I have a Jeff Loomis 7 string guitar and even though there was a sticker that said 'ready to play' I can tell it was anything but. Justin is an incredibly talented luthier and he COMPLETELY revived my guitar. Through our conversations, I can tell he has an intuitive understanding of how guitars work, and this profession is his life calling. Now my guitar plays buttery smooth. In addition, the turnaround time is one of the shortest EVER! But the most important thing I found was his friendly and down to earth attitude. The analogy I would use is this, you know if you go to a fast food restaurant, the food is kind of standard, but if you go to a local restaurant, the place may not be as well known but the service and the food is somehow better. Hackl Guitars is the latter, and without naming names we all know which place is the former ;) If you have guitar issues, I would highly recommend Justin, but don't just let this review convince you, you should find out for yourself. read more

I needed to change the passive pickups in my Omen Elite to EMGs and to say I got what I wanted would be an understatement. He even went as far as to order my pickups online for me, being I'm not an Amazon member. Mr. Hackl performed above and beyond what I expected (and I'm pretty picky) and delivered what was promised in a very reasonable time and comparable, if not cheaper, rates than most. I'm impressed with his attitude and perfection in his craft. I would definitely recommend this Luthier to anyone who is in need of guitar service. He's a very personable individual and on a different level as far as I'm concerned. Thanks again, Justin. You're a master at what you do. I'm bringing my guitars to him in the future for whatever work I may need done. Make no mistake, this gentleman has earned all the lofty praise he has received and deserves more! 5 star rating all the way! read more

Professional, knowledgeable, and not at all intimidated by a challenge. I brought a 20th anniversary Gibson Les Paul to Justin's shop in awful, awful shape. I had all but given up on ever hearing the thing play again, on account of severe neck damage, and exposure to the elements (I found it, and rescued it from an outdoor shed where it had been sitting for over two years) Justin made short work of the neck, re-wired the entire guitar, and replaced all of the missing hardware, all within a few weeks time, and for a very generous price. Now, the guitar plays like a dream. Hackl's time, craftsmanship, and know how paid off in a big way for me. Whether your in need of something as simple as a basic guitar set up, or something as complex as a re-fretting job, look no further. Justin Hackl, is the luthier for the job. read more

I came to Justin with a guitar that was missing a vital piece, the kind that without it the guitar would not function.He came in on his day off,straight from a morning of snowboarding and driving the highways, directly to his shop where he met me with a smile. He did what he could to replace the missing piece and when all other avenues were exhausted he then offered me a brand new bridge for a steal of a price AND he installed it and set up the guitar to play good as new for our show the next day! Justin knows his "stuff" when it comes to guitars-and that's the kind of person you want on your side! It was a great experience, and from now on I'm only going to him for all my guitar needs. read more

As a new and not knowledgeable player, I bought a new guitar and wanted it looked at to ensure everything was as it should be. Justin was very helpful in briefly explaining what he fixed and what to look for in the future to ensure continued playability. The guitar plays much better after his set up and he offered some great encouragement for a new player. Justin also steered me away from spending more money by explaining a few things about my guitar. I will definitely be doing all future guitar set-up and repair business at Hackl Guitars. Great service, expert knowledge, and all from an honest and decent dude as well. Thanks Justin! read more

I had Justin do a variety of fixes including frets, bridges, intonation and standard setup on four of my guitars, electric and acoustic. I am an aspiring quitar player and wanted someone to not only help me improve the performance of my guitars but also help me better understand them. Justin was friendly and patient. He answered my questions and explained things to me in a simple, straightforward way. He clearly knows his stuff because all of my guitars are sounding and playing better than ever. The shop is over an hour away from my house but I will gladly make the trip for Justin's fast, friendly and very affordable service. read more

As a certified musical electronics repair tech here in the Denver Metro area, I had the pleasure to enter Justin's shop to do some work on an amp of his. In the day I spent there I was both curious and fortunate enough to inspect the quality of his work. This guy is a skilled luthier and offers both phenominal and versatile products with a high personal standard of service and guarantee. And at a fraction of the cost from the other luthiers around town. I am a finicky musician who knows what he wants in a guitar, and this is the gentleman I take my instruments to. read more

I've taken about 4-5 guitars and a bass to Justin for rebuild or repair. I've referred him to others for repair. He honestly does great work. However, I cannot, in good faith, take anymore instruments to him, nor refer others. He is extremely negative, does not like conservative thought, and seemingly hates Christians and keeps friends that call all Christians "right wing Nazis". I'm not even Christian but this hate is just wrong and he will receive no more business from me. This was posted on FB on Easter and it shows contempt for people of faith. read more

I've been a customer of Justin's for about 5 years now, ever since I was turned onto him after noticing that my other local luthier gave preferencial treatment to certain customers. In the past 5 years, Justin has been dependable, timely, profressional, friendly and fair 100% of the time. He has given great suggestions and is always open to learn more, even though he is a guitar wiz. Justin's work ethic and values come through on anything from his set-ups and custom axes to his fair pricing and honest recommendations. Thanks a ton Justin! read more

I Have So Far Had 5 Of My Guitars Adjusted And Or Set Up By Justin. His Work Was Spot On Every Time. His Pricing Is Honest And Fair For The Needed Work Plus, He's A Working Player As Well As Licensed Luthier , So He Knows What Guitarists Think Like And Want From Their Instruments. Add That To The Fact That He's Pleasure To Deal With Makes Him The Best In Denver! I Will Always Take My Instruments To Justin Until I Assume Room Temperature, You Should Do The Same! Dennis Hurt, Aurora Colorado read more

I hired Justin to customize a classic vibe telecaster into a Johnny Greenwood-style telecaster plus. Justin replaced the bridge plate, routed out a new pickup cavity for the humbucker, installed a coil tap, put in the new pickups, and set it up with new strings to boot. He had it done in no time, and it turned out great! Justin is a pleasure to deal with all around. Highly recommended! read more

Justin re-fret my Fender MIJ 86 telecaster with stainless steel frets back in June of this year (2017) and did a fantastic job. He also replaced the plastic nut with a bone nut. The guitar plays and sounds better than it ever has. The work was done at a very fair price and I would not hesitate to have him work on any of my other guitars. To top it off, he's a nice guy too. Thanks Justin read more

Justin did an awesome job setting up and repairing the two basses I left with him and his rates were very reasonable with a very fast turnover time. Also, he's a Denver native with great taste in music so I feel great helping support someone with a passion for great music and that helps support our local scene. I will probably be taking my equipment to him exclusively from here on out! read more

I drove 3 hours down to Denver to have Justin work on my Warwick Corvette NT $$ 4 string Bass. It was well worth the drive! I had pre bought a new pre amp and pickups that I had Justin install, he communicated with me through every step. The installation came together nicely, and his setup work was excellent! My Bass never sounded so good!!! Thank you Justin for a job well done! read more

I am the proud and lucky owner of a seven string Justin crafted for me. He made my vision come true and the advice and thoughts he offered during the process were priceless. The number of complements I get are only limited by the amount of people who see it. My hands are never happier than when they are sailing the magical seas of my Hackl! Great dude who stands by his work! read more

Great guy, excellent musician, and most importantly - an amazing technician. Would not take my instruments to anyone else. He's already set up, to perfection, my Les Paul. I've also had him set up and replace the nut in my PRS. If and when my Strat and Tele need work - you guessed it. Justin will be the man to do the work. Keep on rockin' Justin! read more

Justin does good work. Guitar kit he put together was especially hard. Didn't come out totally perfect but for the money paid and the hours Justin put in he gave it one hell of a try. If you are in his area I would give him a try. Not the BEST luthier who ever lived but a nice guy with a good, solid shop. read more

I took in my 1980's Takamine electric gx-100 guitar to Hackl Guitars missing pick ups and needing some TLC. Justin had my baby up and running stronger than before in a week. I highly recommend Hackl Guitars to anyone needing anything related to their axes! Thank You Justin!!! Awesome Job!!! read more

I brought my guitar to Justin for help fixing a problem that had me mystified. He was honest and professional. He quickly dealt with what I needed and determined that I didn't need other, additional work I had been considering. I'll be bringing any future guitar repair work I may need to him. read more