Danche offers repairs done quickly with an unmatched skill. A lot of people can repair a guitar. Danche will make it sound and look new. The guitars Danche makes are gorgeous and their sound parallels guitars that cost 3x more. There are lessons available too. I've heard they're really, really great read more

This was my guitar until Donche sold it, he told me he couldn't find it!? What a jerk read more

As previously stated the man is a crook. He sold my husband's guitar after trying to grossly over charge him for repair. He needed repair on his fret, the man tried to charge him hundreds and hundreds of dollars, when he had trouble coming up with the money, the owner sold it. We debated suing him with the help of our friend as the way he conducts business is breaking state laws but in the end it was a bigger headache. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GO TO THIS PLACE OF BUSINESS. read more

I have purchased three Fender Basses and had all three re set up when they were exposed to very cold temperatures. Though he is pricey for set ups, the work is excellent. I am very happy with the three basses I purchased from him and all three were vey nice to play at point of purchase. With the closing of many local guitar stores, Danche provides a valuable resource for people in the area who want personalized service and Fender products read more

Scammer. This guy has horror stories all over oak park of how he steals guitars brought in for repair and sells them online, or price gouges for shoddy work. STAY AWAY! Get your repairs done at a reputable shop like third coast or Chicago music exchange. read more

Danche is my go-to for all my guitar setups and repairs. Acoustics, electrics - he is a wizard and a professional luthier. Not the cheapest, but expert work. Highly recommend to everyone. read more

This is my written response in regard to dealings with said establishment: I am sorry you should really talk to with Danche he assured me classes were flexible. Please understand my frustration from the get-go when I showed up for my first lesson after dropping $600! It is a very disappointing to look forward to something for an entire week and then be turned away. I was told that he was sorry 'his guy' never called him back and come to find out the following week you are related. That was not professional. That reflects poorly on the establishment. I gave it another chance instead of returning everything because he was very nice about being flexible, the precedent was already set. This has put me in a sour mood for this whole process. When the establishment owner does not communicate it reflects poorly on the business, your customer satisfaction and retention rate. I thank you for the time you have already given. read more

Did some work on my guitar. Charged way too much for what he did. And I'm just now noticing that I have a couple of dings in my guitar neck. So as far as getting your guitar or instrument to work on, don't come to this place read more

I just got my outstanding Saers A50. Danche sent me a video of the guitar, and played it so I could hear it, before I bought it. Nice people and great to work with. read more

My teen brought in their acoustic for repairs. I wanted to be there too but I'm afraid of dogs and we were greeted at the door by a big dog. I totally get that someone would want to bring their pet to work, but it's unfortunate that I had to stand outside rather than come in and talk to the owner, seeing as I'm the one paying for it. So I let my kid handle the interaction, and they dropped off their guitar, but was not quoted a repair cost. My kid called at my request later in the day and was quoted $80, which I think is reasonable for the work required. The guitar was ready less than 24 hours later, $80. Convenient location right on Madison in Forest Park. read more

He RIPPED ME OFF. i Asked for a bridge repair. Says $60 ON HIS WEBSITE. He's 3 days late. I get the the store, HE ASKS FOR $150. I point out its $60 online. He says he did all these extra services. He NEVER CALLED TO GET MY APPROVAL before doing so. Then he became angry, INSULTED ME WHILE YELLING. He proceeded to CALL THE POLICE. When the officer arrived HE INSULTED THE OFFICER. The officer was super professional. I decided to be done with it and pay the full money. HE ALSO CRACKED MY GUITAR! DON'T GO THERE. HE WILL RIP YOU OFF!!!!!!!! read more

This is the best place for guitar repair and a there's a great selection of guitars for purchase and amps. I went in for a repair and was so happy with his work that I bought another guitar from him. Very reasonable price too. Since then I decided to take some guitar lessons, since I have always been a bass player, and those have been a lot of fun and I'm actually getting better. Danche is a very talented Luthier and many great guitarists trust their guitars to him and so do I. read more

Danche is one of a kind and a master of his craft! I just got back from picking up my second guitar that he's repaired this month, and I'm absolutely ecstatic...it really feels like I'm playing them for the first time again. Here's a quick recap of the guitars and the damage, the work completed, and my experience with the business: The guitars and damage: 1) 2005 Taylor 214-E Acoustic/Electric (Grand Auditorium) -- This is my baby! I bought her brand new while in college and she's been my main guitar for nearly 15 years. Used for both gigs and the bedroom, she picked up a pretty severe crack (due to this winter's dryness) in the soundboard from the bridge to the lower bout. Also needed a refret and some neck adjustments (it had bowed, again because of the dry winter). Probably $850-$1450 in good-mint condition (according to GuitarList.com). 2) Late 1960s/Early 1970s Conrad Trini Lopez Tone Tiger (Semi-Hollow Electric) -- I could never afford a vintage 60s Gibson Trini Lopez (think Dave Grohl/Foo Fighters sound, ~$4k-12k) and I picked up this beauty in a pretty rough condition on CraigsList in August 2018 for $275. Neck was bowed and warped, bridge was replaced in the 80s/90s and in awful condition, and it had a nasty crack in the top side of the ribs. Eventually developed two cracks in the soundboard from the bridge pick-up to the tailpiece (another victim of the dry winter). Probably $800-$1200 in mint condition (from what I've seen...very difficult to find better sources on old Matsumoku guitars). The work completed: 1) Taylor: Danche completely fixed the bowed neck, including a full refret. Also patched that really scary crack. Set it up with strings I brought (and provided my desired tuning for, DGCFAD). Total cost: $450 out the door. Estimated time for repair was 7-8 days, actual pick-up was 5 days. 2) Conrad: New bridge (hand-made), fixed the neck and shaved the frets which were buzzing + starting to groove. Set it up with strings I brought (and provided my desired tuning for, DGCFAD). Total cost: $450 ($200 for first visit, $250 for second visit) out the door. Estimated time for first repair was 7 days, actual pick-up was 3 days. Estimated time for second repair was 14 days, actual pick-up was 5 days. At that pick-up, we discovered that the second fret was still buzzing and he finished the repair at no extra cost. Estimated repair time was next day, and it was ready for pick-up on time (I could not make it due to other obligations, but came by today and it was all set). My experience with the business: I've been playing stringed instruments myself for 20+ years (mainly in the San Francisco Bay Area, only moved to the Oak Park/River Forest Area ~4 years ago), and I've never before made the acquaintance of such an exceptional luthier! He trained in Serbia, Germany and Austria (!!!) before finally coming over to the US and gracing us with his skill and craftsmanship. I would feel very comfortable bringing any sort of stringed instrument which required repair to his shop (guitars, mandolins, ukuleles, violins, violas, etc.). Danche is a legend. Whenever I go out to local clubs and speak with musicians (many of whom are much more talented than I), they always speak highly of his business and workmanship. Through these conversations and my own experiences, I can say that he's likely the best in his craft in the area (and many people have even offered the opinion that he's the best in the Chicago metropolitan area). I don't expect to test that hypothesis any time soon, as I will not take a guitar for repairs at any other business until he retires. It's very odd to read the low star reviews after having such wonderful experiences with this business over the past 4 years. The only reconciliation my mind can discern would be that these reviews are not left by serious musicians, but unhappy folks who are attempting to alleviate their sadness over poor decision making through bitterness and schadenfreude. If you do come here, expect to pay an appropriate price for a unique service that can't be obtained at any other establishment. I'd like to end this review with my very first impression of Danche Guitars: One very cold day in January 2016, while driving with my wife, my car had problems and we had to pull over and park nearby. My wife soldiered on with the dog to get Comcast hooked up, while I stayed back to wait for the tow truck. After snagging a coffee at the nearby Starbucks, I saw Danche's Guitars across the street. I went over and was immediately met by Bucky (their golden retriever) and Danche's wife. They let me hang around for a full hour, showed me all the guitars, and tolerated my phone conversations while I waited. Sadly, his wife is no longer with us, but I will never forget their generosity and hospitality while I was stranded in a strange place, and will always return now that it's become familiar. read more

I've only purchased basic supplies - picks, a cable or two, a capo - and gotten a handful of re-stringing jobs here. Always very quick work and pleasant convos. read more

Took 3 guitars (my mistake, I should have started with just one). The work was just ok and more money that expected, but the real issue came when I asked for an acoustic guitar pickup to be replaced. The sound I got from it was horrible, way worse than the low quality pickup, huge amount of feedback. From the start he told me there was nothing wrong with the guitar and started mocking me, I was not expecting that since the first impression of the guy is that is very friendly. I felt insulted after playing for more than 30 years that this guy was telling me that the guitar was perfect, and it's perfectly normal to play around 20 feet from the amp and the reason for the feedback was the lights in the store...so very surreal experience, asked him to remove the pickup and didnt offer any money back.. such a shame since I wanted to try a small shop... won't be coming back read more

I do not usually like to do this, BUT, it's a kind of warning to musicians: we are musicians, we are BROKE! I took my guitar in when a machine head came off, I left it with him, and did not hear back, I called after 3 days and he snapped and told me he would call, so I waited.7 days later I called again, he said it was ready and he had called (he had not, I checked my call log, and I get phone calls so infrequently) I went in and he told me $100, I said that was ridiculous for what he did, he said he restringed it and gave it a "set up" , I told him I did not ask for that. so $30 it was...great. It played ok but after taking it out on Saturday to tune it, the "fixed" machine head snapped off immediately. I took it somewhere else who told me they would have to put a new machine head on..FINE...between $10 & $20 ..GREAT. Maybe this Danche guy is used to affluent parents or wannabe stock broker weekend guitarists and not working pandemic crippled musicians, but that was low read more

paid $250 to have a guitar (worth maybe $200?) cleaned and set up. 3 way toggle switch was broken and tuner bushings were falling out. Got guitar back (paid my $250), the toggle switch wasn't fixed, the switch arms were basically bent around until it barely held the selector switch in place, it broke again the next day so I just ordered a new one and fixed it myself. there were untaped and unsoldered areas in the pots that were not fixed. They used the wrong style bushings on the headstock tuners so I removed them and put in my own. The nickel plating on the hardware was cleaned, so that was nice (the only nice thing I can say about this experience). So i basically spent $250 on a action setup and the action wasn't even bad to begin with! I got totally ripped off and will never use this shop again. Flushed $250 down the toilet. read more

Worst Experience ever, these people are crooks big time. I brought in my vintage acoustic guitar to have a bridge replacement done to it for $150.00 The Older guy who is the owner who speaks with forked tongue, and has a bad accent resulting in bad communications, but he said that he would replace the bridge and would clean up the guitar as well, so I thought wow he's doing a little something extra, how nice. Well, all I got was a cleanup and no bridge. I argued about what we talked about and he told me to go screw myself and his Son threatened to bodily harm me if I didn't get out of their store. These people are thugs and thieves, before warned!!! read more

I have been several times before and I love the atmosphere. Instruments are everywhere, amps already set up for you to test out any instrument you please and there's an huge, adorable golden retriever who is just a gentle giant and is extremely friendly. I recently went to Danche's because I needed my action lowered on my Taurus T24 bass. A mere two days later I got a call that is was done and it plays like a dream. 10/10 would highly recommend to anyone looking for a luthier. read more

Shady business. Stay away. Paid over $200 for a repair and got my guitar back in the same condition I brought it in. I should have looked here 1st. When I saw all the negative reviews I knew I made a mistake. read more

My guitar had a crack on its neck that kept getting bigger. I brought the guitar in and Danche said he could fix it for a price I thought was reasonable. He told me the guitar should be ready in about 10 days but it only took 7! I was even able to pick it up on a Sunday. Besides the crack, I asked him to do a full tune-up and find a small knob that I was missing. Turns out he did even more than I asked for, which made me very happy. It has been just about a half-hour since I got home, and the guitar sounds and looks better than ever. That man knows what he is doing with a guitar. His dog is also worth mentioning, very friendly golden retriever (would pet/10). read more

Very nice guitar shop for all your needs. Family owned business run by Danche. Carries a nice selection of new and vintage stringed instruments. They offer lessons, guitar repair and even have classes to build your own guitars and basses. Nice vibe and decor which provides a comfortable and chill place to shop and even test guitars and amps. read more

I've been a loyal customer of Danche for many years. Early on he was fine, with good prices and work. But over the past year he's charged me $35, then $50 and today $80, for a simple set up of my acoustic guitar. He didn't remember having ever charged those lower prices. When I complained he apologized but didn't budge on the price, blaming it on his website for some reason. There have been other issues as well. I'm very much a supporter of local small businesses, but I'm not sure I'll stick with him much longer. read more

I have brought my Martin and Gibson acoustics in for repair and care several times. Danche's repairs are top notch. He also gives me great advice. Repairs are made earlier in the time frame that he quotes. He even opened the store for me when I was in a panic attack about a crack in my Gibson! read more

Like a step back in time to where the craftsman lives in the back of the shop. I had an old well used guitar that belonged to my father, Danche appears to be an old world master showing me various projects from simple string replacement to building an entire instrument. Danche said "my instrument will be worth what you pay to fix it". I said no problem it was my dad's and I want it fixed. After 21 days and $335 the unit was returned to me in like new condition. At first I thought he was giving me the wrong guitar. It looked and sounded FANTASTIC. What a bargain this turned out to be. I took the new beauty to ukulele night in Oak Park to find out it is mostly for Ukuleles and not guitars. But they were very kind and let me sit in if I promised I would come back with an Uke in tow. Before the fun evening was over I had two offers to buy my dad's new life guitar. One for $875 and one for $600 plus a good quality Ukulele. Highly recommend this Danche. The every present family dog is a real joy to play with. I may even take Uke lessons there. Two people there swore by the lessons. read more

I've been a regular customer at Danche Guitars for about 8 years. On my first visit he set up a one of a kind custom acoustic guitar I had purchased a few years before. When I picked it up I couldn't believe how well it played--practically like a new instrument! Since then Danche has expertly repaired my 72 Custom Tele and 72 Gibson SG. Both needed new frets installed. The work was flawless and both guitars are better than ever. This year I splurged and got a custom electric that Danche made. It's made of one solid piece of beautiful teak and has Joe Barden pickups. It's got amazing tone and playability. Their new location is awesome and they also are now official Fender vendors so they have a great selection of amps as well as guitars, mandolins and accessories. They also offer instruction and guitars for new players at a friendly price point. Danche is a master craftsman who can repair any stringed instrument at the highest level. The prices are reasonable considering the high quality of work. You can also build your own guitar working alongside Danche! I highly recommend you check out the store. You'll see some beautiful hand crafted custom guitars in a friendly relaxed atmosphere. read more

Danche knows his stuff. I trust him with vintage and delicate items. I'd even call him a master...seriously. He makes guitars by hand and offers some amazing one of a kind pieces in his store along with the big name companies you know about already. He does amazing set ups on guitars and has a level of craftsmanship that I have not found in Chicago. Truly a master. Old school and worth going to see for repairs as well as new gear. Don't go big box...go see a local wizard like Danche. read more

So I just had Danche Guitar do some fretwork on an old 95' Epiphone Les Paul that I've had since high school and through the early aughts, which I still love. (This was one of the Japanese-Made Fuji-Gen era Epiphones, which were notably awesome for tone, sustain, resonance, etc...) In any case, I had almost given this guitar up for dead because I had used super heavy gauge strings on it as a drop-down rhythm guitarist for a prog/metal band for so long that the frets were all but completely dead and I wasn't sure if it was time to retire this guitar, give it to my nine year old son, or try to refurbish it myself, but I took it to Danche, and he levelled and crowned the frets to such perfection that the neck looks almost new, there is no sign of buzzing anywhere, and the tone/sustain is like it was it 1998. I'm really pleased that he was able to resurrect this guitar for me so I just thought I'd share the message. Real attention and craftsmanship here. Danche Guitar Co. is highly recommended. read more

He's amazing at repairing guitars and knows his stuff but at the end of the day your going to be able to get the same results for a much cheaper price somewhere else. read more

Typical of the elitist type of mentality. If you're not in the crowd and the guy doesn't like you, he might just screw you. This guy agreed to install a guitar neck and clean up the wiring on a Strat. He literally drilled an extra hole in the heal of a brand new neck. Of course, this was intentional. The wiring never fixed, the price changed. What a creep. read more

I've been going to Danche for a while for routine maintenance on my Martin guitar. A few months ago my guitar was dropped on a concrete floor and split open. As you can imagine, I was devastated! I took it to Danche and he repaired it. You can't even tell there was an issue. You can't find the repair visually and the sound is as good as ever. Danche is a talented luthier and an all around great guy. read more

My son has been taking guitar lessons at Danche for almost two years. It's a very comfortable, friendly shop--almost old-world in its neighborly vibe. Danche and his wife take the time to get to know their customers and provide outstanding service. My son's guitar needed repair and together with his instructor Carl, they got a replacement guitar from Fender for him. (Danche is an official Fender dealer in addition to making and repairing guitars.) A great "gathering place" kind of shop with dedicated business owners, committed to the community. read more

I brought Danche an old Alverez A/E classical guitar I found at a pawn shop for $70.00. He looked at it and said, "To fix so it's like new $90.00" I said OK. 1 week later Danche called me and said, "It's ready". When I picked it up I couldn't believe it. It was like brand new. He adjusted the neck, fixed the electronics, filed down the nut, bridge & frets and even polished it. I plugged it in to one of his amps and started playing and the action & sound was better than I could've imagined. Danche is the Wizard of Guitars ! read more