I accidentally dropped a schaller strap lock on top of my favorite guitar and put a pea sized hole in it about 1/4 deep. Everyone else was quoting twice the time and 50% more money. Chicago Fretworks not only got it done way earlier than quoted, and for less than the competitors quote, but they also did an amazing job refinishing the guitar. It looks like it never happened. I cant recommend these guys enough, they’ve earned a customer for life in me!

I recently had this shop craft a new nut & saddle for my classical guitar. This, of course, included a re-string and general setup to get it playing again. The work was done beautifully and I am very impressed with the playability of my instrument since then.My only complaint about the repair is very minor. For some reason they took off the tape markers I made on the side of the neck that help me see where Im at on the fretboard. I cant imagine why they would remove them, but whatever.The reason this is a 4 star review is due to the customer service I received from a grey haired gentleman working at the shop. I actually felt very unwelcome when I came to pick up my instrument. When I walked in I was not greeted. Instead, I was ignored until he finished the little task he was doing. When we finally got to talking it felt like I was forcing words from his mouth. Then, when he tuned my guitar for a play-test, he did it by ear and it was way out of tune.This is actually a sharp contrast to the long haired gentleman who checked my guitar in when I first brought it to the shop. I felt that he was very kind, professional, and attentive to what I was saying. He even helped me out despite it being his day off.This was my second time using their services. The first time I was also quite impressed with their repair job.

Top quality work for reasonable prices. Nice staff. Dogs etc.

I wanted to get some really weird stuff done to my guitar and emailed Steve to see if they could do it. We talked for a bit, I brought it in, and he didnt even see it as a challenge. Just gave me a, Yep, no problem along with an estimate that I thought was WAY more than fair. I got it back, it exceed my expectations, and I couldnt have been happier with the process.

They did excellent work on my AC30. Kept me informed along the way, checked with me on budget for repairs, and most importantly, did great work. Def recommend

Friendly staff, quick and easy, Gave me tips on protecting my guitar. Thank you!

I brought my guitar in this spring for a proper setup and minor repair to reglue a loose skunk stripe on the neck. Fretworks did an amazing job. I will be bringing more guitars to them in the future.

From beginning to end my experience with Chicago Fret Works was exceptional. The goal was to replicate a 1959 Fender Precision Bass using a picture as reference. I supplied the bass and the Chicago Fret Works team worked their magic. They refinished the body in classic 3 tone sunburst and expertly mimicked the details of the reference bass including dents, finish checking, and fretboard, neck, and pick guard wear. The result was remarkable: the look and feel of a vintage road-worn 1959 Precision bass at a fraction of the cost. The bass is beautiful!

I recently had my guitar in for a lengthy repair (parts problems). And I have to say that I am so happy with the result. These guys could have washed their hands of me and my guitar many times but they stuck with it and really did an outstanding job. Im really happy with the results. Thanks again, guys for all your hard work and back and forth emails with the manufacturer.

Ive taken 10 guitars and amps to Chicago Fret Works throughout the years and there is no one I trust more to take care of my gear...they are knowledgeable, professional, accurate, and they never do anything outside of what youve discussed without contacting you first. Top notch service and some fun social media follows as well!!

Stopped in while being a tourist in Chicago last month with my wife. Walls and walls of guitars. Plenty of amps also lined the walls. The basement is full of bass guitars. There are also several sound proof rooms that you can reserve to test out the equipment. If there isnt an amp or pedal in the room already that you want to try, they will gladly get for you. There was also a comfy lounge area in the center of store for patiently waiting girlfriends/wives or for those waiting for a room to test out the gear, I suppose. I especially enjoyed looking at the photos on the walls of the celebrities and musicians posing with the gear available at the store. Most of the stuff seemed overpriced. We didnt end up buying anything due to this reason.

Excellent shop! Extremely knowledgeable and masterful guitar repairs and service. In 20 years of using them, I have never been disappointed.

I wrote a review a year or so ago. Apparently, reviews can be removed, so here I am again. Social justice.I had a guitar setup and pickups installed. The pickups still work, and the setup was great, but they damaged the studs of the bridge. This guitar has a wraparound bridge. Its a hassle, but to adjust the height of the bridge, you need to loosen the strings to release the tension on the bridge. If you dont you can damage the screws. Damaging the screws makes it easier to strip them in the future. They know this, everyone knows this. Chicago Fret Works will cut corners if theyre busy. They didnt have the time to do it right. This is unfortunate. From my experience, you cant be guaranteed quality work from Fret Works.

I’ve taken a few guitars here over the years (‘97 Gibson ES335, 05’ Gibson Les Paul, and a ‘98 Martin D28). From extensive repairs to minor setups, I can honestly say these guys have always done an amazing job! If you care about your guitars, and want the best in the business working on them, look no further than Chicago Fret Works. Professional, knowledgeable, friendly, and honest. Would give 6 out 5 starts if possible!

Ive take two basses here for setups, one given the normal treatment and the other given the works. Theyre now both my best playing and sounding basses. My 67 P was especially transformed. It had a bad fret job done years ago and I was somewhat resigned that being 50+ years old it was just destined to be finicky, but with the works this bass has been completely rescued. Resetting and leveling the frets made a huge difference in the sound and feel. Its fuller, more even, and easier to play - I cant put this bass down.Highly recommended!

I had some bad repairs on guitars and amps over the years so Chicago Fretworks is the only place that I’ll take my equipment now even though I don’t live in the city anymore. I’ve had a bone nut installed on an ES-335, a 72 Twin Reverb with serious issues overhauled, a guitar with a broken neck at the scarf joint repaired like new and some other general setup work on other guitars over the years. All done professionally at a reasonable cost and with good communication throughout the process. Highly recommend this place.

Good guys here. Even during the pandemic. Good fretwork and good setup. Even on a Fender bass with originally lousy fretwork. This brand new bass actually feels like one now. They also flipped Me a free guitar care kit. Classy. Looking forward to seeing how good my daughter’s Mustang plays when finished. The only place I’m taking my guitars now. Worth the drive.

They fixed up an old acoustic I had lying around and it played like new. affordable and professional.

Nice people, reasonable prices, good work -- exactly the sort of small business that Chicago needs. A ukulele was slightly outside of their comfort zone, but they did a fine job and charged me half of what I was prepared to pay.

My new go-to for guitar repair. Professional knowledgeable and friendly service. Definitely a recommend-to-friends type place.

Amazing fret work done. Extremely quick! Done within 5 days. Always helpful with any questions and real nice people there in general. The ONLY place I go to get fret work done is here. Truly level well polished and crowned fret job. Let’s me have the super low 1mm action I want.

Take my fav guitars and am never disappointed. Quality work, reasonable prices. I highly recommend.

Its a real old timey guitar shop on Lincoln.

Polytone amp was blowing fuses. It was a difficult repair, but they were willing and able to tackle it. Nice shop. Nice people. Well be back.

Steve, Dan and the crew are all great techs. Theyll have your whip tuned and twang-ready in no time. Whats more, they are sweet bros.

Honest assessments, fair bench rates, good work every time

Bought a used bass on reverb and took it in to Chicago Fret Works to get it set up to my playing style. I personally play in a Drop C tuning which meant having to throw in a B string in place of the E string, while also throwing in thicker strings on the other 3. Tech recommended opting for The Works setup, in order to accommodate for the different tension on the truss rod. The Works setup also included additional services such as, setting intonation and a fret dressing. The bass played wonderfully when I bought it used and had it set to, a more standard Drop D tuning, but it plays even better now. The frets really have glow that shines through and the fretboard has never looked cleaner. Service that was received was top notch. Now let’s talk about customer service. Unfortunately, we are in COVID times which meant they aren’t gonna be operating to the same standard. Website stated clearly that there were reserved timeframe for drop offs and if you were unable to make it, you can call and schedule a time more suited for you. Luckily for me, my availability allowed me to drop off during the reserved times. When I stopped in and talked to the tech, he was upfront that turnaround time was around 2 weeks due to the large amount of work they had with a limited staff. The wait was worth it though, this budget $500 bass plays just as good, maybe even better, as my main Music Man Stingray. I will be returning in the near future to service my Stingray!

I brought in an ES 165 that had a bad re-fret done 8 months ago. After talking with Dan and his staff, I decided to have a complete re-do done on the fret work. They did an impeccable job! They captured what I was looking for perfectly. It now plays, looks, and sounds great. It was a pleasure to deal with such professional folks, not only with the work they do, but how they conduct themselves as well! I would highly recommend Chicago Fret Works.

I accidentally arrived early and they opened for me anyway. These guys are amazing.

I had a Fender Jazz bass modified here a few years ago. They custom fit a Danelectro aluminum nut, pick up/electronics upgrade, high mass bridge, proper gounding, neck and frets.Now this Bass is the fast, smooth, heavy metal machine It was born to be.A very affordable price for the superior quality of work in a timely manner.They did it my way, their way.Extremely satisfied.Adamantly recommend

I bought a supposedly ‘new’ fender strat from guitar center... after playing it for a couple months something just seemed off. Brought it in and Dan showed me everything that he noticed, and recommended “the works” setup.Guitar looks brand new and plays like brand new. No buzzing, no action issues. Work was done before estimated as well.Incredible how big of a difference it made, from tone, to tune consistency along the frets...Thanks!

Prompt knowledgeable service..reasonably affordable.

Ive had a few various things done here from simple (clean up an amp) to serious (repairing a broken headstock on my vintage guitar) and the work, price, and atmosphere are all excellent. I will use these folks indefinitely.

I went here twice. The service is great. I brought 2 amps here for service and was not disappointed. They took real good care of me and Ill be sure to come back.

Fast service. Reasonable prices. Work orders are detailed in writing in advance, and confirmed via email. Really friendly & professional staff. Great shop dog too !

Friendly, knowledgeable folks who deliver top quality repairs

After a fellow guitar player told me about these guys, I took my main guitar there to have some work done on it. They found some other stuff that it needed, and pretty much turned it into a brand new instrument. This time I took my heirloom guitar there to have some parts replaced, and a setup. I expect the results to be similar to my previous encounter with them. They know what theyre doing and are very thorough and professional.

I have been going to Fret Works for about 5 years now and was never let down. I have tried other places in the city to repair my amps, or set up my instruments and none of them come close to the quality of work these humans do. They even have a cute old dog, I think named Olivia, just chilling in the shop anytime I go there. It has such a nice and welcoming vibe to the place.I have recommended this place to my friends and other musicians who want to either have a great set up on their instrument or a small repair. I get super happy everytime I come here because I know when I come back all my gear will be 100% working.

At once friendly and professional, these folks also had my Taylor Guitar warranty repair done in record time. They estimated next week and two days later I had my prized instrument back, ready to plug and play. Thanks Fret Works!

I have been working with Chicago Fret Works for a couple of years now, and from the moment I started researching them on the web, to the first time I met with Dan and Steve and they spent close to an hour walking me through the repairs to my 1960 Gibson (turned out amazing by the way), to the experiences with the other 12 instruments and amps I have brought in (Pat is a wizard when it comes to amp repair by the way), I have had nothing but good experiences. Is everything right the first time? 95% of the time, yes. What sets them apart is when something isnt 100% how you were expecting it, is how the treat the subsequent repairs. Never a question. They get it right, because that is what they do. Always treated with kindness and respect. I will go nowhere else.

Excellent, Chicago fret works is the best! Ive had them do set up and electronics work on multiple guitars and been extremely satisfied every time. And they are super nice too.

Great staff and great work. Ive taken three guitars there this year and Im happy with how they all turned out. I will go here again

Guitar plays perfectly, and their suggestions of wiring configuration turned out awesome. Fast turnaround time to boot. Love it, will come here from now on.

Had fret work done on a new American Fender Strat... what ever they used to clamp on the neck left indentations up and down my rose wood fret board... on both sides. There are other issues but this I see every time I pick up my guitar. I would look else where.

I had a Rivera head repaired and I am ecstatic about the quick turnover (3 days) and about the quality and especially the inexpensiveness. Will definitely go back.

Had a great experience with amp tech Pat. Honest and experienced. Highly knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend him.

Specific to Patrick McKeever: this is THE guy to have your amp repairs, upgrades, and custom builds done by. I had him build an improved circuit blackface Princeton Reverb for me with all the bells and whistles upgrades plus a couple of his own recommendations. Patrick built it from scratch then spent almost two hours fine tuning it with me until it was exactly the sound and response I wanted. Been loving this amp for over 6 months now. I cant recommend him enough.

Fixed, painted, and refinished my neck up perfectly. I’m extremely happy with the work!

I brought in a Tele to have a bone nut made and installed with a level/crown and full setup. The fret work is top notch and the bone nut was made accurately and fits snuggly like it should! Chicago fret works nailed it and now my tele plays flawlessly. I was told it would take a week to get it done and It was ready in 6 days. I’ve taken my guitars to a few other shops to have the same work done and have had issues but this is the first shop to do a great job and get it done within the estimated time I was originally quoted. I’ll definitely be doing business with them again!

A couple of years ago Fretworks did an excellent job of repairing my twelve string and setting up an old Gibson electric. I look forward to having them work on my Martin D-35. I completely trust and have confidence in their craftsmanship, the good prices are an added bonus.

Ive done business with Chicago Fret Works twice now and have been extremely satisfied with both experiences! Nice atmosphere, fair prices, excellent quality work, and SUPER quick turn around time. Both Dan and Steve are easy going, knowledgable, and VERY accommodating. I was even inspired to pick up one of their sweet t-shirts :-)I will continue to take my high-end Taylor acoustic to them for any/all work that needs doing. Five stars to this fine establishment!

Had some minor damage to one of my guitars. They fixed it perfectly, on time and on budget. Had them do a simple set up too while they had it. It came back looking like new!

The other reviewers are accurate in stating that the folks in this shop are welcoming and knowledgable They have worked on a small Martin of mine and on a Taylor T5z, and advised on amp issues. They do good work, provide a prompt turn around time, and their pricing is reasonable as well. I am really glad to have found this kind of resource in Chicago.

Great service and care.

I brought my Martin acoustic into their shop for the works. The action was so high you could barely play it. A week later I received an email and updated invoice that the guitar was ready for pick up. I could not be happier with the quality work they performed on my guitar and I will definitely be back with more gear in the future. Its not surprising that the set-up that they did on my Martin was better than factory (duh) but what is surprising is that it was even better than the Martin warrantied technician that worked on it in previous years! I enjoy playing so much more now, its really refreshed my interest in guitar and music in general.Everyone in the shop was super friendly. I was so happy I even bought a t-shirt! Thanks CFW!Be careful going there during peak hours though, parking can be a bit difficult!

Took my amp in for repairs. Patrick Mckeever did an excellent job getting my second hand Vox up and running. Ive been here twice and it was well worth the time and money. Never had an issue yet.

Love these folks so much! Always take my guitars and amps here for setups and checkups. Theyre super friendly, honest, and highly skilled.

Really nice people there. They answered all my questions. Very pleased with the setup on my electric. Prices are very reasonable. Will definitely go there again.

Upfront with fees and fast with repairs. Ive been using these guys for a few years now..

I was extremely impressed by the work done by the folks at Chicago Fret Works! My Epiphone ET-270 looks and sounds better than it ever has. Absolutely first class work, worth every penny spent there. I highly recommend these guys for your next repair, or even tune-up.

Took my Taylor in for a setup and neck reset. They did a great job and had helpful/friendly customer service. Ill definitely be going back for future guitar repair needs!

These guys do great work. I brought a nice, but damaged Martin D-35 Acoustic in that I purchase used. The bridge needed re-gluing, among a host of other tune-up related items. Was getting fret buzz 12-14 fret. The quote was honest, straightforward and fair. The work was superior and 1 week turnaround as quoted. Ill never bring a guitar elsewhere.

These guys are the best there is, hands down. Had work done on my SG at Chicago Music Exchange awhile back and literally they fixed nothing, still went out of tune regularly and had terrible intonation. Dan, Steve and the guys here worked a miracle on it, my totally shot 72 Mustang and my Marshall MKII amp.

The guys here are top notch and great to work with

These guys do a wonderful job. I will always recommend anyone take their guitars here. You will not be let down but the work they do.

I’m a semi-professional musician for over 20 years. I started going to these guys in about 2010, when they turned my Larrivée acoustic into the nicest acoustic I’ve ever played.Since then, I have brought countless solid body, semi hollow, hollow archtops, you name it, to them. Every single guitar I’ve sent has come back perfect. These guys absolutely no what they’re doing and they’re very good at it. If I somehow came across a 59 burst that needed work, this is where I would take it. I never go anywhere else.

Did a great respray on the headstock of my guitar. Had a much quicker turn around time than I expected.

Great work good people and price

Employees are welcoming and seem knowledgable. Brought in a couple of instruments to get quite a bit of work done and they were finished quickly and at a very reasonable price.

These guys do good work. I had a cracked headstock and they repaired it in just a few days. Ill be back

Professional service, clearly stated prices, no pressured upselling. Staff friendly and accommodating; they obviously have a lot of experience but dont come off as condescending to new players.

I recently bought guitar parts online and a guitar body and I put it together from scratch. When the guitar was done it sounded a little off. I took it to fret works and they fixed it up in less than two days. My guitar sounds awesome.

Ive taken my guitars and amps to Fretworks for several years now. Always happy with their work!

Ive gone to these guys twice now. Once for a standard amp repair and the other for a more serious de-fretting of my Tobias electric bass. The amp repair took about 24 hours and was perfect. The de fretting took a month or two and is just spectacularly done. Its probably my fav instrument now. I highly recommend these guys for any work in the Chicago area. They know what they are doing, and they are very chill about the whole process and they dont over charge. Seriously if you have any problem with your guit or amp I say take it here first and dont worry about it.

Great service, knowledgeable and friendly staff. Theyll take the time to talk with you and find out exactly what youre looking to have done, what your playing style is, ect and lock down exactly what needs to be done. The most important quality of this shop is their honesty. There have been 2 or 3 times where they could have easily upsold me on what needed to be done with my guitars and didnt. Would recommend this shop for both casual players as well as professional musicians. Also, they have a shop dog that just wanders around...which is awesome.

I do NOT recommend this place. I sent 2 Instruments to them . A classical guitar for a professional setup / fret/ action ect. & an American Stratocaster to be relicd. I spent well over $1,000 & the Classical guitar come back unplayable. The frets were sanded at such a deep angle you cannot chord the first strings at the frist fret without them sliding off of the neck. The action come back higher than it was when it was sent out. The list goes on. Its hard to believe for this kind of money they claimed they did anything. The Classical Guitar is now unplayable.The Fender Strat they claimed to have done a relic job... i get it... you take a chance on not liking what comes back... but this looks like it was run over with a lawn mower... not relicd or aged... i immediately took it apart & purchased another body.Money has never been an issue when it comes to instruments & studio for me, but this is by far the most horrifying experience i have ever had with an organization who claims to take pride in their work. It took me several months to figure out how to respond. Google Review is the best easiest solution to let folks know.The website may look professional & inviting.. but do yourself a favor ~Look elsewhere ~!

Have some fret work done back in the year 2015, for some reason, the frets are protruding beyond the fretboard!?

Brought in my 1970 Jolana special (it needed a ton of work after being parted from Czechoslovakia to ship to America), and they did it. They rewired and refretted it, brought it back to life. These guys know what theyre doing. The result is worth it.

Dan, Steve, and their troops are all top knotch! Professional yet personable, a rare mix. If youve got an ailing instrument, this is where to bring it.

I brought my guitar to be looked at for repair, and it would cost to mush to fix it. And when i got home the guitar was not tuned, and the peg holding the b string in the bridge was broken off. No big deal tho.

Did a beautiful job refretting my 84 Gibson Explorer bass

Fixed my Marshall quick. great guys

Love this place! Great service.

Always professional and stellar work!

Looks cool. They really have a large selection, but it is pricey

Top notch service, they refined my basic MIM Strat to sound more musical and plays smooth!

A few months ago I was having a difficult time selling my 68 Fender Jazz bass. I bought this bass from another person who refinished the bass themselves. After sending some pics to Gruhn Guitars, he said that the refin on it was amateur at best and that it would be hard to sell in the condition that it was in. I also knew that the bass needed refret. So I brought my bass into Chicago Fret Works and talked to Steve and Dan about what needed to be done. Both of them agreed that the refin was much more of my issue than the refret. Since I was going to sell this I wanted it to be as good as possible. So I decided to have both done. At that time I had definitely made up my mind that I was selling my bass. However, upon leaving the store the day I dropped my bass off Steve said to me ‘Our hopes are that after we are finished with this bass you will not want to sell it’. Well, after getting my guitar back I can honestly say that I do not want to sell it any longer. The refin is perfect (Olympic White) and the refret is just great! The bass plays like butter now and looks incredible! Also, throughout this whole process I was emailing the shop about how I wanted the refin to be done by sending pics of aged Olympic White jazz basses and they nailed the refin perfectly. From now on all of my basses are going here!

Steve and company are top notch professionals who have done excellent work to two of my guitars. They are currently working on my third.The first real guitar that I purchased as a teen I foolishly gave up when I became frustrated with my playing. I immediately regretted that I had sold her, but it was too late...until twenty-five years later when the kid that I sold it to popped up on FB and I was able to buy her back! At that time, my guitar was actually disassembled and needed a lot of tlc and effort to come back to life. Steve understood the sentimental value as well as my desire to have her back in better than original form. Chicago Fret Works delivered beyond my expectations. The guitar plays beautifully and actually growls with the addition of their suggested Lollar pickups. He listened to what I hoped for the guitar to evolve into and he accomplished it. It is my prize possession, bar none.Steve also told me about the foundation that they are involved with and I donated a guitar. It is great to know that CFW is actively involved with the community and teaching kids about music that might not otherwise have the chance to learn. If you have an old instrument laying around that never gets played consider dropping it by. Im sure some future rocker will appreciate your generosity.These are great guys who do great work. I have never written an internet review before but felt compelled to this time around. I highly recommend Chicago Fret Works!

Update: Had some issues initially but the owner reached out and made everything right! Will be back!

Fast, easy and reasonably priced. Very professional staff..

They did a great job fixing my husbands 1960s Hofner bass guitar that was is really sad shape. Staff is very friendly and professional.

Friendly, talented, professional and affordable guitar repair.

Great service and customer service!!

They know what their doing

Very helpful.

Nice place

Expert amp repair

Expensive and small place