I emailed John about working on my PRS SE, and he responded very quickly (which is difficult in a pandemic!). The work (setup + pickup installation) was great, and the price was very fair. Highly recommended

Best and most masterful work I have ever experienced. He recently setup my guitar and bass, and did an amazing job. Great customer service as well. I highly recommend his work.

Had to update my review to say, that I love J. Thayers work!! My wife, who knows relatively little, about guitars, is impressed with how perfect his neck and fret dressing, is! I raved before, and will rave again! If you need a luthier? John Thayer is Tha Man!! Goes the extra mile to ensure your instrument is set up, as good, or Better, than the day it was made! Hes Busy! Easy to see why! So, be patient, cuz its worth it!! BGR8@IT!!

Great quality workmanship! He repaired a neck for me that was badly broken and it feels like its brand new! As you can see in my photo, I didnt have him fix the damage to the stain but he refinished the top coat and it feels smooth as glass. He cost less than half of what I had been quoted elsewhere. Flawless repair, cannot say enough good things about Johns work. Absolutely worth every penny! He also doesnt promised deadlines he cant make.Very very satisfied!

You would be hard pressed to find a more professional, talented, and prompt luthier in the state of Washington. John took on an extremely challenging project for me, and what was likely going to be a marginal instrument, and he turned it into the nicest guitar Ive owned in 31 years of playing. He exceeded all of my expectations, and did it in a more than reasonable amount of time. I cannot recommend John strongly enough. I will not take my instruments to anyone else now. Forget Seattle luthiers, John is the absolute best youre going to find anywhere.

Excellent dude

John Thayer is a professional, plain and simple. Anytime I need ANYTHING done to my guitars, I bring them straight to John. John is very knowledgeable and takes pride in his work. He always washes my instruments and vacuums my guitar cases, which is really not necessary but shows just how passionate John is about his work! If you need your instrument worked on, look no further.

You would have to travel by plane to find a luthier more skilled and conscientious to work on your guitar. Hes busy (that tells you a lot) but well worth the wait.

Great work and friendly service. Will be coming here for all my guitar needs.

Friendly environment, and lots to look at.Great if you play and have guitar needs. Give them a try !

John not only makes great guitars but he does a fantastic job repairing and fine-tuning pretty much any stringed instrument. I had him lower the action and pin the bridge on my Mandolin and lower an action and setup my Ukulele. Both jobs were done quickly and professionally and both instruments sound better than ever. John is a fantastic Luthier that I highly recommend for all your stringed-instrument needs.

Had a guitar break during studio time, dropped it off Wednesday evening and had it 24 hours later, fixed, strung and sounding phenomenal.Will be supporting J Thayer Guitars from now on.

What do you know it stays in tune now I really good guyI Ive taking a couple little guitars there came out better than they went in thanks

John worked his magic on my es 335 and a Strat. He set them up correctly so they would play the way they’re supposed to. Thayer is my go to luthier!

John always does amazing work. I highly recommend it. Any guitar repairs or building a custom guitar

Id been looking for a good luthier when I heard about John. My 2004 Stat was already pretty good, but never had a professional set up, and the frets were getting worn. Took it to John Thayer for a fret job and set up, and WOW! Its never played so good. Im a stickler for intonation and playability, now its as good as it gets. Not to mention first rate workmanship. I am very pleased. Thank you John!

Beautiful. Nice to have a little place like this. If you know a player surprise them by gifting them one of his guitars.

Great work and craftsmanship.

John is a fantastic luthier and a super nice guy. I have had few guitars set up by him and the work is always excellent.

I would trust thayer with ANY guitar. The man is amazing at his craft. I am a frequent and happy customer!

This Gentleman was very helpful, nice and kind,thanks again!

New strings for my daughters guitar. Great customer sercice

Mr. John Thayer is an amazing luthier. I brought in my 85 Martin D35 that I had inherited years ago and it was a wreck. The binding was peeling off on all four corners of the wait and on the fret-board, the frets were starting to lift, it had two very visible cracks in the body and it was just nasty and beaten up by years of neglect and abuse. Now, my guitar still looks its age, but it looks like it was at least loved for its whole life and everything is repaired. Best part is that it plays better now than it probably did from the factory. Before, my wife wouldnt let me keep it in its case in the living room, and now I hang it on my wall, proudly displayed. Thank you so much John. Better yet, his pricing is way more than fair and he had it all done a day earlier than he quoted. Ill be coming to John for all my guitar work until he retires.

I have used John exclusively for years for setups, repair and builds of instruments I love.. TOP NOTCH!

John Thayer is, simply put, the best. He has done the following for me:*Set up four telecasters.*Replacing hardware (e.g., pickups, bridges, jack cups).*Refret on an Eastman Acoustic*Refret of Guild ArchtopI have used other people in the Northwest, including the great Mike Lull in Seattle and Joe Riggio in Tacoma. Those guys are great, too. But, John is the best. He has something special that sets his work apart from all others I have used. He sees things I think others cannot. He seems to know just what to do, how much to do it, and why to do it. I am not in any way knocking the others. To repeat: they are great. But, there is something magic in the way John approaches his work and the guitars he works on. I know magic might sound hyperbolic. Its not. John has something else that is not easily articulated, but is there when I get my guitars back from him. I live nearer Bremerton now, but will be moving back closer to Tacoma. It will be a drive to get to Johns but I will gladly do it. If you want your beginner guitar to play like something worth much more, or if you want your boutique guitar that is probably set up really well to be tweaked in just a way that gives it something else, then take your stuff to John. I promise you that you will not be disappointed.

Guitar luthier John Thayer is the man. Ive taught guitar for a living for over forty years. I know guitars. One day I was on a ferry boat and a guy was playing the best sounding acoustic guitar Ive ever heard. I finally had to go ask him what kind of guitar that was. Its made by a guy named John Thayer was the reply. I had John put together a Tele for me. I immediately sold my two Fender custom shop Telecasters. Let me say it one mo time. John Thayer IS THE MAN!!!

The only luthier in the area. Cool work and reasonable prices.

I brought in a set of pickups withoutthe correct wiring confections for my guitar and john worked around it and he said that he could and i have total trust in him because he works on my other friends guitars also and it plays like a dream i cant say enough about his workmanship its out of this world thanks j . thayer

Top notch luthier, and a truly wonderful person. i have so much respect for him, and for his skills. He has been specializing in instrument repairs, and, as a professional musician who is well-acquainted with repairing my own instruments, as well as knowing many luthiers, i dont hesitate in stating that Thayer is among the best i have ever met. Local music stores have often used Thayer for their instrument repair work.He doesnt make as many custom guitars as he once used to, because his profit margin is so low (he has a family to feed, after all), but, if you ever get the chance to play one of his acoustic guitars, dont pass up the opportunity! They are impeccably-crafted works of art. If i was financially able to commission a custom guitar for myself, and could choose from any luthier of whom i am aware, Thayer would be at the top of the short list. Again, thats high praise, coming from someone, like myself, who has played acoustics from some of the most renowned luthiers in these USA.But, as gifted as Thayer is, as a luthier, he is, even more so, a gift to the world as a person. He is gentle and kind, and as authentic a person as youll ever meet. A beautiful soul.

There are only two people that guitar and bass players in Bremerton rely on to work on their equipment and John Thayer is the luthier that we rely on.

I used to live in Kitsap. Now I live in Seattle, and still take my guitars and basses to John Thayer. You should, too!!

John is a true Artisan! The work he did on my Moms Gibson J200 was nothing short of a miracle! Discover this gem right here in Bremerton.

Super cool shop, and amazing guitars! Very friendly!

Im having him do some work on my Martin.

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