Brought my Jackson American Virtuoso in for a setup and fret level. Easy communication, fair prices, decent turnaround time, and just an overall nice guy. Guitar is buttery smooth, did a great job. Also offered a free tune up under warranty if anything shifts which is very generous of him given that this NYC winter nearly guarantees a shift in the setup. Don't think I'll need to ever look elsewhere as long as he's around. read more

I have found my "go-to" luthier in NYC and could not be happier with Farhad's professionalism and attention to his clients! I brought in my precious Martin HD-28 acoustic for a repair and a setup after reading great testimonials, and he took the time to walk me through not only the process of the repair, but also gave me a necessary lesson on humidifiers for the room and guitar case in these dry New York winters which can cause the wood to shrink and eventually crack on delicate instruments. As a recent transplant from Los Angeles, I had never had to worry about these temperature and humidity issues, but now I'm an "evangelist" about this and I've been sharing this advice to all of my musician friends and bandmates, thanks to Farhad's great advice! He also stands by his warranty on his setups, and just performed an expert tune-up on my Martin after the initial set up for no charge, while I brought the guitar to the shop (by appointment). He is also a very friendly guy, and makes his own bespoke line of electric guitars and pedals, and I've spoken to one of his employees? apprentices? partners? also working on the repair bench at Southside Guitars in Williamsburg, which to me exemplifies a real community of professional craftsmen and musicians who are passionate about guitars. I know where I'll be taking my guitars from now on. I've spent a lot of time finding "my" guitar techs/luthiers in LA over the years, and I'm so happy to have found Farhad here in Williamsburg. I will recommend him to everyone I know in New York. read more

I had a great experience with FS Lutherie! I brought two guitars, each with a bunch of different issues: fret leveling, electronics, setup, etc. They were very helpful at drop off, accurately spotting the issues up front, and both guitars were hugely improved when I picked them up. Love having this shop in the neighborhood, will be back again! read more

I could not have been happier with the result of my Mexican Strat setup! For context, I stumbled upon FS Lutherie after multiple negative experiences at a big box guitar retailer which included two attempts at a setup. The silver lining was that it drove me to Farhard's shop. Arranging an appointment and waiting (what felt like a long time but was a little over a week) is definitely a different type of experience. The big box retailer was a walk-in drop off with my guitar being ready the next day both times (I now realize that this is a potential red flag). FS Lutherie's protocol is admittedly slightly less convenient but totally makes sense once you go through the process. And at the end of the day, the result - for me - spoke completely for itself. His guitar shop alone inspired confidence in the potential for a better experience but the way my Mexican Strat felt, looked, and sounded after the job was done left me thankful for the experience that led me to Farhard's shop. My acoustic will be making its way to his shop for a setup soon and know that any problems I have with my guitars in the future will be sent his way read more

Farhad did a setup on my Mexican FSR strat, along with some basic fret work, and it turned out beautifully. Initially, his by-appointment-only service and "repair policy/disclaimer" for new customers, left me feeling a bit intimidated, but he responded immediately to my initial email contact and we promptly set up an appointment for the same day. The moment I walked through the door on my first appointment, all of my anxiety vanished and I was met with a warm handshake and a kind and calm demeanor. In hindsight, it now makes perfect sense as to why he only sees customers by appointment: it creates an environment where he is able to truly give you and your guitar his full, undivided attention. Neither the appointment, nor his work, felt the slightest bit rushed. I left confident in his ability and attention to detail, and a few weeks later was rewarded by a wonderfully playing guitar at fair labor prices. I can't recommend his services enough. In fact, he now has another guitar of mine in his shop for a setup and fret dressing. I'm very grateful to have found such a quality luthier in my neighborhood. read more

Had a new nut put on my Les Paul, which had actually been ruined by another local guitar shop (choose wisely!). Farhad was just the guy I was looking for to do the job. He did great work, including a "set-up", for a more than reasonable price and turn around time. He even chatted with me a bit and let me play through one of the pedals he designed. Awesome pedal. Check out his website. Oh, and he helped me find knobs for a pedal I was modifying myself. What a helpful bloke! Need guitar work done? Check him out. Really. Go now... read more

Farhad did a great job setting up my acoustic. I've got a few more guitars that are about to come his way.

Farhad repaired my acoustic quickly and his covid protocol made the entire process stress free. A couple days after dropping my guitar off Farhad called me, walked me through all necessary repairs and presented the final cost at the end of the call. All questions and concerns were answered with solutions and my guitar is back to playing perfectly. I highly recommend his services for your guitar! read more

Farhad did a fantastic job setting up my Strat- He shimmed the neck and raised the bridge saddles and set the action and intonation all to my specs and to my satisfaction . I was also impressed by his professionalism; he returned emails quickly and answered all my questions. Furthermore he had a Covid protocol that was unassailable and it gave me complete confidence not just that our transaction would be virus-free but that he was a serious and cautious person who could be trusted. Believe me when I say that not everyone I've employed to repair my guitars has cleared that bar. Maybe I was overconfident, but I'm pleased to say that Farhad did in no way disappoint me. I'll surely be bringing guitars to him in the future. read more

Farhad is a great luthier. He's honest, friendly, personable, professional, and affordable. He repaired a Gibson Explorer for me. I later brought a cheap classical guitar for him to set up, and rather than take the job, was up front with me and told me the guitar couldn't be salvaged (he was right). His prices are up front and reasonable. read more

Farhad did a setup and some fret work on my acoustic Epiphone. The guitar was in good shape before I sent it in but had never been set up properly as I used to change the strings and adjust the truss rod myself. Never got it right completely tho. After Farhad set it up, the guitar feels completely different and I won't try to set it up myself ever again. read more

He's the guitar whisperer. I would trust him with my most precious collectible. Farhad totally took my guitar and brought it back to life.

A friend referred me to Farhad and I brought him my bass for a setup with fret leveling. I can't believe how much better it's playing - wish I'd done it sooner! Seriously can't put it down. I didn't realize how bad it was until feeling how great it is now. Don't fight with your instrument, go get a pro setup! As he's an independent luthier, his prices are lower than many other shops, but the quality of work is outstanding and turnaround time is very reasonable. read more

Farhad is a standup guy and an excellent luthier. without a doubt the most skilled AND the easiest to work with i've encountered which to me is almost as important. i had a lot of questions about fixing and modifying my guitars, and he was very communicative and helpful with everything that i'd asked and suggested, and i never felt he was trying to sell me more work than was needed. he repaired my 67 guild starfire and it's never played better!! I'll be going back soon to have him make a new neck for my tele and some other work down the road, i'm stoked! read more

Farhad service as a luthier is excellent and fairly priced. I'm really happy after setting up my Fender Jazzmaster with him. The location is specially convenient if you're coming from Brooklyn (easy access by metro/bus). The service is usually fast and the schedule is flexible (based on appointments). I definitely recommend. read more

Wanted to go ahead and give this guy a great review simply for getting back to me so quickly when I messaged about a repair/setup. Five stars for customer service y'all. Didn't leave my message chillin in his inbox for days or weeks before he got back to me, and I really appreciate that! Haha Keep doin what you're doin man! read more

I am writing this review because it can be hard to find a skilled archtop luthier to work on your instruments that does great repairs and modifications and is easy to work with. Farhad is the person! I have a 1967 Gibson Super 400 CES and an Ibanez Johnny Smith model from the early 80s. Because of circumstances the guitars were in storage for about 30 years. When I pulled them out the Super 400 had suffered damage from the breakdown and release of gas from the pickguard. The metals were oxidized, etc. and it wasn't playable. The Ibanez was in much better shape but needed fretwork and the pickguard was separating and the electrics had oxidized. I was looking for a luthier to work on my guitars and Farhad was recommended by a major archtop builder in NYC. Because of my respect for the person who recommended him I decide to take my guitars to him. All I can say is I am so glad I did. He did beautiful work on each of the guitars and he is a perfectionist. When he sees a problem that you didn't notice he will bring it to your attention and make sure that if he repairs it the work is done to the highest standards. For my Super 400, he also designed and cut a replacement ebony pickguard which is exactly what I wanted. We worked on possible designs for the pickguard and he would cutout a mockup so that I could see what it would look like and he then went out of his way to find a really beautiful piece of ebony. To my surprise he was also able to save the original pickups but had to change the covers. He even distressed the new covers so that they visually fit the rest of the guitar. He also did a great job on the setups. Finally, Farhad is easy going, and his major concerns are the integrity of the instrument and your happiness with the work. There is also really a nice feeling in his shop and even though it is cramped because he is working on all these different guitars you just want to say to him...let me get a cup of coffee and hang out in your shop for a while, which is the highest compliment that I can give anyone. I highly recommend Farhad for any work that you need done on your guitars. read more

Farhad is a terrific luthier; like finding a good and honest mechanic for my car, I have been very happy to have found him. His shop has set up about 6 guitars for me and done one or two pickup swaps. Each time, the job he did was perfect and reflected the consultation we had about what I wanted; once I asked for a post set-up tweak and he was more than happy to both explain why he did what he did, and to enthusiastically show me how to make adjustments on my own. He truly made a couple of my guitars sound strikingly better. Best repair, installation and set-up jobs I've had done in Brooklyn. Nice guy too. read more

I took two of my guitars to FS Lutherie for setups and was very happy with the quality of work and the warmness of the customer service.

This is the best guitar repair/Luthier in NYC--possibility the country. I heard about the shop from a big shot musician, whose name will go unsaid. At first, I was not sure what to expect from Farhad. I brought him an old relic that had been collecting dust in my grandfathers attic. I really wasn't sure if the guitar would compete with the newer models I have been accustomed to, particularly because the instrument looked like it needed so much work, and Farhad, he comes off as pretty unassuming. He gave me a quote that was pretty reasonable, I said why not. When I got the instrument back it looked brand new and sounded better than anything I had ever played. Since then I've been bringing Farhad all of my guitars--even for small jobs, he does such great work. If you need any work done, do yourself a favor and let Farhad do the work. read more

Farhad does my setups and did some truly fantastic repair work when my guitar had a huge crack! He's the best

I took a guitar to Farhad for a setup and to replace pickups and wiring. When I got the guitar back from him it felt and sounded better than ever. He's a pro and his rates are reasonable. I highly recommend him! read more

Farhad was great. Based on referrals I shipped my guitar to NY for repairs. Highly recommend FS Lutherie Guitar Shop for all your repairs.

I bought a brand new guitar from Guitar Center. I knew they wouldn't be able to do a proper setup based on people's reviews, so i went on youtube to try to do it myself. After finding out that it really required a professional, and I didn't know WTF i was doing--I started looking for a Luthier in Brooklyn. A lot of shops were hit and miss on reviews all over NYC. F S Lutherie was the only one with solid ratings. Here's the deal: Farhad is a pro. I took a new guitar to him and dropped it off and OMG the guitar I got back today sounds INCREDIBLE. INCREDIBLE. Setup, intonation, tune-up and I'm back to rocking six in Brooklyn. Farhad's a consummate professional, knows what he's doing. I'm glad I took my guitar to him. I'll be bringing my guitar back for pretty much everything. TLDR: Farhad knows guitars. You don't even know your own. Bring yours to him. Thanks Man! read more

This guy is a magician! He can take what's broken, scratched, damaged and make it look like new, and sound better than ever. He's also a masterful musician, and I've seen how he plays the instruments in order to test the sound quality... He can play Hendrix and leave everybody floored. He could probably take one of the Hendrix smashed guitars and make them look brand new. Highly recommend him. read more

A simple setup goes a long way with Farhad. He turned my Jazzmaster into something I now love to play. If you're in the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area, definitely hand your baby over to him. read more

Farhad is a pleasure to work with, has years of experience, and charges very reasonable prices. He even did some followup work on a guitar for free after he worked on it originally to get it playing perfectly. He has worked on a few electric guitars for me so far which came out great, and as long as I'm in New York I plan on taking all my guitars to him. read more

Farhad has worked on 2 of my vintage Fender guitars (68, 74), my vintage lapsteal, 70's P bass, and an acoustic of mine. I trust him with my most prized objects. he'll work within your budget and surpass your expectations... he's a cool dude too. read more

Farhad got back to me right away about replacing an inlay on my 1972 Hagstrom Viking. He built the inlay himself and stained it to matchlike the originals to the point where I can't even tell which one he replaced. The work was done in a timely manner and was affordable. I would recommend F.S. Lutherie to all! read more

Top-notch repairs and set-ups done by a great guy who stands by his work! Do not hesitate to take your guitar here.

Just received my guitar back. The "grind and polish" was ok even though I had some frets that didn't feel "buttery smooth".Also had a few electronic problems that couldn't resolve, but wasn't charged for it. read more

Farhad is a master. He has done the best work on my guitars of anyone I have ever encountered. His passion for the work is undeniable. From a broken neck (twice!) to a simple set up his work is consistently top notch. Get work done with him now before some band grabs him as a guitar tech on tour. read more