Every now and then a Bass comes along that is simply a one in a million: OK I'm not really a 60's position Jazz Bass guy. I mainly play R&B / Funk music so I need that gritty back bridge pickup in the 70's position at all times !!!..........Well..........That's another story! So, Anywho...........I recently placed my beloved Fender Jazz Deluxe (60's pickup position) in the Gary Brawer World of Instrumental Repair, Rebuild, Revive, Relive Mayhem !!!!! I absolutely love this bass because, I guess you could say I found one in a million as far as Feel, Setup, Playability right out of the box but, I just could not get the desired tone that I wanted.....Boo Hoo! For the past 3 years I had forced myself to play this bass until I simply could not do it anymore so, I did some research and I decided to try a John East Pre-Amp. Low & Definetly Behold !!! Gary Brought out my Bass and told me my Bass "REALLY" sound good..........Hmmm..........OK Well, Gary played a few notes to make sure everything worked then, he handed it over to me. Now, this bass has never had a set-up at all (No Need). As soon as I touched the strings, I knew something special had taken place under the hood of this Bass. So, I met The Fabulous Mr. Mike Gardner who recently joined the Forces there and he is the one who worked on the Bass. If you know me then, you know I always greet you with a Hand-Shake and a Hug (That's just me!) Anywho, When I got home to my personal Bass Rig and plugged the Bass in and turned the power on...........All Hell Broke Loose !!!! This Bass "Tone" finally caught up with the Bass itself !!!! I simply cannot find the words to describe how my Bass now sounds...........Love and Kudos to Mike Gardner, Gary Brawer & Alan(My Brother from another! Welcome Home!) Fernando (Hair Color!) and of course the whole Staff at Gary Brawer String Repairs !!! These are the only guys who repair my Guitars PERIOD !!!!! read more

Hello musicians my name is Chuck and I have great news. Gary Brawer Stringed instrument Repair is still surpassing the competition hands down. I have been going to Gary for all my repair and guitar building needs since the mid eighties. I recently visited his shop in October of 2010 with an emergency repair. Not only did he address the situation on short notice, he charged me a reasonable rate and exceeded my expectations with the quality of his work. In addition to that the front desk person Fernando was knowledgeable, friendly and pleasant. I was excited to find out that the shop is a licensed warranty location for many name brands and boasts state of the art high tech equipment like the PLEK FRET MILL C&C . This piece of equipment can remedy almost any fret imperfection. This coupled with their countless years of combined experience and knowledge, makes it the only real choice in the Bay Area. Please keep in mind this shop fixes and builds instruments for everyone from Rock Stars to the occasional Strummer and rates are relative to the services rendered. Gary is always fair and stands behind his work. Gary and his team are probably the most sought after repairmen in the Bay Area and he has a busy shop ,but they do a great job of accommodating everyone.The best is always worth the wait. This is no bargain hunters paradise, just honest work for an honest dollar. This is a one stop shop, no need to go any where else. I truly mean every word. .After all these years I'm still impressed and completely satisfied. Sincerely lifetime musician and teacher Chuck read more

My fender 2008 American deluxe strat had a bad pick up which needed to be replaced. I read the reviews here and other places and decided to go with this store eventhough many have warned about their delays and work issues. First of all I have no problem with the people working there, they seemed nice whenever I talked to them. But everything else sucks. I dropped off my beloved guitar and they seem to know what to do and gave me an estimate of 2 weeks before I can pick it up. So I called them back 2 weeks later and they haven't done any work on the guitar and said Fender didn't get back to them about my warranty. So I kept email and calling them about once a week for another 4 weeks. It took them another two weeks to confirm my warranty went through and 2 more weeks for the part to arrive. I'm sorry about this but I don't believe it takes 6 weeks to get a part which is in production. So they did fix the pickups at the end, then after I came home I notice my guitar got a new dent on the body and some scratches. I take care of my guitar like a baby. This is really pissing me off, I normally don't swear but I want to say a big F U to the store. Their shop is like a dump, With barely any place to place a guitar without the danger of bumping into something. Replacing the pickup is not even a complex thing to fix. Not only it took them 6 weeks, they also damaged my guitar. Great job, NOT. I would definitely look into other options in the future. No, don't have that wishful thinking like I did that this wouldn't happen to you. It only take one time to ruin something you love. read more

I have been playing guitar for more than 40 years and have owned many guitars. I just recently had a Les Paul Class 5, very nice guitar, repaired and set up at Gary Brawers shop. I had hacked up putting a new nut in it and needed some professional rescue. I paid a lot for this repair, I had them "Plek" my guitar, put a new nut on it, and repair the finish where I chipped out a small dime sized piece of mahogany on the neck. The job they did is flawless. The guitar has never played better, and this is a good playing guitar to start with. The problem that caused me to change the nut was the G string sticking and going out of tune on any aggresive bends. I have been playing it hard for well over two hours and it is still in tune. Man I could not be happier. The finish repair is invisible, the neck is beautiful, and the guitar's sustain is improved significantly. How could I ask for more? Yes it is a bit of a hole in the wall, but that adds to the whole ambience. I don't want a spiffy shop inside of Guitar Center. I want somebody who works in a production repair shop and their workbench looks like it. Gary is a very personable guy and made sure that I liked the setup, the repair, and stressed several times that my setup has a lifetime "bring it in anytime" for adjustments warranty with it. This place is the real deal. It is well worth me travelling from the South-East bay to get into his shop. I am headed back with a couple of other guitars. Check Gary's shop out if you really care what your guitar plays like. Joe read more

To be honest, Brawer Stringed Instrument Repair and SF Guitarworks do the same quality work, for about the same price. But I will choose SF Guitarworks every time, just so I don't have to deal with Fernando. I have never encountered such a condescending, surly person in customer service in my life. It is a mystery to me why Gary would risk his reputation by allowing this guy to belittle and offend his customers. I brought my new guitar in for a setup last month. After first barking at me that he wouldn't talk to me until he finished his lunch, he then proceeded to look at my guitar dismissively and tell me he didn't know why I had come, and that this guitar didn't need anything. The action sure felt high to me, and I said so. He agreed to take the guitar, but not after making me feel like I was a huge dumbass. Then a female customer arrived, and I got pushed out of the way. After changing his attitude and slobbering all over the poor girl, he got one last bit of sexist condescension in, telling her "You're pretty good, maybe you can go on tour with Taylor Swift." What a jerk! Trust me, Fernando is going to annoy you at the least, and probably piss you off. Go to SF Guitarworks instead. Though I highly recommend Real Guitars, the vintage guitar shop that share the space with Brawer. They've got great stuff, and everyone there has been super helpful and kind! read more

Gary is one of the most gifted people when it comes to guitar craftsmanship. You bring in a guitar and you leave with something that far exceeded your expectations. He takes pride in his work and has the confidence to do it right! Though mainly behind the scenes, Gary is the heart and soul of that entire operation. Fernando, being up front and ready to greet you, has such a kind and warm personality, that just draws you in with the reassurance that you're going to be taken care of in the way that suits you best. I've had Gary work on my guitars in the past and when I brought in my latest, Fernando had mentioned that Gary now has a Plek Machine. I took Fernando's advice and had them run my guitar on the machine and the results were fabulous! When I run my fingers up and down the neck, it's like skating on ice, it's so smooth. I was completely satisfied as I've always been, but this new Plek Machine does the job! I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering having any neck-work done on their guitars. Thank you Gary and Fernando and anyone else who had a hand in making my guitar exactly the way I wanted it. read more

If you are a musician in S.F. and don't all ready know, this is THE place to take your guitar or bass! I had just played a show and through some on stage buffoonery managed to rip out the electronics of my 62 Fender jazz bass. Not only that but broke part of the pick guard into several pieces! And to make matters worse I had another high profile show 2 days later. I brought the poor thing down to Gary's and explained the situation. At first the solution seemed to be to just to get my bass up and running but that wasn't good enough for them! They actually managed to cut a new piece for my pick guard, and repair the electronics, and they did it all in a manner of about 3 hours! They were totally hip to the musician's woe of an equipment emergency for an upcoming show. The staff is friendly and put me at ease and actually got me laughing about the whole thing. Their work is excellent, my bass sounds great again, and I think it looks even better. When I walked out of there I was on cloud nine. This is the only place I will take my bass to from now on! Thank you Gary Brawer Guitar Repair. read more

I have a Peavey Wolfgang with a D tuna and have taken the guitar to 3 different places before it landing at Gary's shop for a full setup and D tuna adjustment. Also, he recommended shaving a little of the end of the neck for better tuning on the low frets. He took the time to show me exactly how and why that work would make for a better instrument to play. Now, after the work has been done, I can drop in and out of D tuning and it sounds wonderful and stays right in tune. I have been beating the tremolo bar and it just will NOT go out of tune. I'm talking limp strings on the pickups here folks. The action is the best it's ever been, no buzzing and nice and low. At one point I thought of ditching the wolfgang, but after Gary's shop, this guitar stays with me till I die. My search is finally over for a master guitar shop that really knows how to eliminate my constant attention to the equipment and focus solely on playing the instrument. To me, that's how I know I found what I've been looking for. Thanks for fixing my guitars Gary. Its the best work I've seen and worth every penny. read more

These guys are awesome! I was on a business trip in Phoenix and bought a 4 year old Gibson Songwriter Deluxe off Craigslist that was presented as brand new, never been used and it looked like it. The only problem was the action was a little high. I figured no problem, get it setup and start enjoying my dream guitar! But the local experts I had check it out in San Jose said it had big problems with the neck; it must have been stored improperly and damaged by the extreme heat in Phoenix. They recommended Gary Brawer as the best shop around for major repairs. I brought my guitar to Gary Brawer about nine months ago and they recommended a refret. When I picked it up 3-4 weeks later it played like the awesome guitar I thought I had purchased. Now when I pick up a new one in any guitar store none of them play as well as mine after the refret! Nine months later it still plays as great as the day I picked it up. The store is a little eclectic but don't let that stop you from using them, these guys were great to deal with and the quality of their work is amazing! read more

I've had three guitars repaired and setup at Gary Brawer's, two 1957 Gibson arch-tops and a custom made 335. The old arch-tops had become almost unplayable with warped necks, worn frets, scratchy tone and volume controls and bridges that moved around if I bent the strings too hard. Both guitars came back to me in perfect playing condition, and the price was very reasonable. I've since sold one of the guitars to Blake Sennett, who drove up from LA to buy the guitar. Not being an alt-country / indie rock fan, I had no idea who Blake Sennett was until a friend told me. Blake liked the guitar and paid my full asking price. The custom 335 had serious problems with the pickups and wiring. They put new pickups on the guitar and sorted out the wiring. It cost a little more than I had expected, but the work was first class and they got it done fast. The guitar sounds beautiful and plays like a dream. I'd recommend them to anyone. They're cool folks. read more

Housed in a Vintage Guitar Shop called Real Guitars, Gary Brawer and his staff are as real as it gets! While Gary and his team are well known for their work with some world-famous guitarists, they treat every customer with the same conviction. They have worked on 5 of my guitars over the course of the last 5 years and have over-delivered each and every time. In fact, they have made tweaks to my guitars where I didn't even know I needed some tweaks! They are true artisans that believe in their craft. If you want a "commercial job" done go to the 'chain guitar shop', but if you care to truly have craftsman work on your instruments go see Gary Brawer and his amazing team. You won't be disappointed!!! read more

Learned about Gary fom Nashville master luthier Joe Glaser some years ago. Well I finally needed some work on one of my Tune basses and called Gary up. Talked to Gary and visited his shop for an assessment. There I met Allen, his shop manager and Gary. Both are very cool and friendly. Explained my issue, got an assessment, and scheduled an appt. Took my bass in a few days later. The work that was done...fret level set and setup. I was very pleased with Gary's work...excellent attention to detail to make sure I was getting what I wanted. I can totally recommend Gary and Allen for a pro experience!!! Instrument Setup...A+ Customer Service...A+ Delivery as promised...A+ read more

It's been many years since I had my 1980 Les Paul Standard set up by Gary. His work was flawless. He's a gentleman, honest as the day is long and possess remarkable skills in guitar repair. It was a huge loss to us players/collectors in San Francisco when he moved his shop from Real Guitars to Berkeley. I can't express enough praise for his work... as it says in another review, "Gary could take a skateboard strung with barbed wire and make it play and sound like a Stradivarius... so, just think what he can do for your guitar. Thank you for being you , Gary read more

In 2001 during my divorce I brought my Gibson Everly Brothers acoustic in there to sell. I needed money. I'd owned that guitar since I bought it on my first leave from basic training in Fort Dix, NJ in the winter of 1972. She was Beverly the Everly and she stayed with me through the army, through a cross-country move, and was always there for me when I needed to put my fingers around someone's neck. I got a good price for it. I hope whoever bought it loves it as much as I did/do. read more

I had a '65 335 that I had purchased from Real Guitars re-fretted and rebound by Gary and Fernando and the crew. This was all done long distance as I live in Texas. Both Gary and Fernando were very easy to talk to and very careful to make sure that they understood exactly what I wanted, calling me several times to clarify issues as they came up. Bottom line: I couldn't be happier. The guitar plays like a dream and sounds just as good. IMO it doesn't get any better. Thanks guys! read more