I took an AVRI tele to Mark due to worn frets. He barely looked at it and wanted over $400 to do a refret with me supplying the frets. Then I went to Danser in Durham and he looked at it, said it only needed a level and recrown which he did for $100. Now it plays like a new tele. read more

Mr. Lane did an outstanding job fixing and maintaining my equipment! He was very accommodating and performed services within the time promised. I was unable to pick up in the time allotted, but he graciously stored it for me until I was able to come pick it up. His prices were very reasonable and reflect the quality-of-service Mark performs on your instruments. I highly recommend having your guitars serviced here!! read more

Mark Kane is as good a luthier as one could ever find anywhere in the United States. I have always been very pleased with the quality of his work, and highly recommend him to all guitar owners in North Carolina. read more

Mark has inspected, repaired and set up my guitars and basses. He has refretted my SRV Stratocaster, straightened the neck on my Martin HD-28 !! HE DOES EXCELLENT WORK. read more

Mark Kane, The Fret King, is a knowledgeable superb craftsman and accomplished guitarist who tells it like it is. He has never seemed arrogant or disrespectful to me as a person or customer. Rob T. of Fuquay Varina, NC and Phil P. of San Diego, CA clearly can't distinguish between confident knowledgeable discourse and arrogance. They are the arrogant sounding ones in their tirades about Mark Kane. His charges for excellent work and outcomes on several of my guitars are justified and reasonable. I have referred several friends to him for maintenance and repairs for their guitars. They all were well pleased with the outcome. His work is worth more than he charges and his evaluation of instruments is best heeded if your guitars are important to you, as are my 12 guitars. After more than 60 years of playing guitar, percusion, low brass and piano, as well as composing, songwriting, singing and conducting, I am impressed with knowing someone who teaches me something on every visit. That rare someone is Mark Kane. read more

I took in my Taylor for a simple electronic repair and Mark went above and beyond to explain some other issues I had with the Guitar. After he showed me why my Taylor wasn't playing right, he offered to do a re-fret which was much needed. I ended up getting more repairs done than I originally planned, but it was much needed! When I got the Guitar back it played like it was brand new! Marks knowledge you can't put a price on, with that said his pricing was very reasonable. I definitely recommend checking him out if you have a guitar that you need fixed up, he will get it playing like brand new for you! read more

Contacted Mark and sent photos of the guitar/work I wanted done (tuner holes routed out to accommodate larger tuners). Was quoted a price, informed that it was a common service, that he has the proper tools, etc. So I booked an appointment, drove 40 minutes, and met with him. Without even removing the guitar from the case, Mark informed me that my guitar was unplayable (a guitar I had used for numerous gigs...) and recommended almost $250 of additional work. I wasn't interested in the up-charges, just the work we discussed, but Mark refused under the pretense that he couldn't possibly work on/leave me with an unplayable guitar..... In my opinion a very strange and unprofessional experience. Ended up having the work done at Harry's Guitar Shop, quick turnaround, friendly staff, no issues. read more

Politely asked for assistance was met with an arrogant and disrespectful attitude. Apparently this guy has enough business to treat people this bad. Not worth time or energy. read more

I found Mark in the list of local technicians for Martin guitars and brought in my 1929 and 1993 Martins. I was hoping that he could restore my 1929 Martin but he said that it is such a special case that he referred me to someone who specializes in this kind of restoration. I was impressed by his care for these old guitars. I had actually purchased a newer guitar because my 1993 was not sounding so great, but Mark did some extremely painstaking repairs to restore the bridge when he couldn't get another one and made several other repairs. The guitar now sounds incredible - I couldn't believe the difference. This is a guy who really cares about fine guitars and knows his business. read more

Interesting experience. Brought in a guitar for a pickup change, he spend 20 minutes telling me what a POS the guitar actually is, all with a smirk on his face. Then he tries to sell me on re-fretting the entire neck. Not saying the frets didn't need work but he acted as if re-crowning them wasn't even a thing. I see why he's called the Fret King, all he wants to do is re-frets. Which is one of the more expensive services he offers. In my case once I told him I wasn't paying for the re-fret, all of a sudden he changes his tune and offers to just do the pickups. Maybe the frets were really that bad (he wasn't wrong that they were worn-down) but I think the guy just took me for a fool. The guitar in question wasn't in the completely un-playable state he claimed it was in. He didn't seem like a bad dude, just completely arrogant and full of himself. If you wanna be talked down to and treated like a complete moron, then give this guy a call. Honestly you could go to almost any of the local shops and have a better experience with their techs. read more

I am a rookie bass player and my band mates noted that I was way off during practice and it was time to get a pro to set up my guitar. The FretKing was recommended to me by our guitar player and so I went. Mark, listened to what I needed and looked over every inch of the guitar. He saw the obvious issues and where he would need to make adjustments. Mark, suggested new strings and I left my "baby" in his care. I got it back and it plays like a completely new instrument!! Truss rod, action, intonation were all set. New strings in place. I couldn't be happier with the service. If you are a string instrument player, you owe it to yourself to have your instrument properly maintained and I absolutely suggest you see The FretKing Mark Kane!!! read more

Mark did an amazing job on both my acoustic and electric guitars. As a newer guitar player I was unaware of the importance of a proper setup. The difference between the factory and Marks setup was night and day. Both guitars play easier and are a joy to play. Mark also has a deep and vast knowledge of guitars. He made recommendations and gave advice that has helped me play better. I'd recommend him to anyone. read more

Mark has repaired and set up my guitars many times. He always does an excellent job, some better than new. He turned an Epiphone Casino into a high quality guitar by replacing all the electronics, tuners, and replacing the original pickups with Fralin P90 dog ears. A low-average guitar became a sweet instrument. read more

Mark is skilled when comes to guitars...both playing and repairing them. And pleasant too. If you're looking for the best, look no further than The King. read more