We had a great experience with James Hood Guitar Repair and our Martin warranty repair. They were recommended by a friend we trusted and he was spot on. It was worth the drive from LA to San Diego to have them do the job.

I cant recommend James Hood guitar repair enough. I brought in 3 electrics and an acoustic that all needed various work from basic set ups to electronics repair. The staff in the shop was extremely friendly and knowledgeable from the start. They gave me a very fair estimate to get all my guitars fixed up and they were ready for pickup in less than a week.I now have 4 guitars that are amazing to play. They work on all levels of guitars. You dont need to have a $10,000 Martin for them to help you out. Even if you just need the action lowered or something basic, JH will get your instrument back in shape and it wont break the bank. I will definitely take all my guitars here for years to come.

What a great shop. James and the crew are not only knowledgeable but super friendly. They do professional work at a fair price. Trust the 5 star reviews. Im super stoked about this place and recommend it highly.

These guys are the very best!Thanks Tucker, Bob, James, and all the rest.With a crack repaired on the body, a re-fret and set-up, my Martin guitar now plays better than the day I bought it new!

I brought a Martin OM-28 in for binding repair and a J-45 for a set up. The OM binding looks great, and the J-45 has never played better. I will be recommending this place to friends. Great work.

James Hood is an excellent guitar shop. They did work on several of my vintage and modern guitars. Great job on all the repairs and modifications: everything from rewiring electronics to replacing a collapsed bridge to fixing a rough spot on the back of the neck with nitro lacquer. You can trust this crew with your vintage gear and theyre very friendly and personable to boot. Highly recommended!

I break em and they fix em. Always great quality work, fair price and just nice people to do business with.

Loved my experience here. The guys know what they are talking about, they are down to earth and friendly. I felt like I had a friend who owned a guitar shop and I just walked in for the first time. Quality work - had guitar fret edges shaved which needs careful attention. Highly recommend.

Great shop to have repairs done. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Very satisfied and would not hesitate to recommend to others.

I had my 1956 Jose Ramirez, classical guitar, restored by Mickey at James Hood and he did an excellent job. There was an old pick guard that needed to be carefully removed and parts where wood was showing that had to be polished over. They brought the guitar back to life without losing any of its character. I couldn’t be happier and I would recommend them to anyone looking to restore a guitar.

Many thanks to the amazing crew at James Hood Guitar in Oceanside for the quick fix and tune up on my Gibson J-45. These gentlemen know their stuff and do amazing work at a reasonable price. Highly recommend if you are need.

First time here. Had a bridge reglued that was separating. Had to come back due to glue smudges on final inspection. Guitar was not tuned up either. It was several notes off. And pick guard is now pealing along edge. Price for repair wasnt cheap. I hate to give a bad review but attention to detail just wasnt there. If a customer has to return a second time and notices imperfections that the repair shop missed the responsibility is on the shop to make it up to the customer in some way. I never even got an apology.

So I have taken at least 3 guitars to JHG repair throughout the years. My first one was an installation of a Seymour Duncan Blackout mod. When I got it back they had reversed the 3 way switch and didn’t bother telling me about it. I figured no big deal. I got used to it. The second time I used JHG, I took a my BC Rich Mockingbird that was having fret issues and got it back with the exact same fret issues. I believe that was $150 and over a week worth of work and in the end the guitar had the same exact dead frets I paid them to fix. That one really bothered me. So I didn’t use JHG for years afterwards. I used guitar center and San Diego Music exchange. Who both did great work with literally no issues. The 3rd and final guitar was a cheap 8 string Harley Benton that I wanted to upgrade. I asked them to install Tosin Abasi Fishman’s. First issue was that it took much longer than they said it would. I kept having to message to get an update. The second issue I got a call from the tech saying it was gonna be more work and they wanted to charge me up to $300 more. I had initially had them diagnose the work and charge me accordingly. So I was pretty upset they now wanted to charge me more and I had already waited longer than they said it would take. At this point I was wanting to be done with them. But the Tech to his credit “took care of me at the time.” They did not charge me extra. However when I got the guitar back the tech explained there was a 60 cycle hum coming from the voice 3 push pull pot on the bridge position. He promised to research the issue with Fishman and get back to me. Unfortunately, that never happened. He had almost made up for the bad experiences I had with JHG. He theorized it was the cheap 3 way switch that caused the issue. Turned out he was mostly wrong. I figured out it was actually the bridge ground wire that was mostly causing the buzz. JHG through their lack of communication and absent customer service inspired me to do something I always wanted to do: learn to do my own repairs and wiring. Since then, I have fixed every issue including the issue with the reversed switch with the blackout mod. I have sense done over 30 installs of pickups and push pull pots. Everything from installing an HS Fishman set with a Modern Fluence Alnico and a single width SSA into a Jackson DKAS Pro with a sustainiac (there is literally no wiring diagram for this kind of install, I had to combine wiring diagrams) to a PMT tech HCP push pull pot mixed with a Seymour Duncan Black out Mod (another impossible mod that has no diagram). Turns out feeling slighted by JHG was a motive that lead to me fixing all my guitars and upgrading them and learning to solder seemingly impossible modifications. I would thank JHG, but it was their lack of follow through and my 3 not so good experiences that gave me that final push to become my own luthier and wiring wiz. I literally write this today as I redo the wiring JHG did on my Harley Benton. Their wiring was good. It just their customer service and follow through that leaves something to be desired. I will likely never need JHG for an install, repair or modification ever again. Because I now know how to do it myself now. If I do come across a situation that requires more expertise than I have, I will use the many other guitar repair shops in the area.

Ok, so its been a few years since I brought my 1951 Martin D-28 in to James for a complete restoration. I bought the guitar in quite a state of disrepair, mainly because old D-28s tend to be out of my price range unless they are in pretty bad shape. Mine needed just about everything that a guitar could need. It needed a neck reset, a complete refinish, and a bunch of other stuff. It needed a refinish because someone had applied a thick, glopped on, plasticy, goop to the entire guitar. That all had to be sanded off, and a new finish applied. Of course it had to be sanded off without thinning the 75 year old Brazilian rosewood or delicate spruce top. No easy task. Actually an extremely difficult task. They did it though and without boring you with the details, it came out looking absolutely stunning. I have had lots of finish work done on lots of guitars over the years, but can honestly say that James & co. are the best finish men that I have ever worked with. Most importantly, the work improved the sound many times over. The neck reset was perfect. and it is now literally the best playing and sounding guitar that I have ever played. I would trust James with any repair on any guitar.

I brought in a recently acquired Les Paul Deluxe for a set-up. I had been to the shop once before and found the staff to be friendly, professional, knowledgable and and reasonably priced. They more than earned my business the second time around. They quoted me a price and turnaround time for the set-up, which they met. Their work was excellent and my Les Paul plays better than ever. The shop is filled with guitars and amps that I am tempted by, and so I will certainly find an excuse to return soon.

I had these guys install my Fralin humbuckers in my Epiphone Sheraton. They are friendly and helpful and do a great job. At the time I brought the guitar in they were busy and so it took 2 weeks (a bit longer than they promised). But that was ok because everything was done perfectly. I will use them again if needed

Came in to pick up strings and was totally blown away at the collection of vintage gear in the shop. some serious gems in there. everyone was super nice. shoutout to Mickey for letting me play a special heritage that he had in the back! can’t wait to spend all my time here!

They are great to work with just bought my Rickenbacker 12 string and love it. Bob Ryan helped and was great. Thanks Lou Lollio Legend Guitar.

FINAL UPDATE: I returned to James Hood Guitars after being reached out via the owner. The gentleman at the front desk was extremely helpful and accommodating in correcting my previous concerns; Thank you kind sir! There wasn’t an ounce of awkwardness and I was welcomed back kindly. It’s hard to find a shop that sticks by their work but James Hood did just that and didn’t hesitate to make things right with the customer. I would most likely return to try different services should I ever need any major work done to my guitar in the future. Thank you James and the team.UPDATE RESPONSE:James Hood Guitars, thank you for the informational response to my review concerns. I can definitely understand if the guitar sits case less and collects dust for days while the shop waits for the customer to have time to pick up their finished product but that unfortunately wasn’t the situation here. I was waiting for my guitar completion and never received any updates claiming it was done to begin with. I only came in on a whim to see how it was going and possibly shop around when I ended up being told it was ready while I was there. So in this particular situation, my guitar wasn’t sitting there long enough to collect that much amount of dirt on it. The bridge was completely caked in dust with debris all over various areas including pick up and headstock. Along with this review were the pictures taken directly after I received my guitar, if you needed further reference of my concerns.I appreciate the offer but have since de-strung and finished the clean up and polish process myself, so I’ll have to pass on the cleaning compensation you offered. I was hoping to pay your shop to have those stresses avoided doing it myself lol but that didn’t end up going well. Thanks though.FIRST REVIEW:Called ahead to get information on a full clean with polish before deciding on this location. Prices were a bit higher than competitors but I was assured they do a phenomenal job and it was well worth the price here. The wait was estimated at a week and throughout that time I never received any email or text updates. After the week was up, I called to check in on my guitar and they said they were really busy so I gave them a few more days as I wasn’t in much of a rush anyway. Those few more days go by and still no update via email, call, or text... I drove down to ask in person how everything was going and I guess it was ready? Lol! Attached to this review is the condition of my guitar upon pick up. Caked dust and debris all over it. I swiped the dust with my pinky to see if it was that difficult to clean, and it came right off. String swap and action adjustment were fine but not the main service I inquired about and was assured they’d do a grand job on so thus the dissatisfied review.

James is the Go-To guitar manHe does it all...superbly.Great worrk and great employees!

Fantastic service and knowledge. Thank you.

A quality guitar experience.

Terrific customer experience for me, along with some very skilled, restorative love given to a vintage (1950s) Gibson acoustic guitar. Thank you James, Tucker and Bob.

I was treated like royalty! Brought in my 72 Telecaster for an overhaul. Was very pleased by Bob and the gang answering all my questions and my options. Guitar was repaired in record time. The tech told me he had fixed my toggle switch and tuner and advised me to keep the guitar with all the original parts if possible. So now the guitar plays better than it ever has which is pretty darn great considering Im the original owner. Will not hesitate to return to JH Guitar repair for any work that needs to be done on any of my guitars. Thank you for the quality of work and service. I am eternally grateful.

This shop has been around for years. They have just moved from Carlsbad to this new location. I have used them for many years and always leave happy with the quality of their work. I took in a Seagull I was about to get rid of as it was so hard to play. I gave it one more chance, and took it to JHG. When I picked up my S6, it was a completely different playing instrument. Everything was set up as I wanted. I told them I just wanted it to be easier to play. It was. I was so happy that I took in an old guitar my grandmother played over sixty years ago. They found the right tuners, which I could never find! The Guitar pleyed like it was brand new. They set up my SG, they repaired SCHECTERS, my Taylor, and my Gretch. They work on all brands with strings, I believe bass guitars as well. Tube amps are no problem.

These people were so nice and accomodating to my husband, he has been shopping for a new guitar.

These guys resurrected an AWESOME GUITAR FROM SPLINTERS.

James Hood Guitar did an excellent job on my 1958 Martin D-28. They reset the neck and bridge and replaced 12 frets. The guitar plays so much easier all the way up the neck and produces sound like cannon. This was my Dads and some day will be my Sons so I was very concerned about the outcome on such a major overhaul. I recommend James for those special jobs, his workmanship will live on in this very special antique guitar.

Mickey did a fantastic job re-cutting the nut slots on a botched nut from the factory on a fairly expensive guitar (Schecter SLS Elite). It’s absolutely perfect now. A+ service, would definitely recommend.

James is my personal friend and the only business I trust with my guitars.

Hi, My name is Fred and I own a number of vintage guitars. Lat fall my favorite 1951 Martin 0018 had an unfortunate accident. It need a neck reset and a repair. I took it to James. I picked it up at the beginning of the isolation lockdown. It was perfect. Sounds beautiful and plays like silk.Thanks to James and all of hist staff. They were helpful and very friendly.Thanks so much. Excuse me I need to go play.

I trust these guys Honest and professional i have some nice les Pauls and a home made frankenstrat and a 1960 yamaha accoustic and really happy with the attn to detail and the work, they will have my future business for sure

Very friendly, excellent work. I had James set up my D28 and it brought the guitar to alive!!! I wont go anywhere else!

The best place ever....!!!!

I was very happy with the refret work done on my Fender Strat and my Taylor guitars. Will definitely go here again for any future guitar work.

First of all, Jamess knowledge of guitars was impressive. Ive played guitar for 25 years and usually do my own setups but I had met my match! I bought a limited edition Taylor guitar for my wife and wanted to set it up and I just couldnt figure out why. I got a hold of James and we chatted for a while and I decided to take the guitar to him. I visited his shop and met him in person. He is just a nice guy you know. Hes got good energy. Not that he wasnt nice over the phone but in person he was very welcoming and friendly. The second he touched the guitar and looked at it, he told me what I had exactly felt about the guitar, and explained the steps he had to take to fix it. Long story short, my wife was a happy girl on her birthday to acquire her dream guitar!

My old Martin guitar was long overdue for a neck reset and some work on the binding. I asked around the group of guitar players I knew and the name that came up most was James. They were right. My guitar feels and plays like a completely restored instrument. I would recommend James Hood Guitar to anyone I know for quality guitar repair.

James and his crew are very knowledgeable, service oriented, and more than reasonable in their pricing. They have always gone the extra mile to make sure Im happy. Highly recommend.

Really nice people there. I did not what to expect since it was the first time I took my guitars to this location but so far so good. I havent had any problems at all.

They got several of my guitars back into playing shape. Some had rust, some were bowed, and others just needed a simple setup.Super knowledgeable and friendly staff. Definitely going to bring any future guitars to them!

I really appreciated James honest opinion on my gear. He set up my G&L Legacy (probably my most beloved and cherished sentimental guitar) and my 7 string. I loved the service! I was nervous Id have to buy an entire new neck for my G&L Legacy hard tail but he fixed a gnarly split in the wood, gave it a complete fret redress, and the guitar sings better than when I first bought it almost a decade ago. Everyone in his shop was great too, they collaborated on the best way to go about fixing my guitars. I highly recommend them! Now I live in Portland Oregon but if I have to fly my instruments back to James Hood, then so be it, he couldnt have handled my gear better and made me feel anymore like a valued customer. Hes won my business for life. Thank you James and the gang!

James Hood Guitar RepairSimply the best Guitar Repair in So-Cal !!!My gal’s classic guitar Aria A551 recently broke a string and I needed to find a reputable place locally where I could have it repaired. Found James Hood Guitar repair in Carlsbad as the most reputable guitar repair in North County. James and staff have decades of experience, are musicians by trade and really know the intricacies of guitar repair. James has customers all over the world who seek out and send them their prized guitars for repair and setup knowing James Hood Guitar is qualified and certified to make the necessary repair to bring their instrument back into service. They are true craftsman’s that care about each and every customer and their instrument and take great pride and produce exemplary work in every instrument their service.After talking briefly with Jay over the phone at James Hood Guitar repair about my string replacement, I decided to head on down and visit the shop and get my gals guitar string repaired. Upon entering James Hood Guitar repair, you are immediately greeted by some of the friendliest staff, including James Hood himself, who is very humble, sincere and really goes the extra mile to assist his customers in providing exceptional service for all their instrument needs. My personal experience was just that! I had inquired about replacement of a broken string, and due to the age of my gal’s guitar which made this guitar a classic, it had a lot of sentimental value to her, it was in fairly decent shape, and all of this was to be a surprise for her upcoming birthday in October. Jay who kindly helped me with the process recommended that I replace all strings saving time by not having to come back for other strings that might break. As Jay began prep on the restringing, he immediately noticed that the bottom top surface of the guitar was cracked, probably due to a hit or smack from years back and from the bottom inside of the instrument you could literally see daylight. Without repairing this defect, the re-stringing would be useless essentially just lifting up the bottom of the guitar. James came over and took a look at the guitar and after examining it said, confidently we can certainly repair this! It will be like new. I was so relieved since this was a sentimental keepsake that had been in the family and was essentially a surprise for my gal’s upcoming birthday.I thanked James and Jay and left my gals guitar there on a Saturday, I wasn’t in a rush, since her birthday was not until October. On Tuesday of the following week, I receive a phone call from Jay that the guitar was finished and ready to go. I was thrilled. I brought my gal to see and meet James and Jay when picking up the guitar later that day. She was thrilled to meet both of them as I was as well as with the awesome work that they performed. All new strings and surface crack repaired.Jay did an amazing job; the repair was seamless and was good as new. Her guitar sounded amazing to top it all off! Just an amazing exceptional experience!If you have a prized, sentimental, classical, professional guitar in need of repair or setup, please go see James at James Hood Guitar in Carlsbad. They truly are the best in the guitar repair business in all of So-Cal. They know their stuff having decades of experience as Musicians and Technicians along with certification with major guitar manufacturers.A big shout out to Jay for taking care of our repair, Awesome Job!I will recommend to all my family and friends to James Hood Guitar Repair, friendly professional Musicians and Technicians that can really make a difference in quality and playing for your instrument! Purely Awesome!

OK these are the guys! James and his crewHave assessed my needs ( and they have been outside the box ),communicated clearly and pulled off some pretty incredible work. About now youre thinking that Im related to James, But its really easy to leave a glowing recommendation because of the way they operate. I live about 1000 miles away from his shop and he still my first choice. Tom H

I loved the service! Personal service from a team of people that seem to really enjoy what they do. Very good quality work on all of my guitars that James Hood Guitar Repair has done for me. I will continue to be a satisfied customer! Thank you!

I’ve taken a number of my bass guitars to other shops for set up and maintenance. In almost every case the results were anywhere from totally unacceptable to minimally acceptable. I was told by a friend (in the business) to take my basses to James Hood Guitars and quit fooling around with anyone else. About a year ago I took a couple of basses to James and within a couple of days, both basses played perfectly! Both of these basses had already gone through a complete set up at two different shops, one of them twice, each came back no better than they went in and I still had to pay for work that was worthless. On the first trip to James Hood’s shop the problem was solved and the basses played the way they were supposed to play. Since that first trip to his shop I have taken at least half dozen basses to James for set up and or repair and the results have remained the same, perfect! Every time I take a bass in, it comes back in perfect playing order. As far as I’m concerned the only place to go for bass or guitar setup or repair is to James Hood. In my case I live out of town and have an eight hour drive to get to his shop so when I go I take two or three basses at a time. If I couldn’t make the drive down I would probably end up shipping my basses to him. Besides James, Nigel is the other person you’ll see at the shop. Both of these guys are great to deal with and both know more about setup and repair than anyone I’ve ever dealt with! Take anything with strings to these guys for setup or repair and have it done right the first time!

I have had James Hood work on several of my guitars and I am pleased to say I wouldnt trust anyone else. I had a warranty with one of my guitars and he handled it in a professional manner. I highly recommend him if you have any kind of issue with your guitars, be sure to give them a call. Aloha Tom Cherry.

Great guys with a passion for guitars they did a nice job on the repair and putting in a new pickup in my Martin d-35

My guitar was getting a lot of fret buzz and dead notes . The guys at James Hood recommend a fret dress for $180.00 . Was worth every penny . My guitar plays like new . Highly recommend these guys . Thanks James Hood Guitars!

Absolutely the only place I would take my guitars and basses to. Impeccable service and work. I have complete trust that the job will always be done right. I have been playing professionally for 30 some odd years and its nice to trust a shop with my babies!

Asked to have my new acoustic setup by Friday, and it was ready to go Wednesday afternoon. The setup was excellent, very happy with the way it plays now. Thanks for the great service!

I recently purchased a vintage Dobro square neck guitar on eBay, which was listed as in excellent condition.Once I removed it from the shipping box, I immediately began to replace the unusually light strings that it was strung with. I heard what sounded like creaking in the neck area. Upon further inspection I discovered what appeared to be a couple of repairs to the area where the neck and head meet. I contacted the seller who told me that the instrument was in perfect condition when it was mailed and that if anything was broken, it was my doing.I headed straight to Hood Guitar Repair (my first visit) for a professional inspection. The shop was busy and both techs were deep into their respective project. After a friendly welcome, James stepped away from what he was working on and put the Dobro through a thorough inspection.What James discovered was that the Dobro headstock/neck had indeed been broken and repaired in three spots, and that the entire guitar had been refinished to hide that, and other work on the face of the headstock.Thanks to this assessment, and the formal paperwork that comes with such an assessment, I was able to return the Dobro for a full refund by filing the report with eBay.

I bring all my guitars here because James and his team are artists concerned with bringing the best sound fourth from your instrument. Masters at their craft, they can quickly diagnose the instrument and prove a course of action. A quick turnaround, at a fair price, equals a great value!Thanks for being in north county!

Had them set up my P-Bass. They did such a great job, it darn near plays itself! Even better, I had them repair/refinish my vintage Epiphone A style mandolin and their work was FLAWLESS! 5-star work, indeed.

I have brought many of my guitars to James. I had the neck of my 1978 hand-made Hoffman re-set about 6 months ago (my baby) and he did an amazing job. His work is flawless. I also had him do a refinish on my Strat that actually looked better than new. His work is amazing and his pricing is fair. I cant say enough about James, he is one of the best in the country.

I had a couple issues with my 1978 Rickenbacker bass, 4001, and James was extremely helpful in solving them. I dropped in, with a pick up problem and he opened up there on the spot and made the repair. Also, I later called about an issue with one of my effects pedals, and he suggested I try a different cable. That did the trick; the pedal was fine, just had a bad cord. He saved me the time, effort and $ sending the pedal into a shop. I give James Hood Guitar Repair my highest recommendation.

I first met James after buying a new Martin 000-42 and learning it needed a neck set one month later. Of course, I was disappointed. James assured me that it was no problem and not unusual. A few weeks later I had it back. It played well and has for some 5 years now. I have taken other instruments to James. Hes the best, as is his crew. If you care about your guitar...and you need work...you wont find a better place or crew!! I was disappointed that Buffalo Brothers closed...but thrilled that James Hood Guitar Repair survived. Go see the boys and introduce yourself! You will be welcomed!!Rish

Pros From start to finish. I rarely give 5 stars.

I take all of my guitars to James for repair and maintenance. Besides the usual set ups and such I have a Gibson Les Paul Studio that suffered damage to the finish in a number of places on the neck. James was able to touch up the finish so well that I could barely see where the damage had been and in some places I couldnt see it at all. The result was way better than I had hoped for. I also took a GK Backline bass amp to him that had a number of issues. I had taken the same amp to another repair shop a year or two earlier and they never quite solved the intermittent issue I was seeing. James amp repair guy (sorry I dont recall his name) was able to fix it up. It sounds great, gets regular use, and has no more issues. I recommend James Hood Guitar Repair without reservation for any and all of your guitars and amps.

James Hood stole $3600 from the sale he made on my late husbands consigned guitar. The money was to be used for my daughters college tuition. Mr. Hood knew that I was desperate to collect the funds, as financial debt resulting from my husbands death left our family in dire straits. Six months after the sale was made (which he failed to notify me of) I discovered that his business, Buffalo Guitars, went out of business and he declared bankruptcy. Today, James Hood is in business again, but has made no attempt to pay me the money he made from the sale. I have taken this to small claims court; however, his BK filing prevented any small claims from affecting him. As a result, the next step will be taken to complaint of consumer fraud. This was unethical and criminal. My husband passed from pancreatic cancer, which left four kids and a widow with tremendous debt. It was difficult to part with his treasured guitars, but even worse to be taken advantage of by someone we trusted.

I have used James guitar services three times in the past. Ive never had a bad experience. I had warranty work done on my Taylor Guitar through James, as well as setting up the guitar neck, and getting my guitar new Gotoh 510 Sealed Tuners. Excellent craftsmanship and great customer service.

Great experience! I bought a used guitar and had them set it up. Sounds amazing, highly recommend this shop !

Took in my Historic J-45 Gibson acoustic guitar. Requested a new neck nut and new bridge saddle if needed and set up. New nut was requested because of intonation problems and string slots being cut too deep. Then I specifically asked the guys in the shop if this work could be performed at the luthier level proficiency. I was charged 180 and assured of their quality of work. 3 weeks or so later I pick up my guitar am am in utter shock. Super glue dripping down the neck, guitar extremely un-intonated, buzzing strings...the list goes on. I’m informed that the new guy, who is apparently a sound guy, decided to take on the job. I left my guitar at the shop. I contacted James directly and he assured he would personally fix any issues on my guitar first thing the following day and be in touch. The next day I went by the shop to grab my guitar and most of the issues created by the “Sound Guy” were fixed, but the guitar still had string buzz and intonation issues. I just took my guitar at that point But asked James, who, no doubt knows his stuff concerning instrument repair, could let a shop sound guy/entry level guitar repair guy work on my instrument. Poor Shop management and poor quality control. Beware guys.

So far, so good. I have had them work on several of my guitars, sometimes a rush job, and they have always come through for me. Nice guys with an easy-going manner.

Best group of guitar techs in town. Honest guys, nice guys and they love what they do - it shows. Ive had scores of guitars worked on by James and his crew and every experience has been very positive.

Have brought a couple of my guitars here. They do good work at a good price. And my repairs have always been completed on time. None of that, Ill have it ready tomorrow, bro. Definitely recommend.

James and his crew are great! They have done wonderful work on my guitars. Very responsibleand caring. Highly recommend their services.

I had a friend of mine in that area need some work done on his Les Paul so I sent him to James. James had it complete the next day for a very reasonable cost. Very satisfied and highly recommend.Scott at NeckNotes Guitar Trainer

They do everything. Great shop with reliable luthiers. Very fair prices for the quality of work, period

I brought James my inherited Martin that had been played hard but not well cared for. It needed some pretty involved repairs, and they were completed beautifully. I followed a recommendation to find James and if any future work is needed I will go back.

Finding quality guitar work can be very difficult. The Encinitas School of Music is grateful to have James and his staff here in the North County. We can count on them to do the best job and back up their work should any issue arise.

James has a great shop and strong people skills. Brought him a beat up Taylor 310CE and he made it like new! Good communication and attention to detail.

Finally a competent lutherie service in Coastal North County! Cannot say enough about James and his staff. Just recently brought my favorite Tele in for some minor surgery and the outcome was flawless. Truly an asset to the guitar community in our area. Ill be back for sure :)

James did a first class neck reset on my Gibson F5 mandolin. The work was timely, reasonably priced and a huge increase in volume after the work. Highest recommendation !!!

Best service locally, I could find, James and his crew were great to work with very informative and reasonable on costs. If you want it done right take it there, you wont be disappointed.

What I like most about James and Nigel and his staff is if he overlooks something he will admit hes made a mistake and then just as important..fix it. Its hard for me to trust people who never apologize or..admit they may have made a mistake. Seems to me it would be hard to satisfy some of us picky pickers.

Great craftmanship and service. They worked with the Taylor factory people to get me a new neck on my guitar under warranty. Thanks guys!!

Awesome setups. This is the place to take your guitar.Had a re fret and turned out great.

So great to find a shop with real guitar experts. I brought in a vintage koa boogie bodies with neck issues and string buzzing at almost half the frets. These guys worked them all out. Guitar plays great!the shop is tucked away in a more rural part of Carlsbad, but they are definitly worth finding.

Great job, done fast. My fender strat. needed general adjustments, not keeping tuning, the neck playability was too low with some rattling going on etc. results were great, would highly recommend.

James is a great guy that does awesome work. He switched out a pickup on one of my basses, and did a refinish job on another. Both jobs worked out beyond my expectations.

Repairing guitars is all they do. All guitar and stringed instruments. Extremely knowledgeable, excellent work. Highly recommended.

Id been looking fora shop to service my guitars, basses,ukuleles, & amps - I found it!James setup & added a pickup to myuke & is now restringing & modifyingmy Breedlove acoustic electric bass.A master craftsman with people skills.He has also added an online store & itlooks very good.

James and his team have worked on three of my guitars. James replaced a floating pickup on my DAngelico New Yorker. The action was set to my preference on my Martin HD 28 and three way switch replacements were done on two other guitars. All of the work was done with care/ concern (for my beloved guitars) and in a professional timely manner. I would recommend James and his associates to anyone considering having work done on their guitar.

I get the work done MY way in the time frame promised, guaranteed with the willingness to adjust anything that I dont think is just perfect. I cant ask for more than that, but I get integrity and dedication to craftsmanship as part of the package.

They are good at what they do. They are efficient, friendly and knowledgable. They are a valuable resource for musical instruments in need of repair, whether major, minor or just a little tlc. Use them or they may not be there when you need them!

Friendly and helpful. Good craftsmanship. Take all my guitars here for maintenanceand repairs.

Professional, great work, excellent prices. These guys know guitar repair and I drive 2+ hours to have them work on my guitars because they are that good!

James is a wonderfully confident guy who convinced me to spend more than my guitar cost to get more out of it. Original cost for my Ibanez electric--$150. I spent another $150 with James promising to fix the scratchy pots and amplifier hum and set the guitar to play faster/better.I was there 3 times for this. First time, the pots still scratchy. Second time, I had to wait 20 minutes, while he attended to other customers. And I regret letting him talk me into more work.Had to leave my axe for a total of 3 weeks. Sad to say, not only is the amp hum worse, the strings buzz and the pots are not Ibanez originals, but what James had on hand. He forced the original knobs on and I cant get them off.Really hate what he did to my guitar. This was a nightmare.I dont normally write reviews. Never complain. I would never take any guitar to him. I dont care what other people say. This was the worst experience Ive ever had. I had to fix the guitar myself. Lesson learned. Never again.

Georgie listened to what I hoped for in repairing my guitar and used a great amount of skill and patience to make it happen. Thats all you can ask for really!

Had a good experience getting an old Les Paul Studio with some majorly worn frets dressed. It plays better than my brand new SG. Ill have to bring that one in to get it properly finished so it can play as nice.

Very good service james drove out to pick up my guitar. these guys know the setup you need, James was courteous, and professional.

James is a knowledgeable, experienced and talented guitar tech. If you have a vintage or even new high-end guitar, this is the best place to take it for repair, service, adjustments, pick-up installation, etc. Hes worked on my two Collings, Taylors and a special luthier-made guitar of mine. The work is always first-rate.

James has set up several of my guitars and basses, and did a full pick up and pots upgrade on one of them. Flawless work, casual but professional, competitive prices.

Professional service, completed in the time frame originally quoted. Reasonable prices.

Definitely responsive and friendly to customer questions...

James Hood is my San Diego goto guy for major or minor guitar repairs, adjustments, refretting etc.James has completed the following work for me:- Reset the neck on my 1929 Dobro Resinator- Setup the action on my 84 Strat- Cleaned up my 68 Martin D35James is a super nice guy, always happy to take the time to talk through things, options etc. He also let me wander around his workshop and check the gear he uses, pretty cool!Finally I found James to be very reasonably priced and completed all the work he quoted on time. Lets hope he doesnt move from San Diego, ever!Cheers!Jeremy

Professional, careful, and really really good! I trust James Hood with instruments that are irreplaceable.

A few guitars Ive entrusted to James and his crew: 61 Guild Starfire II, 65 Epiphone FT45 Cortez, 80 Guild 12 string, 79 Gurian JM. These guitars hold a great personal provenance for me, and I dont let just any knucklehead work on them.Enough said?

Great place to trust your instrument for setup and repair! From OC, IE and SD, its the place to be!

Very cool guys here!