Emmett helped me with a fret level and setup of a new Warmoth neck I installed on my custom Jazzmaster. The quality of his work was excellent and the cost was reasonable. He advised me on neck finishing, which I did on my own before I brought it over to him for the final touches. He's a wealth of knowledge and all around great guy! read more

I've had two guitars worked on and I've got to say he is the best set up and repair luthier I've ever used. His experience and skill shine through without question. You will not be disappointed with the work or the cost absolutely worth it read more

Great guy, does great work........but WAY too busy with work from music stores for the walk in . No call back, long lead times.

I took my '64 Gibson LG-1 in because the saddle had cracked and need to be replaced. It ultimately took a good amount of time to repair as there turned out to be some body damage under the saddle, but Emmett did a fantastic job fixing it, along with dressing the frets, setting up the action and correcting the piezo and onboard electronics... Plays beautifully, well worth the wait! He truly is an artisan and perfectionist... Would DEFINITELY recommend him, and would use him again! read more

Nice guy & clean shop. Would highly recommend for anything from a setup to anything else. I don't play enough to use a luthier all that much but I won't take my guitar anywhere else. read more

Emmett was referred to me from people still connected with Zone music in Cotati. I have a mid-70's Les Paul that needed major fret work. I find out from previous work done that the frets were loose and the action way too high. Right away I was confident in Emmett's abilities, and was very personable and patient to answer all my questions and concerns. He went through extra effort to get it done right and his price was very reasonable. After playing it wrong for the last 20 yrs; after repairs my skill level seemed to jump right up. I immediately brought an acoustic to him (he diagnosed the problem immediately) and now I plays so much easier. I can whole heartrendingly recommend Emmett and don't wait as long as me. Take it to a pro. read more

Emmet's setups are nothing short of amazing. He'll make your guitar play better than you thought possible. Very knowledgeable, friendly, great person overall. Can handle everything from a setup to a full build. Highly recommended. read more

Emmett really has the knowledge and experience to make any guitar better. His setup and adjustments are spot on. I gave him a Taylor 310 and Gibson SG for setups and now I love how they play. What he was able to do with my old Chibson LP made me so happy. It was a total trainwreck, but I love that guitar and have played it many years. Plays better than my standard LP now. Really nice to know there is someone you can trust to work on your guitars in North Bay. read more

Emmett's Reviews r a tough act to follow so I'll just echo a resounding "DITTO" to all I've read about his work ethic! I will add how personable, interesting & enthusiastic he has been with a novice like me! He is so attentive & patient when musicians visit his shop that I suspect he works many split shifts based on all the work he accomplishes! Thx E3, Sonoma County's all around, 'Go To' guitar tech! Paul read more

I had my new strat set-up by Emmett, and the thing never goes out of tune and plays like a dream. Super grateful!

Have brought many of my guitars over the years to Emmett for setups, wiring, repairs, you name it. Emmett is an awesome guy who does truly great work! He is meticulous and really knows what he is doing. Plus he is an all around very nice guy, always pleasant to deal with and someone who you can tell really enjoys and is passionate about what he does. Emmett is always punctual, completes things when he says he is going to, and is very fair in his pricing. I can't see giving my guitars to anyone else to work on except Emmett. He is truly a fantastic resource for anyone who loves their instruments. read more

I brought Emmett my 80's BC Rich in thinking I might be giving it up for parts, and he brought it back to life in a way I couldn't have imagined. Now I can't put it down, it just screams so well. Definitely dials in your guitar to rock star standards. Gave me a nice sticker and slapped it on the back of my axe proudly! read more

Emmett O'Hara is a sole proprietor whose business is guitars. He does the best setups of anybody I've ever used, and I've played guitar for over fifty years. He took my Taylor 518e acoustic-electric guitar and, after making various adjustments, returned it to me in better playing condition than when I bought it four years ago. If you're serious about having optimum playability for your guitar, he is the go-to guy in the area. read more

I dealt with Emmet a bunch during my year working at Bananas at Large. He was the guy I'd call when customers needed guitar repairs. Never had a disappointed customer, so I brought my early 90s Strat to him (which he identified the moment he saw it, which I thought was pretty cool) for a little TLC & repair. Came back playing great. It's almost scary, how much he knows about every last detail in guitar repair--which is what you want! read more

I found Emmett doing a search for luthiers in Sonoma County a couple of years ago. He has set up my guitars so they sound and play great! I recently bought a new Taylor GS Mini while on vacation in SoCal and it just didn't sound right when I got it home. I almost returned it to the closest chain store which was a couple of hours away. I knew that Emmett could fix it. It had 1st fret buzz and the tone wasn't quite right. My electric guitar also had a pickup switch intermittently cutting out. Emmett fixed both of them in less time than he said that it would take...they both sound much better now. Emmett has the passion and knowledge and performs quality work at a reasonable price. read more

Quality work from a quality guy! Will recommend to all friends! My guitar sounds better than ever

Great work! Thanks Emmett. Took in my Fender Jag for set up and some minor changes and the ax plays great! A pleasure! I'm coming back again ASAP with another job for ya! read more

I have taken two guitars to Emmett O'Hara. I have a 92 Taylor that was almost unplayable because of a defect saddle or nut. it was so bad, I played my crappy Yamaha instead.(nothing against Yamahas) Emmett gave it some much needed love, a nut, saddle, fret dress, and set-up, and only now, for the first time since I was given the guitar,do I really really want to play it. The difference in sound is amazing, it's because of his nut and saddle work. The guitar played pretty well before I gave to Emmett, it plays even better now, like butter I think they say. This is a nice guitar and Emmett easily doubled it's value. My other guitar is a G&L S-500 that was never set-up from the factory; the frets were all huge and high for my taste, all sharp and harsh under the fingers. Emmett made that guitar a player too. Just an amazing, night and day, change in playability. As the other posters have stated, Emmett is very personable, his services are well worth the rates, and the service is top notch. I could not be happier. read more

I was really disappointed with my Taylor 914CE. It was hard to play, so I never played it. I took it to a luthier (2 times) in town and he couldn't get it playable. O'Hara had it for a week and it plays perfectly. His rate was very reasonable and he is a good guy. Don't hesitate going to him. read more

I found Emmett through yelp, so it seemed only fitting that I should join yelp so that I can leave a review. I have an early 90's strat that I bought brand new. I have played the instrument over 20 years. The playability had always been quite good and I really had no complaints. Recently, the guitar developed an occasional buzz which appeared to be in the jack, because it would go away if I jiggled the cord. Rather than mess with it, I decided to bring it to a technician. I found Emmett through an internet search and decided to go to him based on the reviews and comments on this site. I am really glad I did. The buzz is no longer an issue. I never had any problem with the playability of my guitar before, but it did noticeably improve from Emmett's work. I would say it went from an 8.5 to a 10. However, what really blew me away was the improvement to the tone! At first, I thought man, this old amp is really sounding amazing today. However, it was the strat. Turns out I had been playing the thing for over 20 years without the guitar set up properly and the poor adjustments were literally sucking the tone right out of the instrument. Emmett was able to work the pickups into the sweet spot and I would say the tone went from a 6 to a 10 - simply unbelievable. The guitar looks as good as it did when it was brand new and plays better than it ever has - and I mean ever!!!! Emmett did great work, got done before he promised, and charged very reasonable rates. On top of that, he is a really nice guy and a pleasure to deal. I am extremely grateful and in case it is not obvious, yes, I would highly recommend him. read more