Great place for Guitar work of all kinds! Took my project/rebuild guitar here for a new nut and fret work and it came out great!

Such a cool place. The owner is a real craftsman, making guitars as a passion. He was very helpful to me, because my 12 year old son needed a new string on his guitar, and the owner helped on the spot. My son is on the spectrum and loves loves loves music. The owner was patient with him and sold us a backpack guitar for a very low price. My son loves that guitar and uses it all the time. read more

Not the most qualified person to do repairs on your guitar. Won't go into detail but flawless guitar left with Al to replace tuners came back to me with quickly touched up chips and additional scratches near peg holes due to improperly removing the old bushings without the proper tool or method. touch-up of chips are highly visible from within 2 feet of guitar but was told by Al that you can't see it from 5 feet away so he left it as is by just brushing on lacquer. Will take it somewhere else to have them fill, finish sand, and polish the lacquer to make it less noticeable. read more

ARC Guitar - Touch-up (brushed on, not sanded or polished) on chips created by improper removal of old bushings. - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Winters, California

Fellow guitarists - do you need a proper set-up done on your beloved instrument? Fret work? Crack repair? Or in my case, a strap button professionally installed? Visit my friend Al Calderone, owner of ARC Guitar in beautiful Winters, CA. He also teaches guitar building classes. He's a kind man who does great work. read more

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The owner is a really nice guy with a lot of knowledge of guitars. I took lessons from him when I first moved to winters and learned a lot. I will def be back if I ever need anything guitar related and love knowing I have this right at my fingertips. See what I did there? =) read more

Al Calderone made some repairs to a dreadnaught body acoustic for me. The repairs are perfect and the guitar plays like it is new again. At the time of this review it has been a year and the repairs are still very solid and the workmanship is top notch. I attended his annual "Guitar Festival" and was nothing but impressed by level of instruction that came from the different workshops. If your a budding luthier, a solo artist, or just a hobbiest, you will definitely take away a ton of good stuff from this event!!! read more

My acoustic guitar had developed 3 different problems, which had impaired its sound and playability over the past year or two. Al quickly and correctly identified and resolved each one for me. (And charged me very fairly.) The guitar has come alive now. It's a pleasure to play it again. Al is a great guy, very strong in his technical knowledge, and he follows through. What he does at ARC Guitar is very cool. I recommend him very highly. read more

Arc guitar is one of those fantastic places that makes this country great. The place is run by an exceptionally friendly guy who clearly loves his craft of making precision instruments, and repairing them. Keep in mind this is not a standard guitar shop. Instead, it is a relatively small wood-working studio with a front-entrance reception area for guests, who will see the luthiers making custom guitars to-order, and fixing them. The guitars that come out of this place are top-quality instruments, made with the finest woods and great precision, but also done entirely by hand, so you get a unique instrument each time. Because of this, the guitars are not cheap ones such as the $500 Yamahas you can find at Guitar Center. Expect to pay around $2K starting, for an instrument from this shop. While this might seem pricy, for the quality of instrument you get this is an EXCEPTIONAL deal. While this place offers guitars, repairs, and lessons, one of the greatest benefits it offers the surrounding community is its weekly guitar building workshop, where the owner instructs students on how to build a dream acoustic guitar (or Ukelele) of their choice, with the woods, styling, and decorative patterning they wish. While this might seem like an art that requires years of experience, the owner guides you from start to finish and students do not require a single bit of prior wood-working knowledge. You only pay for the cost of the materials ($700-1000), and then $50 per weekend session until the guitar is done (about 20-25 sessions, depending on skill and experience). Then you can outfit the guitar with additions like pickups, extra inlay, professional polishing, and other details to make it absolutely glisten so you walk away with a fine instrument you made all by your own hand. Without a doubt, this shop is a priceless location to have around, and its services and craft are something we all should take pride in having. read more

EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS. i'd heard about this place from a friend who raved about it, who'd heard from a friend who'd raved about it... so that should be an indicator. i'd brought my guitar in because it needed to be set-up/optimized. the first thing that he did, that i appreciated very much, was that he admired my guitar. i don't think i have a particularly fancy or nice guitar (Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat) but i always appreciate someone showing love to something that i love, y'know? immediately he spotted all kinds of things to fix... new frets, lowering the action. upgrading the nut and saddle to bone. he made recommendations to make the guitar sound better, which i very much appreciated. he told me he'd get it done in a week and he got it done in less. guitar came back sounding magically delicious. read more

I have been having my electric guitars Set up here for 2 years and get an outstanding setup every time. I have Been to all the guitar shops in San Francisco and this by far the best. A lot of guitar shops are very technical But don't have the same feel as Arc. I had a setup by AL my acoustic and Was just amazed how well it plays. AL At Arc is the Michaelangelo of Acoustic guitars. Do yourself a favor And get your guitar setup here. It's 10 minutes north of Vacaville. Joe Hembree read more

My wife and I travel the country in a motor home. Call us full time travelers. It has been a lifelong dream of ours to do this. While in Arizona over the winter, in that super-dry climate, my guitar developed a crack in the back side of the guitar. Now, I have been playing music almost my entire life. This particular guitar was hand built for me by Rich Worthington of St Louis, Mo. Of all my instruments, it is my pride and joy. Until I visited Al Calderone at ARC Guitar, no one has else has touched this instrument. It is my most valuable possession. It is part of me so to speak. I do not plan to be back in St Louis until November at the earliest. I had a feeling that I might find someone in California to help fix the new crack. I knew there were a lot of luthiers there. A friend of mine in Vacaville told me to stop in at ARC Guitars...check them out. I stopped in and met Al and showed him my guitar. As Al thoughtfully looked over my guitar he showed me several areas that needed improvement and work in addition to the new crack. Several old cracks were showing signs of spreading again. The frets were becoming worn, though I had them replaced two years ago. Divots in the Brazilian rosewood fret board were developing from decades of professional playing and practicing. Admittedly, I am too close to my guitar to notice changes to its structure over years of playing. Remember, no one has ever worked on this guitar other than the builder. But something was reassuring about Al. He was confident in his analysis and confident in his ability to fix the issues. I left my guitar with Al and he began to go to work on it, sending me pictures of his work over email as he went . He must have been aware of my reticence to let anyone work on my guitar other than Rich Worthington, the builder. Sure enough, three days later it was as if magic had been worked on the guitar. The cracks are fixed. I have new frets which Al tells me may last a long, long time. The action is much better. The neck is smoother allowing me to move up and down the neck with greater ease and speed. The divots from my fingers are gone and the intonation is better than it has been in decades. I am inspired from Al's superior work on my guitar. It's as if the guitar is almost better than ever. Seriously, This gentleman, Al Calderone, is as fine a repair man as there is. He is totally attuned to the structural nature of the instrument, and how it all works together to make music. He will let the hidden music in your music come alive. That's what he did for me. I am grateful for his excellent work. Bring your instrument to AL and feel confident it is in the best hands possible. John Jump read more

This shop is a hidden Gem... Not only do they do great repairs but they have a Guitar building school! That's right...they teach you how to build your own hand crafted guitar. Don't take me wrong I'm a fan of learning online...but hands-on learning is always better =) Staff is friendly and the owner is a true craftsman and very humble. The shop is located in a town just 30 minutes from Sacramento. I don't know what they have in the water but the business in this town is top notch, best Bike repair shop (Velocity), Best Steakhouse (Buckhorn), best breakfast (Putah Creek Café) and Best guitar shop!!! read more

Had a guitar refinished here and recently had a setup done. Had a guitar that came from the factory with sharp fret ends. Al cleaned them up and cleaned up the back of the neck to a silky smooth finish. I'll gladly take more guitars to him in the future. read more

I took two days of instruction with Al He was great and helped me through some ways to greatly improve various parts of my Luthier skills. He is a great guy and I had a productive and fun time read more

Al is a great person, honest and friendly, and an excellent craftsman, thoughtful and meticulous. On the recommendation of a fellow guitar player, who had a Gibson acoustic set up by Al (I played it before and after and, even though it was a high-end guitar to start with, the difference in higher quality tone and playability was pretty amazing), I brought in my Larrivee acoustic and Fender Strat . Both guitars were in for set-ups and new nuts. I was very fussy about some of the details, non-standard string heights in particular. Al took the time to be really clear about what I was looking for, and made some excellent suggestions of his own. Within a few working days they were ready to pick up and as soon as I played them in the shop I was impressed and very happy with the results . Although some of the adjustments I'd requested were very subjective he absolutely nailed what I was looking for. The additional work details that he had suggested were definite bonuses to the already high quality of work done. Both guitars now play as I wished them to, and with better tone, balance, and projection. Even the Strat sounds better played just acoustically. Al's workmanship is top-notch, but even more than that the artistic attention to the overall sound and feel of the instruments...how all of the elements blend together and contribute to what makes a guitar sing and play with balance and integrity...are why Al deserves the highest rating. After a couple of weeks playing time I still couldn't be happier with the new feel and tone of my guitars. And as a plus, if for any reason you might feel the adjustments to your instrument need some fine tuning, Al will do that as part of the original set-up fee. Al's fees are in-line with the going price points for this kind of work, and in consideration of the quality of his work they are very fair. It was a Saturday, Guitar Building Class day, when I picked up my guitars and the place was buzzing with with a good feeling. Everyone was positive and engaged in their projects, and the people I spoke with had only good things to say about Al's class and the work he had done for them on their guitars. And yes, the town and surrounding countryside are peaceful and quite picturesque...definitely an added bonus to visiting Al's shop. Come for the guitars, stay for the food and the view! read more

Arc is the real deal , Al is a awesome friendly guy who goes out of his way to make sure you are happy , I have had a few guitars worked on by Al and always very straightforward and happy with his work! Highly recommend !! read more

I have visited Arc Guitar for guitar repair several times over the past 3 years. I do not ever remember a negative interaction. Nor have I ever been disappointed with the work that was done. Just recently I started attending Al's Guitar bulding class. This is an opportunity to build your own quitar from start to finish. Awesome! read more

I wish I could give Al more than 5 stars! We brought our Custom Martin acoustic in to have a pickup installed (which was a very reasonable price, and he threw in a discount). Upon inspection Al noticed it needed a little extra TLC, as well as some extra work to the mounting block in order to instal the pickup. He contacted me to authorize the extra services but I wasn't able to afford it at the time due to some major unexpected car repairs. When we came in to pick it up, SURPRISE! Al had done all the extra work for free (a $205 value) and said "Merry Christmas"! He did an AMAZING job. Our guitar is perfectly set up, clean, polished, restrung, and sounding so nice!!! Thank you, Al!!! read more

The best place in winters to buy your guitar and they also have guitars lesson check them out

I drop by this store every time I come to norcal but it's the first time I got here when it's open! Al was fantastic and welcoming, showing me around the workshop and all the fantastic guitars-to-be. Thanks for the great experience and I hope to be a student one day. read more

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ARC guitar is run by an honest man by the name of Al, who is both knowledgeable and kind. I called looking for a screw for my classical guitar and he helped me immediately, inviting me to check out what he had for spares. A great business! read more

It is not in my nature to say bad things about other people/businesses but I am compelled to let everyone know about ARC guitar. The equipment there is in poor condition, when you buy supples there they are marked up 300-400% and the skill level of the staff is fair at best. In a nearby town there is a similar school of lutherie that is far superior. Be aware! read more

What a disappointment! We heard such great things about the guitar lessons so booked an appointment with Al. We arrived on time and the shop was closed with a "Be Right Back" sign--so we waited. Anyhow, 15 minutes pass and nobody arrives. I decided to call the shop to leave a voicemail asking about the status of our scheduled session. FINALLY at 4:17 Al shows up scatterbrained admitting he had forgotten about our appointment for my 10 year old niece. We waited outside for him to open up the store. When he let us in he said, "I didn't like your tone in the voicemail--you sounded frustrated and I don't like that. I'm sorry but I don't think I can work with you." This was said right in front of the kid. I found his behavior incompetent and left. About 10 minutes later this Al guy actually calls us back--provoking us to reiterate how he didn't appreciate our call again! Seriously? Completely unprofessional--let it go, man, let it go. Some serious bad vibes and hostility at this place. Buyer beware. read more

A truly unique artist and craftsman. I commissioned a custom acoustic guitar after a long and disappointing search at retailers and online. I have owned my custom Zircote guitar for three years now and it turns heads every time I take it out of the case. The quality of the sound challenges the very best Collings, Santa Cruz, Goodall or any custom I have played and leaves Martin, Taylor and the other large producers sorely lacking, including a $35,000 Martin I was privileged to play. Great quality repairs and an amazing commitment to warantee policy as well. He says 90 days on repairs, but rarely turns away from any problem even beyond that. Even today, my custom ends up on his bench for 'tweaking' when Al sees it. Oh and btw, check out his building class... You can build yourself a custom guitar under his expert guidance. read more

I contacted ARC GUITAR to help me with my 1976 Mossman Tennessee Flat Top. I've had it for 20 years and it just got harder to play. Al Calderone assessed the problem, it needed a neck reset and refret along with new tuning machines. It sounded great new when Al finished it sounded better than new. He really is a superb craftsman. read more

DH from Travis is an idiot. I have had Al at ARC do work for me and I have attended his guitar making school. Al has the most pride and integrity in his work. To say that he did shoddy work and was anything than honest is not possible. Only an idiot would think so. read more