business. Don't be put off by his low-key demeanor on the phone, he's really very friendly. read more

Eddie's the man! I've been bringing my basses to him for years now for setups and repairs, and he always does a great job with super fast turnaround time. Glad to have this place in my neighborhood. Ed's always very friendly and great to talk to as well. read more

I found Eddies sight on the internet and found the laser engraved picks to be very cool looking. I e-mailed Eddie to give him my ideas for the engraving. He was very prompt and responsive. He said there would be no problem and gave me a time when they would be finished.Here's where it goes above and beyond. I was driving from Indiana for the marathon and was arriving Sunday afternoon and had very little time as the marathon was on Monday morning. Eddie offered to open his doors for me on Easter Sunday so I could could pick up the merchandise. Having never been to Boston and not familiar with the area Eddie offered to hand deliver the picks to us at the train stop. The picks and Eddies humble demeanor made for a great story and wonderful Boston experience. Thanks again Eddie. Scott H read more

Having played in a band since the mid 90's and being from Medford, I was eager to check this place out when it opened. Although small and cramped for space, Eddie the owner is a great guy who does fantastic work. I've had him setup my Nuno P2 and P3 Washburn guitars countless times, as well as my Strat, and he does an amazing job everytime. Not only is he super-meticulous, but he loves answering all my techie questions, like how to properly set intonation. He stands by his products and is very down-to-earth. If price were no issue and I had the room, I'd get one of his custom Carlino guitars. The design and paint jobs are sick! read more

I have an after school rock band program that I run. It's In a city where the kids don't have the means for equipment lessons etc. -We make do. Eddie supported my students and their aspirations to play music- I support Carlino guitars and recommend it to anyone who wants quality work done to their instrument. Small business's run by skilled craftsman are what make communities work. Thanks Eddie. read more

First off this is my only review anywhere. I hooked up with Ed Carlino through guitarsetups.com, I believe he must own the domain. I wanted my Gibson Les Paul setup as it was never done correctly. When I called the number Ed answered and I asked if this was guitarsetups.com. Ed went...Huh? oh yes. This should have been the first clue. I setup an appointment to drop the guitar off, and did so. I wanted the tuners changed as the guitar came with robo tuners, which I hated, and i wanted the guitar setup correctly. Ed said the guitar would be done the following. Saturday. I said fine and paid the man $240+ for the work. I called him during the week and said I would not be able to make it that next Saturday. Ed said fine and he will be there. A month and a half later I get in touch with him very upset that he would not return the half a dozen calls to him asking WTF! I was given some excuse of being sick, or in Cali, or some other thing. Either way you just don't do that if you run a business. I picked the guitar up and am satisfied with it. Me being the person that WILL give you the benefit of the doubt, brought another guitar with me to have setup. An old Jackson dinky standard professional with a Floyd Rose bridge. I paid the man $140+ to do the work, also 2 pickups would not work with the selector switch and Ed said that he would take care of these. Picked the guitar up a week later and played it a bit in the shop, not much. Ed said that he fixed the pickup problem and to call him if there is a problem, yeah sure. The guitar was unplayable when I got it home and checked it out,.. Sooo I called him that day. He has yet to call me back...3 months later. The reason I'm writing this review is because I finally plugged the guitar in to check out the pickups. Guess what..they don't work...and would never work unless they were replaced. Why? because the coils are open due to someone plugging the output of an amp to the guitar input smoking the coils in the guitar. I'm an electrical engineer by trade. Ed never even bothered to look at these, even though he said he did. If he did I'm sure he would have discovered the open coils in the 2 pickups. Sorry, Ed, but I gave you every opportunity to come through for me. I paid good money for unacceptable service and work. If I did that in my line of work I would be on the unemployment line. Frank Lawler read more

Best of the best. Carlino Guitars all the way. Eddie does some amazing work on that laser machine. Every time I come in, he's up to a new project. Very personable. Shop is small but that's what gives Eddie's store it's character. He's always out to help you and make sure you get the best. read more

Although this guy does a good job on setting up a guitar, his store looks like it was hit by a tsunami and left for looting. You can't walk anywhere in there or have room to try out anything. There is literally papers and junk piled in the aisles that's been there for weeks on end.... I know because I walked in there the other day, then again on three occasions two weeks prior. Also, there is zero parking... I literally had to drive around for 10 minutes and park 3 blocks away. Reason enough to stay with online merchants... read more

I recently discovered this place. Living in Somerville, I've been taking my guitars to tech folks in the Somerville/Cambridge area. Some times a basic set up takes three weeks or more, and runs 75 bucks. Eddie can turn your guitar around in a day, charge less, and do a better job. He's friendly, and not a snob (there's nothing worse than attitude in guitar shops). He enjoys his work, and it shows in the way he deals with customers. read more

BEST guitar shop around, the ones he builds are fantastic play real well.He also does custom straps and picks and if you have any questions he answers them all. we dont have any place around like that down here on the Cape read more

I went to this shop because Eddie also does laser wood engraving. I needed some wooden blocks engraved. I found the quality of the work to be impeccable - and hope I have more engraving projects now that I know an artist and craftsman who does this kind of work. I found Eddie to be excellent in communication and very knowledgeable as I tried to figure out if this would work for my project. He was very reliable (the job was finished when he said it would be and he was at the shop when he said he would be there). Price was super reasonable for this kind of labor-intensive work. So, workmanship, knowledge, communication, quality, all A+++. Professionalism, another top grade of A+++. Courtesy, A+++ also. After reading one of the other reviews, I will mention that I had no trouble finding parking, lots of meters around and even free on-street (Main Street) parking nearby. His shop is an experience to stop into -- both times I was there (for drop off and pick up), he had an engraving project going so I could watch that technology in action. A treat! read more