Brian is a butcher. Do not take anything you care about to him. In mid-March, I brought my Takamine LTD 2003 Eagle to Brian to refinish. It was designed for the group, The Eagles, and only 500 were made. I bought the guitar new in 2003. The retail at that time was around $2400. It's now a collector. The guitar had a milky haze that had built up from a contaminate in the finish and probably over humidifying on my part. It was in mint condition outside of the hazy finish. Brian sold me on his ability to do the best job of anyone around. I was excited to have my prize guitar looking like new again. He said it would be about 30 days. I knew nothing of guitar repair or refinishing at the time. He thought it might be a nitro finish, but it was poly, which is extremely hard to get off. Every luthier I spoke to on this said you have to scrape it and not to sand it because it's toxic. I asked for progress pictures when he had it stripped. After 30 days, there had been zero communication. Called, no answer. Text, no answer. I dropped in to see if I could get an update. He was in the parking lot. I hadn't said a word and was walking towards him when he said, "Hey, I don't respond well to customers pressuring me!" I was shocked because I hadn't said a word and I told him I wasn't expecting the guitar, but just wanted to see where it was in the process. He told me Covid-19 caused him not to be able to give music lessons and it made him fall behind. (Yeah, I didn't get that either. It should have given him more time on repairs.) He said he figured out the finish was poly and was taking more time than nitro and the neck "was a pain in the ass". He said he'd send me pics and I went on my way. Around 60 days in, I got a pic that showed me that only the back of the body had been sanded. That's it. The "pain in the ass" neck was still attached. At 90 days, not a peep. Several texts and phone call attempts later, he finally responded and said he closed because of the riots at the beach. (He's geographically nowhere close... yeah, another excuse that made no sense.) He said he hadn't done much since the only pic I received with the back sanded. I told him that I felt I'd been pretty patient and I wanted to simply know if he could complete the job and to please give me a reasonable timeframe. He said he thought it best if I found someone else to complete the job. I went to his shop and picked up the guitar. As busy as he said he was, he was just sitting chatting with someone. Explains a lot. I never offered pay and he never asked. I simply just walked out without either of us saying a word. (I recorded the event because I was sure he'd say something.) When I got home, I opened the case and was shocked. I thought he'd only done the back, but half of the front had been sanded up to the Eagle with a power sander. It was evident that the top was thinned. There were 2 deep gashes near the fret extension near the sound hole where he'd used a putty knife or similar and tried to pry the neck off the body. One of the frets had 7 drill holes where he tried unsuccessfully to release the dovetail. (Pics attached) After contacting several other luthiers, every single one said that the neck should not be removed to refinish a guitar. Every one. After seeing the guitar, the word "butcher" was used by at least 2 of them. It was obvious that Brian had no clue how to get the neck off a 2003 Takamine. I think they are both glued and dowelled. I guess that's why he couldn't pry it up! This guy says he teaches others... Sounds like he could use a few more classes himself. He was able to pry half of the fret extension up. That meant the neck now had to come off. Takamine states that the neck should never come off their guitars unless you're doing a neck reset. I found the foremost Takamine expert in the country who does repair in California. The guitar is there now. He's going to let me know if the guitar has basically been destroyed or if he can salvage Brian's butchering. He has informed me that he actually knows the proper procedure for removing and doing a neck reset on that era Takamine, unlike Brian. It should be mentioned that I gave Brian multiple opportunities to both complete the job and also to repair the neck before I sent the guitar to California. I've kept all text correspondence during this entire ordeal. As it stands, you may be asking if I've moved against Brian legally and the answer is no - and further - I won't if the California restoration is able to be completed. It's not worth it. However, if they inform me that the guitar is beyond repair, all options are on the table. I feel I have a duty to warn others considering him for repairs or restoration on their special guitars - Steer clear! I'd hate to see anyone have the same experience. I think he truly is a butcher and definitely a procrastinator. There are better luthiers (Jasper Guitars, Angelico Violins, Music-go-round, and Mark Brumitt in Richmond) read more

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In September 2020, I took the opportunity to take Brian's one week setup/repair class. Prior to this class, I had always taken my guitars to a local shop in Northern Virginia for setups. My experience level was limited to string changes and I had never even taken a truss rod cover off. Day one, we were out of the shoot breaking down how stringed instruments work and how to make them work properly. During the week, I became proficient in guitar setups, minor repairs, and even wound a set up pickups, which sound absolutely phenomenal. This is truly a course that you will get out of it what you put into it. Brian is an excellent teacher and seemed to cater his teachings to my level of enthusiasm. He breaks down the lesson to where it is easy to understand and put into action. One of the lessons learned that is not part of the class is the actual business of guitar repair. Brian is a great businessman that truly cares about his customers. I watched as he interacted with customers and observed while he handled their instruments. I can guarantee your instrument is in great hands while being repaired by Brian. He is a truly skilled craftsman. One of the most interesting things I noticed while in the shop was his genuine care of people. I specifically watched him with one student and the way that he was giving him lessons that crossed over from stringed instruments, to a lesson of life confidence. This is a little sappy, but nonetheless, speak to the character of Brian Hawkins and Hawkins Guitar. I cannot say enough about my experience in the repair school. I have learned a new skill which I have put into action on my own guitars. They were long days, but awesome days. You will definitely get your money's worth in this class. Brian builds some of the most beautiful guitars I have ever seen. He is a great teacher and a genuinely good person at heart. If you entrust Brian with your instrument or educational opportunity, you can trust you are in good hands! read more

Took the Guitar Setup class. Brian has a boatload of knowledge and experience to show students the best way to setup guitars without spending a ton on specialized tools. I brought a guitar I had built from parts and the frets and nut required a lot of work. It took a while, but the partscaster plays better than I ever expected. "Like Butter." The method is taught in a way that is very easy to remember and take home with you to setup your entire arsenal. I highly recommend taking this class. read more

The best luthier in the region! Hawkins guitar has set up four different guitars for me (acoustic, semi-hollow electric, jazz archtop, and a Gibson Les Paul). I can't describe how great the set ups have been. It's almost like I just have to point at a note to get it to sound. I have had repetitive strain injuries in the past, so great set ups are critical for me. I also had my '77 Les Paul custom re-fretted by Hawkins guitar. That job was phenomenal. I will never take my guitars anywhere else. Five stars plus!!!! read more