I went to get my old guitar fix and they did an excellent job. Price was reasonable. Sales person was friendly. Would go back if my other guitar needs fixing. read more

Steve, one of the owners that I explained my amp repair to at the front desk, took time to understand my request to get my Fender "Evil" Twin that I've owned for 30 years up and running again. I did some restoration to the wood and a few pots fell off when I removed the electronics. So, it was literally in pieces when I dropped it off. It had other issues they fixed too! It was in one piece when I picked it up and it sounds and works amazing. They also had a detailed invoice of the work and took the time to explain what they did. They also did a setup on my Martin DC-16RGTE that I've had for 16 years. It plays perfectly now. Probably better than when I bought it. Steve even did a small tweak for me on the spot based on my action preference. Great customer service. Thank you! read more

Chicago Fret Works - Fender Twin - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had a great experience with Steve at the Fret Works. I had a relatively simple problem with daughter's bass guitar (a starter "mini") and he was able to resolve it quickly while I stood there. Great service! read more

CFW recently completed a setup of my Fender Player strat. As a new player only 3 months in the learning process, the people behind the counter were nothing but excellent in walking me through what needed servicing on my guitar. They were great in offering detailed explanations and answers to my questions. After a 3 week wait, I'm extremely happy with the end product. CFW simply did their job exceedingly well down to even giving the strat what appeared to be a polishing. I was absolutely stoked to see how much nicer it felt and even looked. For the money, have no concerns about receiving solid, thoughtful, and detail-forward work. read more

I used to own a guitar repair store. Yep. My first business. I was 23 when I opened it and sold it to get money to got to music school. Now 50 years later I walk into Chicago Fret Works. I have this beautiful rare and valuable Taylor. One night at a gig it was knocked off its stand and the neck broke. ::heartbreak:: I had it put back together but it was BS. Then I walked into Chicago Fret Works. My Taylor is getting love there now. I haven't even gotten it back but I already know how it's going to feel when I do You can sense the vibe as soon as you walk in the door. I'm primed for excellence. And I'm pretty convinced I'm. Going to get it. read more

I recently brought in my Epiphone guitar to have a broken neck repaired. I was very satisfied with the results. It came back looking like a brand new guitar. I highly recommend CFW for its expertise and friendly staff. read more

Just another shout out for Chicago Fret Works. Brought one of my prize acoustic guitars in for new electronics, set-up and maintenance. Wow, these guys made it look, sound and feel brand new. The K&K pure mini pickup sounds great. Thanks guys. I will keep bringing my instruments in for your expert care. Btw prices very reasonable for this expert quality work. Also, thanks for the contactless drop-off and pick-up. read more

Highly, highly recommended. I took a recently-purchased vintage Lowden in for a pickup installation and setup. Upon close inspection, they noticed the bridge was lifting ever so slightly, so they addressed that as well. The setup and fret level/dress really transformed the instrument. I have built and worked on many electric guitars, so I feel qualified at least to say that CFW did excellent work on my instrument at a fully reasonable price. And their communication was great every step of the way. FWIW, I have also had an amp serviced at CFW with spectacular results. It will be the first place I take all my instruments for repair/service from now on. read more

Balthazar just repaired 2 of my tube amps, one of which was a complex circuit. He did fantastic work and I appreciated his great communication. read more

I brought a couple of amps in to Fretworks be gone over recently..an old Deluxe Reverb with original capacitors from 1970, and a Friend-Made Marshall 2204 circuit in a head. Patrick & company did an excellent job.. The Deluxe Reverb sounds killer..he did one small mod that i love and suggested a speaker im very happy with..all in all - total recap, new speaker, popped in a proper reverb tank and determined what the spec rectifier should be...Amp sounds beautiful.. On the Marshall 2204 amp he killed one of the bright caps in it and also tweaked the bass to give it a bit more range...This Amp sounds incredible..still a Marshall but without the ice pick when playing clean..i can actually use the Mid and Treble pots now..totally changed this amp without killing it's proper vibe..Very Happy as usual. read more

Chicago Fret Works - these are amps. you play them and then your neighbor calls you. - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Charge too much for half ass work, had to take my guitar somewhere to fix their mistake. Smh

These guys do great work and are very reliable. They have always given good advice on how to best care for your guitars. Top notch service.

I was pretty devastated when my Martin acoustic got a major crack down it's back along with internal braces getting unglued. I was an idiot and left my guitar on the wall during this last winter, which caused the crack. I took it over to Chicago Fret Works and they did an amazing job restoring it. I couldn't be happier! I'd recommend these guys to anyone. read more

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This place is superior to anywhere. The craftsmanship is amazing, the luthiers are professional and super chill. Can't help but fall in love with the location and atmosphere. I never hope a guitar goes down but when it does, I don't mind stopping in here. A couple of nice fenders that I have I take in for regular maintenance. The prices are straightforward and reasonable for the superb talents that these guys have. I do wish that they stayed open in the evenings one night a week or something but family does come first. read more

Getting a trusted instrument repaired is never an easy prospect, but when it is necessary, Chicago Fret Works provides the kind of experience you're looking for. Even during the pandemic, they are providing a level of customer service most places aspire to but fail to deliver, and are providing quality, top-notch repairs. I needed some binding work done on my banjo. When I arrived, I met with Dan, one of the owners. He took the time to discuss the repair with me. He asked questions about my expectations and answered questions I had about the repair. During the process, he sent me progress photos and explained what was happening. The end result is better than I could have hoped for. It took slightly longer than they said it would, but it came in under the quoted price. I'll definitely use them again in future. read more

The guys at Fretworks are honest, nice and highly skilled. They gave my G&L ASAT Tribute a new bone nut, sanded the back of the neck and reset up the guitar professionally. I have more expensive guitars I love but after their craftsmanship this import is now my favorite. Highly recommend them for guitar repair. read more

I had Fretworks setup my guitar and install 2 pickups. The setup was good but there was damage to the screws of the bridge. The screws of the posts set the height of the wraparound bridge. The screws are also loose enough to adjust by hand. The only way the damage could have occurred is if they adjusted the height of the bridge while string tension was still on the bridge. They failed to loosen the strings, adjust the height, tighten the strings and measure... then repeat if needed. They felt they didn't have time for that. As a result the screw heads show the beginning of being stripped. After seeing this, I can only assume they rushed through the pickup install. Hopefully they don't fail while I'm on stage. read more

Chicago Fret Works - Who says, "never force a screw?" - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've done business with Chicago Fret Works twice now and have been extremely satisfied with both experiences! Nice atmosphere, fair prices, excellent quality work, and SUPER quick turn around time. Both Dan and Steve are easy going, knowledgable, and VERY accommodating. I was even inspired to pick up one of their sweet t-shirts :-) I will continue to take my high-end Taylor acoustic to them for any/all work that needs doing. Five stars to this fine establishment! read more

I've been going to Chicago Fret Works for over 10 years but have yet to drop them a review all this time. They always do great work at a reasonable price, and the shop has a great small town feel. Honestly, the dogs hanging out in the shop are my favorite part, but luckily the humans do a great job setting up my bass every year. :) They recently accommodated a rush request which I really appreciated and which prompted me to write this review. Highly recommended for all your instrument/gear repair needs! read more

I recently picked up an Epiphone Lucille that had been somewhat neglected by its previous owner. The neck relief was off, the intonation was also off, and the action was poor with considerable fret buzz. I dropped it off at Chicago Fret Works on June 3rd to have them perform "The Works" package. I picked up the guitar earlier today and was absolutely amazed by the quality of their work. Not only does it now play effortlessly with perfect intonation & action but they cleaned, polished, and buffed it. I doubt that it looked that good when it was new. As an added bonus, the cost was extremely reasonable. It's a 3 hour round trip drive for me but I would never take a guitar anywhere else for service. Chicago Fret Works is the best. read more

As a woman, I'm always apprehensive when it comes to wandering into typically male territory such as auto repair shops, men's restrooms, and music shops. I've been playing music for nearly fifteen years and have been treated to my share of obnoxious alpha male behavior, including the charming time when a drunk dude took my guitar to "help me tune it" (into a key even Sun Ra wouldn't want to play in). Now, I'm certainly not an outstanding musician. I can't tune by ear. I avoid certain chords because they make my hands hurt. I can't play any scales and when asked what key I want to sing in I usually just say C (and I'm usually right but that's just dumb luck). But I do, in my own backwards way, know how make music and I know what I want and need out of my instruments. When it came to my second-hand, sorely neglected Peerless banjo (it had delusions of grandeur, for sure, because it had plenty of similarly crappy sounding peers) I wanted the bridge to not have two picks wedged underneath it, I wanted the B string to not sound like a sitar, and and I wanted it to have a pick up installed so when I play gigs I can actually hear the darn thing in the mix. So I perused reviews and said to myself, for no logical reason, I'm gonna try Chicago Fret Works. Like most ladies, I am ruled by my humors and my uterus, and my uterus loves things with "works" in them (clockworks, kraftwerk, Gesamtkunstwerk). Anyway, my lady brain is quickly making this review far longer than it needs to be. Despite my nervousness, the guys in this shop never spoke down to me and I never got even a whiff of disdain for my poor ugly banjo. In fact, when I picked it up, one of the gents complimented my playing. "Every banjo sounds awful if the person doesn't know how to play it," he said. And they waited to affix the pick up input until I was wearing the banjo, so the placement wouldn't get it my way. The quote was reasonable, the work was done in a week, and now I have a banjo that sounds amazing, as long as I've practiced enough. My banjo's name might not be entirely accurate yet, but it's a little less delusional than before, and that's good enough for me. read more

I received the most honest and professional service from Chicago Fret Works. I brought in my inexpensive Fender amp after causing damage by running the amp without the speaker plugged in--which to my knowledge can fry the electronics in this model. Chicago Fret Works informed me that they'd purchased a replacement amp for parts and replaced any faulty parts for almost nothing--and admitted their fault in damaging the amp during inspection (they also noted that such an error was very unusual to happen). In short, they took a loss on an issue that I would have had no idea about (and I may have caused). I will go nowhere else for guitar and amp service. read more

A good time for an update, just last month had a Yamaha classical guitar set up done along with a new nut and saddle, and some months before that some work on a Martin. So far I've had three guitars worked on here, and will continue to be a customer. I've dealt with both Dan & Steve and have found them both to be informative and knowledgeable. read more

I stopped by Chicago Fret Works to get an old family banjo restrung and to find out whether a ukulele I inherited could be cheaply saved as it wouldn't stay in key. My banjo was wiped down, polished and restrung, and while I said I didn't want to have a full treatment done on it because I couldn't afford it, the man helping me went out of his way to fix some other problems with it at no additional charge. As far as the ukulele goes, turns out it just needed some screws tightened, which the shop did for free. Really helpful, friendly guys. They want your instruments to work for you, and yes want to make money, but it's obvious they love what they do and want to make customers happy so they come back. read more

I paid $700 for a Tacoma acoustic six years ago. It was used, but it played and sounded as good as any of the $1,000-$1,500 Martins and Taylors in the store. What always worried me was the guitar's light weight, and over the last couple of years I began to notice it's slow death. I almost bought a new guitar. But last month I remembered that I have the internet, an invaluable tool for finding out how to get things done, and I Googled "guitar repair Chicago". Lo and behold, I discovered this gem called Chicago Fret Works, less than two miles away from my house. Why sit idly by and assist in the death of my once lively instrument when I could take it to the guitar doctors and have it checked out? Aside from proposing to my girlfriend (now fincee') after the New Year rang in, this had to be the best move I made thus far in 2010. Dan immediatly told me what was wrong: It was dried out because the lighter wood that my guitar is made of is very vulnerable to dry air. He said that he'd keep it humidified for a week and then give it the works set-up, which ran me a total of $96, and that's including the Elixer strings he threw on for $16, just $1 more than the going rate for that particular set, meaning that I paid him a buck to throw them on for me. Score. I entered the store again, two Saturdays later, to see how my wooden love had beared its surgery. Let's just put it this way: it gave my soul a stiffy. It's great to have back the guitar I bought six years ago, as opposed to the warped clone I helped turn it into. I now keep it in the case with a humidifier. Thanks guys. read more

The did a knock job on an average guitar. Thanks guys it is so much easier to play.

These guys are amazing. We brought them an acoustic guitar with the headstock snapped off in the most jagged way. Not only did he manage to replace and reinforce the headstock, there was *zero* visible evidence that it was ever broken in the first place, down to the grain lines that he manually added in. Great communication and accurate estimates. It's clear that these guys are not just talented, but also love their craft. Absolutely superb work. read more

Went there to have my Heritage Hollow Body set up. The neck needed some adjusting as well some of the frets, the nut, and other setup issues. I know a little about setting up guitars but when it comes to my expensive guitars I would rather leave it to the experts. The prices here are reasonable ($35 for a basic setup), the staff seems very knowledgable, and extremely friendly. What I like about this place is the no nonsense woodshop atmosphere where they focus on one thing...fixing guitars. They do sell pickups, a few guitars, some pedals, and other guitar accessories, but their mainly it is repair shop. They did a great job setting up my guitar and got it done in less than a week. They called me when it was done and I hung out and talked to them about guitars for awhile. I am picky about guitar luthiers and have been lucky to find some real pros in cities where I have previously lived. I am very happy to have stumbled across this place and I highly recommend their guitar services! read more

I helped a very weak friend carry his amp into Chicago Fret Works. Very nice setup. Made me want to practice my guitar more than once a month so I can bring it here to get cleaned. Neat local guitar-hangee-round-neckee things for sale. Bonus: Darryl from the Office brought his wonky amp to Chicago Fret Works. It was totally him. read more

Beautiful setup on my 7 year old Strat! Actually plays better than the day I bought it. Smooth action and shiny balanced frets up and down the neck. Franz was incredibly good on the customer-facing side. Helped me understand the actual repairs and alterations that needed to be made. Didn't judge me when I told him I'd spilled coffee all over the pick-ups. They went in discovered my middle pick-up had shorted out, so they resoldered it back into action at a very reasonable cost. They won my trust and I will bring my other, more precious, guitars here in the future. read more

They were very friendly and told me what to expect from my busted amp. They called when they were working on it and explained everything that was wrong and explained how much it would cost. Only downside was that it took 5 weeks, which, for me, was ok. But I can assume others would need a quicker turnaround time. I'm sure they're busy because they're good. Amp works great. read more

Knowledgeable, competent, honest to a fault. Everything from basic setups to major surgery, they do and do well. They've worked on 4 acoustic and 5 electrics for me. They've even talked me out of spending money! Wouldn't use anyone else. read more

I own a 1965 Gretsch Country Gentleman, which is synonymous with 'binding issues'. The binding was badly yellowed in some parts, but mostly brittle, cracking, and falling off in small pieces. I couldn't find anyone in NY City (where I live) who would touch the guitar. I sent the guitar to CFW and spoke with Dan. We agreed patching the binding wouldn't be sufficient, and the entire body needed to be re-done. This included the 'edging' as well as the entire back portion of the guitar. They did not rush at all, and made certain the job was done correctly. Dan did a tremendous job with the entire guitar! The guitar looks absolutely gorgeous. I requested polishing it and a setup as well. The Country Gent has a floating bridge, and Dan tapes the bridge and packed it very well in case if was thrown around during shipping. Taping the bridge kept the intonation and setup they gave me untouched. I would highly recommend CFW if you are looking for top service, professional work on any guitar you own. read more

Chicago Fret Works has never let me down. I've taken my guitar, a cab, and an amplifier here before, and every time my gear problems have been resolved quickly and with great customer service, and for a decently competitive price. Steve and Pat (I think that's the amp tech's name) are extremely friendly and helpful, and have always answered my questions and one time the amp tech even hooked it up with a couple small pieces I needed when I was wiring my own cab. And who doesn't love a super friendly shop dog!? If you're on the middle to upper North Side of the city, in my opinion this is a one stop shop for all your guitar/amp needs and fixes. Keep it up guys!! read more

Three reasons why these guys are great (despite being Cubs fans): 1) They could've easily upsold me but didn't. I'm new to guitar and was told that I needed to lower the action. They could've suggested better strings, told me I needed to get the frets adjusted, and whatever else they do. In the end, they recommended the least expensive service. 2) They took the time to explain everything, which was good for me because before then I couldn't point to the saddle or truss rod. 3) I emailed them if they could turn it around quickly so I could keep practicing. The next morning I got an email saying it was done. read more

Took my 20 year old Strat in for a set-up. CFW did an amazing job! The action and intonation are perfect. The guitar plays like butter... :^) I'll definitely trust them to work on my other guitars there in the future. read more

Solid 4.5 stars! I went here for a complete setup plus tremol No installation. Steve explained to me in detail what would likely be done, and gave me a fairly accurate quote and pickup date. I gave them two weeks, and the work was done around 3 days earlier. During my revisit, Dan walked me through all the stuff they had done. I must say they did a terrific job in the fret leveling, intonation adjustment, hardware lubrication, and tremol No setup. Now my guitar plays a lot more smoothly than before, and the overall tone became notably nicer. I feel like a better player now! Small tip: if you wanna install tremol No, do some homework and get yourself the right type online. That way you can save some bucks, though I don't think CFW overcharged me. Too bad that I had to move! read more

1984 American Stratocaster. I brought my 84' Strat into these guys to have them bring it up to snuff. It had some buzzing frets and was pretty rusty as it lived in the jungle for a few years. The guys performed "The Works" on it and had it ready for me in a week. The guitar plays like new now and feels and looks better than it ever has. The staff of three cool guys in a small-ish shop makes for a pleasant and personal atmosphere. They do sell some accessories such as guitar cables, straps and some other things. All of the guys seem to have a quiver full of experience with the newest one having worked for Fender for a few years! All in all I had a great experience and plan on having them maintain my small collection of stringed instruments. read more

I've had these guys set up and fret level several guitars over the years. They are magicians! They have turned my guitars into the best instruments that I've ever played. They set up (the works) an acoustic Larrivee for me about 5 years ago--through 5 winters and 5 summers, it's still plays perfectly. Over the years, aside from the Larrivee, they have worked on my Fender Nocaster, ES-330, and ES-175 (set up and 2 cracked braces). They were all beautifully done. The luthiers there are extremely knowledgable and are very honest. I once purchased a Jazzmaster that had a fret buzz issue; instead of taking my money and fixing it, they advised me to return the guitar. I can't imagine having to go to another luthier. They really are the best around. read more

I've brought two guitars here so far and will definitely be coming back for years to come. Fantastic service, great attention to detail (even on the basic setup package) and really friendly and knowledgable staff who are clearly very passionate about stringed instruments. My cheapo ES-335 clone with P90s is playing and sounding the best it ever has after the basic setup. Before I brought it in, the intonation was way off and I had some nasty buzzing on my pickups. I had previously brought the guitar to a popular repair shop in Logan Square, who told me after failing to address the problem that the super-loud buzz was "normal for that type of pickup." Whereas CFW correctly identified the issue as a bad ground and fixed it - no more buzz. Clearly the other shop didn't even bother to look at the electronics, even though I was told they were cleaned and inspected. The staff at CFW actually does what they say they will, and they do it very well. I also brought my girlfriend's Taylor acoustic here for a setup, and to address some heavy crackling on the tone/volume pots. We originally wanted them to do a fret dress, but after they looked at the guitar, they were honest with us and told us that it needed new frets altogether (it does - the frets are in horrible shape) and that a fret dress probably wouldn't be worth the money. They could have totally upsold us on the fret dress service anyway, but they didn't - I appreciate the honesty and helpfulness. We opted for a basic setup, but we'll be back eventually to have the guitar re-fretted. When we came to pick up the Taylor, we noticed one of the pots still had a bit of crackling. CFW took the guitar in back and re-cleaned the pots for me right then and there (in under 5 minutes), which got rid of the remaining crackling entirely. All in all, out of the various repair shops I've used throughout the years, Chicago Fret Works is hands-down the best. These guys are true professionals, and it shows in the quality of their work and customer service. The prices are very reasonable as well - especially considering the other north side shops charge almost/just as much/sometimes MORE for inferior, far less attentive work. If you're shopping around for the best place to bring your guitar, look no further. read more