Adam is a master craftsmen and knows what he is doing. I've worked with Adam multiple times and he has revived my 1970's bass back to playable condition by adding a shim and adjusting the neck. He is always quick on getting back to your calls. Adam will be my go to specialist. read more

Amazing store. Adam is a master guitar repairman! He helped repair and glue the seams of my son's Martin.

Very helpful staff. We were looking to get my son his first electric guitar and they were so knowledgeable and we're not pushy at all. I felt the used guitars were very reasonable and great quality. Such a cool little shop so happy to support a small business. read more

This guy is the man hands down! I just recently brought Adam a vintage hollowbody King guitar in pieces...I mean I had the entire thing all pieced out in a box: the neck was off, pick-ups unattached, harnessing in a ziploc bag. I wasn't sure if it was even possible to get this thing up and running again...he nailed it! Not only did he kill it...he had it back together in like 3 days. This is my second guitar Adam has done wonders to. I have no need to go anywhere else. read more

Adam's String Shack - I brought this baby to Adam in pieces....now I can't stop playing it! - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Oakland, California

I bought a new guitar at GC and had them set it up, never really played it because the action was horrible, brought it to Adam and now it plays great! expert work and good prices, love this shop! read more

I purchased a set of Lollar Imperials from a local musician on Craigslist. I asked him who does installations for him and he recommended Adam. I notified Adam of my purchase and he was readily available to install pickups. I dropped it off on a Monday and it was ready for pick up on the same day! He installed the pickups and did a setup . My Les paul was never my go to since i have multiple guitars. I can't seem to put this guitar down. Adam is a wizard and I plan to go to him for future guitar work. Very fair pricing, high quality work, fast turn around. Why would you go elsewhere? read more

Great shop for guitar geeks and dabblers alike. Did a great job on fixing and restringing my guitar. They were quick and affordable. Highly recommend. read more

I initially called Adam for a quote on changing out my Bass's passive pickups as well as a setup, and I was quickly thoroughly impressed. After talking through exactly what work I was interested in and receiving an extremely competitive quote, I was sold. Drop off was easy, the staff were extremely interested in exactly what I was trying to get out of my bass, tonally and as a player, and offered suggestions for the best strings and pickups to achieve what I envisioned. The work was fast, and Adam provided updates (with pictures) of each major step. On picking up my guitar, before any payment they made sure I plugged in and played the final product, and was completely satisfied. I couldn't be more happy with the work, and will be bringing another guitar to Adam in the future. read more

I've been taking my guitar to Adam for a while now. He has extremely affordable rates, and that's super great for a working musician. He works quickly and does really solid work. My Taylor has never played as well as after his setups. I recently bought a 2nd guitar from him and I felt extremely well taken care of. He is a good hearted guy, and loves music. He even jammed with me as I was trying out the guitars. Love this guy and his new shop! read more

I had a 1/2 sized violin that I need to have its strings replaced for my daughter for her school's lessons. Found Adam through yelp, and I am so lucky that I found him. He is a down to earth, loving, and chill gentleman. The whole process is quick and easy. I brought the violin to him, and got it back that same afternoon. Will go back to him in the future, and really recommend him to everyone out there for any string instruments. Cheers! read more

My electric bass needed some adjusting and my bass instructor referred me to Adam. He was highly recommended. I contacted him through text message, he responded quickly. When I finally got there, he was friendly and easy to talk to, he was very attentive to what I was saying. He made helpful suggestions and explained how he would make adjustments to the instrument. He pays such attention to details and goes above and beyond to take care of the customer's instruments. The price was completely reasonable and I love it that he takes card. read more

Gave my Ukulele to Adam for setup but I didn't know much about the process. He was very patient with all my questions, I really appreciated that. He got my instrument back to me right away, much faster than I thought he would. The quality of his work was excellent, the price was lower than I expected, all in all a great experience. Update: 5/23/2017 I've asked Adam to repair a few of my instruments, he always does a great job. I recently asked him to fix a homemade guitar that I had little hope for, there were multiple problems with it that I wasn't able to resolve on my own. Somehow, he managed to make it into a very playable instrument that I'm proud to own. Highly recommend! read more

I replaced some strings on my bass and the next got a bit wonky. My bass teacher recommended Adam. The man knows his stuff and I dropped it off and picked it up a few hours later. He even fixed a few small things and make it sound better than ever. Thanks Adam! read more

Just had my Fender acoustic guitar serviced and it sounds better than ever! Great service, good value, and Adam is a nice guy. Will definitely use his services again. read more

Adam is the absolute best! I take all of my gear to him on a regular basis. Basses, guitars... whether it's vintage or brand spanking new, he'll set it up better than you could've possibly imagined. I refer all of my private students and pretty much anyone with a guitar straight to him. They always thank me afterwards! One of the best things about working with Adam is that he is very good at explaining the "what, how, and why" of the work he's putting in to your instrument... Helping you to figure out how to tweak it on your own as well. Can't recommend him enough! read more

I couldn't have had a better experience with Adam when I brought my acoustic guitar in for what I was worried might be an expensive or even impossible repair. I know a lot more about songwriting than I do the mechanics of acoustic instruments so I can't really describe the problem (or the solution) beyond saying that a very irritating buzzing sound had developed when I used the capo which was almost always. Adam cheerfully and quickly repaired the issue on site and it hasn't returned. That was months ago. He also gave my guitar a much needed overall cleaning conditioning (lemon oil etc.) and not only strung up my guitar with new strings but patiently instructed me on the best way to do it myself -- I had not formerly known this method and my guitar has never stayed more solidly in tune! He could have charged me three times as much and I would have still thought it was very reasonable. This guy really cares about his customers. read more

Just went there for a simple guitar setup. Adam did a great job. He explained what he was going to do, and he did it. What more could you ask? read more

Adam is the best and incredibly generous. On top of the great work he does he also donated instrument cases to the Oakland Symphony and our Youth Orchestra's fundraiser. Highly recommend him! read more

Called Adam for a setup and strap button placement on my new guitar. He was quick to respond, discussed the job with me very amiably, and performed expert work with a quick turnaround. All at a reasonable price. Couldn't ask for a better experience. read more

Adam did a great job setting up my Les Paul and my Strat. He had to do a fair amount of work on the Strat. He was clear in letting me know what work needed to be done and the approximate cost. Both guitars came back to me playing great. I would definitely return to him if my guitars need more work. read more

Really cool dude. Did a great job on my Epiphone. Easy to work with and a great price.

Ever since I got referred by a fellow guitarist, Adam has been upgrading and rebuilding my guitars and basses for the past couple years. He does skilled and careful work, charges reasonable rates, works by appointment, gives realistic price and time quotes, and is very communicative and easy-going. There's absolutely nothing not to like here. A few other pluses: Adam genuinely likes technical challenges, and is tenacious about solving them. He keeps upgrading his skills through workshops with master luthiers, and is starting to build his own custom guitars. He's also a Berklee School of Music alum who plays and teaches on several stringed instruments. I've previously had several mods done by the top-rated SF Guitarworks. I'm delighted to find an East Bay luthier who's similarly capable, reliable, and can-do. Now I can skip those long drives across the bridge to/from Potrero Hill. read more

I had Adam install two DiMarzio Titan pickups in my Jackson guitar. He was very responsive and his work was reasonably priced. The job was done quickly and I am very happy with the quality. Adam set up the pickup height perfectly and properly shielded/grounded the wiring to get rid of a previous buzzing issue. I got the clarity and tightness under high gain that I was looking for with the Titan pickups. I will return to Adam's string shack for my future guitar related needs. read more

Brought a relatively new Taylor GS Mini to Adam to have the nut slots lowered to improve playability. When I picked it up, he told me the exact height of each string to the hundredth of a millimeter. The B string was a little buzzy when I really played it hard, but at his suggestion I took it home to see if I got used to it. Decided I'd prefer it a bit higher, so I dropped it off again and he raised it back up a smidge, no extra charge, since all his work is 100% guaranteed! Now it plays like butter, so smooth and easy! Great work, reasonable price, friendly service. Not sure about more complex work, but for adjusting guitar action, I'd highly recommend! read more

Brought my Fender Strat in to have my bridge pickup changed to SD Hot Rails. Price is reasonable, very knowledgeable, and a nice, chill cool dude. What impressed me the most though is he is very accommodating to my schedule. On top of that, I requested to rush it a little bit because I need it right away. He did not hesitate and did it ASAP. I dropped off my guitar almost 10pm, and it's already done the next day and I was able to pick it up around lunch time. He also have a collection of classic guitars so if you are looking for one you can also drop by to his shop. Highly recommended. read more

Super fast, high quality repair! My kids had stepped on my guitar (while it was in the case, fortunately) and broke the bridge. Adam took it in, and had it fixed that same day! I'm hoping to get back into guitar playing and will definitely consider Adam for lessons based on other reviews. read more

I had clients that need a guitar for a recording session. I found Adam online and sent the client over to him. He was able to accommodate them and they were very impressed with his service. To top it all off, he even gave them a ride from his shop over to my studio. Customer service is one thing, but this goes above and beyond. It's nice to find businesses that can network with your own business, but Adam has out-shined all of them. He is a consummate professional and I will be recommending his business to my clients. read more

I study ukulele with Adam, and am so glad I found him! I had searched for a teacher for a while , and could not find a teacher that matched my style. A friend recommended Adam, I went to my first lesson and he had prepared something for me! My plan is to stay with Adam as long as I can. Not only is he a great musician, he is a talented teacher. I can't recommend him highly enough. read more

Fast & friendly service from a pro! I reached out to Adam to help troubleshoot an issue I was having with my 7 string electric's bridge. He returned my call immediately and and was able to schedule an appointment to have a look the next day. Adam was super friendly, knowledgeable, patient, and fixed my issue in no time at all. I'll definitely reach out to him for all my guitar tech needs in the future and I'd recommend him to all my fellow guitarists any day! read more

Adam is my first call for any guitar related work including but not limited to set-ups, pick-up replacement etc. His rates are more than reasonable and he is always quick in getting your instrument back in your hands. On top of it all he is a super down to earth guy who loves to support local musicians and business's. As a musician himself he cares that the music community and its members are thriving and stands by all his work with the greatest integrity. Adam's string shack is an east bay treasure! read more

Adam was my guitar teacher a couple years back and I really enjoyed it. I would have continued but he moved from where I live. He was able to teach all types of styles. It was really fun. read more

I took guitar lessons from Adam from age 10-16. He's a fantastic teacher, and he was great to work with when I was a kid. Highly recommend for students young or old. read more

Friendly, professional, and excellent at what he does. It's obvious that his only priority is getting your instruments back to you in the best condition possible. Stellar service. read more

Super nice genuine guy, quick service, and awesome work. He fixed a tuning peg (screw had come out) on my dad's old guitar, smoothed out the fret board that had been worn down from years of play, and cleaned & oiled the whole thing. Gave the old Gibson some much needed love. Thank you Adam! read more

I have never quite recovered from taking a beloved acoustic to Subway guitars ( back when Michael Franti used to work there!), to have them install a pickup. It was a disaster. They destroyed it and wouldn't accept responsibility either! So I've been squeamish about guitar repair ever since and therefore neglected my guitars. So I yelped and Adam's name came up along with some excellent reveiws and I can report back that my guitar sounds sweeter than ever. he installed a new pick up and just took care of all the little things that make playing an instrument so much more enjoyable. Fantastioc workmanship, super nice guy. 5 Stars! read more

Adam restrung my classical guitar. I inquired about price through Yelp and he responded very quickly. We then made an appointment and he was very accommodating with my schedule. When I met him at his workshop, he was very kind and informative about the process. He answered all of my beginner's questions about guitar maintenance. I'm very happy to have found him and will return when my strings need to be replaced again. read more

Immediate and super speedy service - last minute and in a rush just before the holiday weekend. Groovy cat, super friendly and the setup feels great! read more

I contacted Adam about two of my bass guitars that needed setups and various electronic upgrades and repairs. He returned my call promptly, set up an appointment for the next day and had my guitars back to me a few days after that. The work was excellent and is guaranteed. I will definitely be a return customer. Highly recommended. read more

Adam taught my six year old daughter ukulele and he was great. He's extremely knowledgeable, patient and understands/relates to kids in a way they feel supported and motivated. I recommend Adam to kids and adults alike. read more

Adam really loves guitars. Might even love your guitar more than you do. And you definitely can tell. I needed to restring my guitar, and he didn't just restring, he shaved some parts down (I'm not too familiar with guitars) and restringed it. Then after cleaning my guitar (which he so kindly did on his own, after seeing that my guitar was quite dusty), he thought it was still too high and could be shaved down more. I don't know much about guitars, and wouldn've been fine with it as he restrung them, but he insisted that he unstring them again, shave it down, and make it easier to play. When I got home, I understood what he meant, and was glad that he took the time to do so. This guy just really loves guitars. read more