John is a humorous and knowledgeable guy who immediately put me at ease. I took my new PRS Santana guitar for a set up. John did it as I waited, explaining what he was doing and showed me some tricks should I want to maintain my guitar myself. I truly appreciate his expertise as it's not too many people around with this level of knowledge and commitment to doing a good job. I'm hoping to take a few of my other guitars there to have him work on them. read more

Hidden Music - Santana PRS Africa Speaks guitar - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Palos Hills, Illinois

John is the best set up technician in the chicagoland area . He does amazing work for a very fair price . taking my guitars to hidden when i need stuff like nut slots cut or set ups has become a no brainer . After dealing with the rest of the Bozos who have over charged me , lied to my face , refused to do the jobs etc , its worth the drive for me to make it out to Hidden because his service is top notch and affordable . If you know , you know . Hidden Music - THE place that pros and regular joes can get their guitars set up by a 42 year veteran , at a fraction of the cost one would spend to have it sit at guitar center for a week while who know who will be "working " on it ... not worth the risk for me . i know where to go for my setups . Hidden music. read more

Great place. The best place to have work done on your guitars hands down. , Have nice equipment.

I had a great experience at Hidden Music. I brought in a guitar and a bass to be set up, John not only gave me a great price, he even invited me to his work station to watch him do it as he showed me what to look for and how to intonate using a strobe tuner (that alone was worth the price). I'll definitely be back, John is an awesome guy to do business with. read more

Wow. This is something. I remember when John opened this store. John weren't you working at Music Crib before that? I think I bought an amp from you when you were there. I can't remember what all I bought at Hidden Music, but you did a custom paint job in nitro on a Stratocaster body I had, and it was beautiful and perfect. Also, what a super nice guy, glad to see it all worked out. read more

I don't know what is wrong with guitar shops in this area, but I went here hoping for a better experience. You can't walk in this place...lol! It's FILTHY dirty with narrow aisles you have to squeeze down, the counter has racist joke materials decorating it, and the worker/owner was more concerned with joking with his buddy hanging out there than tending to my daughter and I. Very uncomfortable and awkward feeling place to do business....we went elsewhere because of it. read more

I have a 40plus year old 12 string that I brought out of storage after a long hiatus. Ok, it was stuffed in the back of my closet for too many years until I recently decided to start playing since I've retired. Anyway, I was searching for a shop...not just any shop. Not the guitar center/Sam ash/boutique retail outfit guitar tech to handle my "heirloom". I bumped into Hidden Music online, and it's near where I grew up, (I'm there frequently), so conveniently located, and highly reviewed as well. Except for one reviewer...(an outlier if you will). Tucked away around the side of a multi-use building, I found the shop, opened the door, and immediately knew I'd found the right place. Having grown up working in my Dad's shop (not guitar). I felt at home amongst the "orderly disorder". I knew instantly that this is a working shop, not some fancy retail outlet. One that is steeped in the history and expertise of the Guy who owns it. John was chatting with a friend at the counter, welcomed me in, and before I even set the case on the counter...had sussed out the guitar's age/pedigree. I showed him my concerns, expecting to leave the guitar for some number of days until he could get to it. Instead, he explained exactly what he thought was needed, and invited me behind the counter to observe the work on the bench. Which he undertook on the spot. Nothing drastic really. But more than just a restring. Truss Rod adjust, some profiling to the nut, and a bridge height adjustment, and a new set of strings. I struck up a conversation with his friend at the counter, and in short order, the 3 of us were instant comrades. The result, is a guitar that plays better than it ever did new. It's alive...!! You want a neat/fancy shop with all the latest trinkets and baubles...this ain't the shop for you. You want genuine personality, expertise and care that you can see and feel? The kind that takes a lifetime to acquire? Hidden Music is your place...John is that guy. Thank You Sir! Very appreciative of your time and talent, and thoroughly enjoyed chatting about all the places/people we know (or knew) back in the day. read more

Takes care if business fast and fair! Great place to listen to stories from musicians.

John is the best set-up guy that I've ever met. Reasonable always! Thank you, John My Ibanez Lawsuit Les Paul, you worked wonders with! read more

Incredibly kind owner and master at his craft, really a hidden gem of a music shop. If you need setups done and any pre gig work done in a snap the owner here has got it covered. Also love the rustic look ;) read more

My 12 string was in serious need of a truss rod adjustment and action set up. I didn't have the proper wrench to set it myself. Also, I had not played this guitar in 20 years or so. I took this guitar to hidden music where John adjusted the truss rod and lowered the action to suit my needs while I waited. I recommend this guitar shop to anyone in need of repairs. It's also great if you want to check out a pretty cool vintage guitar collection! read more

Wow is a starting point. Came in with a Les Paul that was not staying in tune. It has been worked on over the years but this was a new problem. He showed me what and why he was doing what he did to fix it. Even putting the strings on he explained his method. This guitar now plays like a dream. It's a shop that you need to go to for anything. John is a true gentleman and dare I say a professional genius at his craft. You will leave satisfied. read more

This specialty music store is one of the southside's best kept secrets. John (the owner of Hidden Music) is an extraordinary guitar luthier as well as knowledgeable in stringed instruments and takes care of all my guitars, as well as those of my students. No matter how busy he is, he always goes out of his way to make sure your all needs are met with professionalism and care. You'll not be disappointed with entrusting your musical needs to him. Michael Erik Von Hartung read more

I love this music store! The owner is a great guy, his small tips on guitar repair are super helpful (I build guitars) He literally has a vintage guitar museum, if Jack White walked in he would probably buy them all. Come and see for yourself. https://www.facebook.com/justiceguitars/ read more

John is a complete ace at what he does. His setups 90% of the time are under 20 minutes for intonation, restring, neck adjust, etc. He always lets you check his work and he'll make corrections if you don't like something. There is no ego to his work, he's just an honest guy doing honest work. I have been using him for at least 13 years, since moving to the area. I have used him for complete custom work or wiring when I just don't feel like doing it and simple restring and intonations or when the weather changes and the neck needs a tweak. Hard to go wrong using Hidden music. read more

John did a great job on the setup for my Guild. He found an issue and handled completely. Fast and informative. I'll be back!

The owner is really nice and was really helpful. Long story short, the neck of my guitar came off and it was repaired. Aside from a few chips here and there it was almost impossible to tell what happened to my guitar. He was excited to show me how the guitar sounded with new strings and I was relieved to know that everything was going to be alright with my instrument. read more

John is a knowledgeable tech. He is fair, honest, and fast. His hop is an interesting "museum" of vintage guitars and amps. Always an informative conversation. read more

Hidden Music is one of the vibiest guitar shops in the Chicago area. The place is filled with some of the most interesting guitars you'll ever see, and it's an absolute gold-mine for finding great used gear. John is always an amazing source of guitar wisdom and a top-level repairer. It might be hidden but it's an absolute treasure once you find it. read more

Hidden Music is a hidden gem. John was great. We came in right at closing and he took his time, explained everything he did. He strung our bass and replaced some parts. Gave some great advice and all with a very reasonable price tag. A great find !! read more

Great little shop, he does excellent work and gets it done fast for a one man operation. Prices are good, I bought a Musicman bass here in 2003 for about $300 less than what it was worth. Found out it was originally sold out of a store in Australia so not sure how it made it's way to Hidden Music but it's been my main bass ever since. He also finds great value brands, I bought an acoustic guitar for a ridiculously low price for my niece that played and sounded like a guitar 3X the price. Bought that guitar in 08' or 09' and just a couple years ago the brand started to become known as providing guitars that punch well above their weight. I highly recommend this place. read more

I went to hidden music to get a button put on my guitar for my strap and John ended up setting up my guitar. I read that you should have your guitar set up and what a difference it has made. My guitar sounds better and is much easier to play. The guitar set up was very fast and the cost was reasonable. I highly recommend Hidden Music. Tom J read more

A friend told me about this place and now I won't go anywhere else. Always takes his time to explain what he is doing. I feel like I know more about my instrument every time he does a setup for me. read more

John is the best. If you're looking for a setup, are a vintage guitar fan, or vintage gear admirer, look no further. He is the most knowledgable guitar man I know! I will never need to go anywhere else for guitar work. read more

The shop is like a guitar museum. John is a master at set ups. I had a Les Paul that simply would not stay in tune. To the point it was unplayable. Needed a major truss rod adjustment and a nut filing. Now the thing stays in tune for days! His set ups are done efficiently while you wait, and he will give you a tutorial on how to change your strings the correct way. Soccer moms bring their kids guitars in and John has all sorts of friendly advice for the beginning players. John also services the instruments of professional guitarists. I'd encourage any guitarist who has not had their guitar set up to do it. The instrument will play so much better...mind you, you still have to practice, practice, and practice...but the guitar won't be fighting against you. Even if you are a total beginner, John will have all sorts of friendly advice on the set up needed and string gauges to consider. An excellent guitar repair shop with an amazing guitar collection. read more