Fresh from service! What can I say, Hal was funny and friendly. Communication was a breeze and the price was super reasonable. Thats a win considering nobody even offers this service anymore. Hal can have all my business. You should give him yours too. read more

Guitronics - Jcm 800 - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - San Francisco, California

I recently inherited a vintage 1965 Fender Princeton that was in need of new tubes and some "love". So glad I discovered Guitronics! Hal is very friendly and easy to work with. He set the amp up with new tubes, and replaced several caps and fuses. Added a new 3 prong power cord. Now the amp is simply amazing, with the vintage Jensen speaker. Would definitely recommend Hal for any amplifier restoration/maintenance needs! read more

My 40+ year old MusicMan workhorse has never sounded better! Hal is now my go-to amp guy! My only regret is that I didn't find much sooner! Hal rocks! Guitronics rocks! read more

Guitronics - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - San Francisco, California

Very cool small shop. All I needed was a set of tubes and he hooked me up. I would take any amp here without reservation.

Hal is an expert in the repair and care for tube instrument amplifiers. He diagnosed my problem in hours, and then guided me through the repair process. My 1955 Fender Deluxe is back to its great sound thanks to Hal and Guitronics! read more

Hal is legit! Worked on two of my amps and they sound great! He made suggestions and recommendations but all in all, wasn't there to up sale something that wasn't needed. read more

I've been taking my amps to Hal for over 13 years. But recently, he worked magic... Found a steal on an '86 JCM800 ... received it from shipping and it was making a god awful sound from the pre-amp section. Tubes were also shot... Hal worked his magic and now she's breathing fire. Still no one I trust with tube amps more than Hal. read more

The best in the game ..Hal is a maestro.. you won't be disappointed and your amp will thank you..

Hal recently serviced my Vox AC30 after I retrieved it from my inlaw's attic in the UK. It had been there for 25 years and needed some love. He converted it from British to US voltage and modified it so I can use a rock crusher attenuator. Everything works great and I now get that great overdriven tone at more reasonable volumes. It's also great to visit his Aladin's cave of a shop and hand out. read more

I have a Soldano SLO that was in need of retubing/cleaning etc. and brought it to Hal. I found him to be an expert as well as personable and reasonable. He took the time to explain things with a story or two thrown in. So, I brought in a Deluxe Reverb which had some "work" done to it by another tech. Hal brought it back to spec. He's become my go to guy. Would recommend Guitronics to anyone. Again, he's old school personable, reasonable and highly competent. read more

Hal is straight up awesome. Friendly as they come and more importantly, knowledgeable when it comes to everything amp related. He went in depth with what the problems were, parts needed, all costs associated and how he will go about fixing my RI Fender Deluxe Reverb. It took a bit of time to fix since I saw the piles and piles of amps that were entrusted to him before mine (which is probably a testament to how much he is trusted) but he did eventually get to my amp. It sounds its best now and all issues resolved. Very happy with the service he provides and glad to know he's there if amp issues ever arise again. Thanks Hal! read more

no better place to take your tube amp for any service/ repair. Hal is honest and fair.

Had been going to Euthymia in Alameda and thought I'd give Hal a shot for pure convenience reasons (he's a quarter-mile from my SF rehearsal space). The people above are right about Hal in person -- he's a nice, personable dude, and loves to talk amps. That's what you want in an amp tech. The other thing you want is communication. It's nice to know what their backlog is like, get an update when parts need ordered, etc. This is where Hal fails massively. It's always "call me next week," and once you track him down he'll tell you he/you need to order a part. Finally, you want an amp tech to be thorough. There are a multitude of ways an amp can go wrong, and I realize it's a real process getting an old tube amp running smoothly, and give techs leeway. But after having my amp returned and crapping out on me twice, each time taking closer to a month than the two weeks people mention above, I'm done with Guitronics. As I said, Hal's a knowledgeable, pleasant dude. While I realize that the lack of competition in this field makes consumers a captive audience, he might want to consider some customer service classes, because treating your customers like assholes is poor policy. read more

Okay, I have a rarer than rare Pre Mesa Boogie. It's a Princeton Reverb and was one of the first built by Randy Smith before he created Mesa Engineering. It is an amazingly awesome amp. It developed a short circuit. I brought it up from my house in Southern California and straight to Hal's shop, hoping that the short was repairable. There is no one else on the planet I would trust with this legendary amp. Now there is another upside to sending work to Hal and that is the shop talk and philosophical conversations that go on there. It is an absolute blast to hang with Hal and the musicians who drift in and out of his well-worn shop. Bring plenty of quarters to feed the meter as you will find it difficult to tear yourself away. Bottom line is---you leave your worries behind because Hal will fix your amp and his prices are reasonable. Thanks for everything Hal - you're the best. read more

Hal is not only the best Amp repairman in San Francisco but also a great human being. His knowledge is unparalleled and will always give you two ways of doing things, The best way and the best way. I've had work done on my 74 Fender Super as well as a 2008 Orange and he knows it all inside and out. I would never doubt his work ....EVER. read more

Hal... what a super nice guy and super knowledgeable about all things tube amps. Even though he was super swamped and busy he still took plenty of time out to help me and answer all my questions and I ended up purchasing a lower gain tube for my EVH 5150. read more

Hal knows amps. He is a fellow gigging musician with a huge appreciation for guitar gear. He recently re-tubed and biased my amp. Turnaround is pretty quick compared to some of the other guys and the cost was maybe a little lower than average. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is for the limited hours the shop is open. I will not hesitate to bring my amps in whenever they need it. read more

My experience: Needed my input jack replaced on my Fender Roc Pro 1000 Hybrid Combo Amp. I told him I'd take the amp apart and bring him the amp section and he agreed to fix it for $150. Walked into an office full of amps stacked right on top of eachother. Around a week later it was ready, but when I got it home I noticed there was a problem with the Volume Knob. The input jack was fixed well, but the volume knob didn't appear to be the same volume knob and it went in and out with no function. Though it worked, the sound would cut in and out when just trying to adjust the volume and at loud volumes it would short out and break up. Summary: My amp went in for repair for one part and returned with another damaged part. I paid full price and even disasembled the amp for him. I plan to take it back to him and see what he says and I will finish my review ... read more

Hal is THE MAN! When you first walk in, it is a mix of old and new gear (mostly old though) in various stages of repair and parts all over the place. Hal himself is a nice unassuming kind of guy. When you talk to him though, he really loves these old amps! He seems like he can talk for hours about amps, music, guitars and the whole SF gigging scene! I feel kind of bad chatting with him though because I know his time is precious and it's his 'work' time. I've been bringing my '67 Fender Super Reverb to Hal ever since I got it. It's been biased and thoroughly gone over. He's always recommended what it takes to get the amp back to original specs. He doesn't strike me to be a hot-rodder when it comes to amps. He has a certain 'respect' for the amps as they came off the assembly line in Fullerton. So, he always opts to put original spec parts back into the amps. He also really appreciates a good amp when he sees one. He won't suggest anything that the amp won't need and will always try to save you money. My latest visit to Hal was because I broke my stock Standby switch. I suppose after nearly 35 years, it's bound to break. When my wife & I walk in, he remembers me by name and recognized the amp! So, after a few weeks, I call him to follow up and he even remembers me again! He tells me it's all back together and wonderful sounding. YAY!!! So, I head out there, and he hands me his personal guitar to test out the amp. Needless to say, I am floored that he would hand me his own personal guitar. Of course, it plays beautifully too. My amp sounds great. I've been missing my old friend. He tells me that while he was in there, he did a few extra things too. No problem! Messing inside an amp is not my idea of fun-it can potentially KILL you if you don't know what you're doing. Anyway, I get it home and put it thru it's paces and it's better than before. Not that I ever abuse my amp, it's well taken care of, but he fixed a little bit of a noise issue I've been having. Just a little hum. One note, bring quarters if you want to spend any time with Hal. It's expensive to park out in the City!!! Don't think about it. Just do it. Bring your amp to Hal and you won't be disappointed. John Y read more

I have had a problem with some kind of short for a long time with my Fender Deluxe, and I finally took it in because it started to drive me crazy. At any rate, Hal fixed it and changed the tubes. It sounds like a brand new amp! read more

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Hal has helped me with my '68 Fender tube amp from the day I bought it, starting with a safety inspection, and through the occasional need for maintenance. He has also been great in recommending tube choices based on the level of headroom vs breakup I want, and answering my questions over the phone when needed. I couldn't ask for more. read more

Hal is the man! He bailed me out of an emergency with friendly, thoughtful service. His depth of knowledge is impressive, and his social insights are always interesting. Thanks Hal! read more

Hal is a great guy and does excellent work. Just moved to San Francisco and only have one amp with me. Brought it in for repair and he went out of his way to get it back to me as quickly as possible. Also gave me detailed explanations of all the work he did. Will be coming back here for any future work! read more

Hal hits it out of the park with his knowledge, ability with classic amps, and responsiveness. Very friendly and helpful, I couldn't be more pleased. I saw the stellar reviews he has on here and wanted to add one more that reflects my solid experience. Thanks Hal, keep rocking out man. read more

We're lucky to have Hal & Guitronics in SF. He's been keeping my '74 Music Man HD-130 in superior fighting form for almost 15 years. He does high-quality work quickly and I'd trust him with anything. Go to Hal...highly recommended read more

Hal is as much artist as technician- he will make your vintage amp sound like it should, and then some. He will gladly explain concepts like ohms, watts, and tubes to the layperson. Plus, he's nice as pie. I can't believe there are only two reviews of his tube wizardry on here! If your Marshall/Fender/Vox/Gibson/Accoustic/Boogie/etc needs love, Hal is your first call. read more

Need your tube amp fixed? Go here, and that's that. Gets busy sometimes so you may want to check in and make sure your amp is getting serviced when it was said it would be. Hal knows his stuff and you will be oh so happy. :) read more

I've got what you might call a cursed amp made by Fender that tends to stop working during shows and sometimes it even makes a wild screech or buzz that you can't turn off. I've taken this amp to Hal about three times now and I think he has finally cured it of its demons. The last time it stopped working I took it back to him and he didn't want there to be any question about the quality of his workmanship so he fixed it totally for free. You can tell that Hal cares about his reputation and the happiness of his customers, so Guitronics gets 5 stars. read more

I've been taking my tube amps to Guitronics for many years. Hal's equipment knowledge is wide, deep and enthusiastic. Has experience with many amp brands beyond Fender and Marshall, like old Ampegs, Traynors and Sunns. Reasonable prices. I was always informed of the repair status and cost. read more

Well let me just say that ever since I got my first amp back in 96' I have been taking all my amps to Hal. He is just super cool, straight up guy that explains what happened, what he did to it and why its sounding so fuckin tight now!! Everytime I go I always feel like I learn a little something. This is the place to go,PERIOD! read more

I recently took my very old Airline tube amp over to Hal at Guitronics for a re-tubing and overall tune up. In a couple weeks, he had the thing singing again. It sounded so good I ended up taking it on the road wtih me for a few weeks and it held up and and sounded amazing for the entire tour. Also, Hal is just a great guy. Very knowledgable. Will explain everything he's doing, answer questions, etc. My amp has about 8 tubes in it, some of which I wasn't even aware of their purpose to be honest. Hal only replaced the ones that needed replacing and left everything else in tact (ie - he's an honest man). He's got about a 2 week turn time for the most part. He has a standard flat fee for tune ups (which is better than many other shops in town that charge by the hour) + parts. It's not cheap, but more competitive than the other shops, and in San Francisco these guys have to charge a bit more because of cost of rent, etc. read more

Came in with a non-working Fender Super Reverb that I didn't know a whole lot about. Hal went over the amp top to bottom, repaired what needed to be repaired and cleaned what needed cleaning, and did a great setup. When I came to pick it up, he spent a bunch of time talking to me about the am, some tips to coax different sounds out of it, and basic setup and maintenance. Overall really pleased with the experience and quality of the repair. Super approachable and attitude-free about the whole thing. read more

Guru god of the tube amps. I had Hal re tube a 1953 fender pro amp (that was a basket case) a year and half ago. This is now my favorite amp, Hal dialed it in to my style of playing. Definitely loves talking shop, super knowledgeable. read more

This review is way overdue and I don't even live in the bay anymore but I always knew I wanted to give a great review to Hal when I set up a Yelp account. He serviced my Peavey 5150 (original first series), my Ampeg SVT II (not the pro) bass head, and even checked the soldering on the spot for an Ampeg 8x10 cab I'd just bought that was cutting out, and he did that without charge, just opened it up with the soldering gun in hand and closed it back up working perfectly. Guitronics is one of those repair shops where you can stop by as much as you want to check on how your equipment is progressing, once I stopped by to check on the 5150 repair and there it was plugged in and turned on in the back, we gathered around it and talked about it, that felt really nice. I think it's been six years now the 5150 is doing great, that's including a move to NY and a move back to California, time in storage and so on and so forth. The SVT II and 8x10, I sold back in that time. Can't say enough great things about Hal and his shop. read more

Hal is a great guy. He knows his business and he knows what will work best for your amp. I brought my Princeton Reverb in when I first purchased it and upon hearing it said he thought the reverb tank needed replacement, that it sounded flabby. I told him to check it out and low and behold, one of the springs was broken. Great ears, great instinct. He is fair and doesn't charge you up the shoot, he'll give you a quote for what you want done, and he does it. He'll ask about any additional problems he finds along the way. I give him full reign over my equipment and I haven't been disappointed. He isn't into the heavy modding and tinkering like, ahem, some other places around here, and he has you demo your amp before you take it with you so you can be sure it's what you want. He's the best. read more

I have been taking my various Marshall's here for service and repair and have never been disappointed. Hal knows his business and does excellent work for a very fair price. Quite personable as well and offers detailed explanations of work performed. I rest easy knowing my amps are in great hands. Highly recommended! read more

Hal is deeply knowledgable, infinitely capable, and a total pro. I could talk with him for hours but I'd run out of change for the meter outside. He truly loves what he does and doesn't half-ass anything. My little old '66 Pro Reverb is singing like a teenager. read more

Guitronics is the only place I will ever take my Guitar & Amp, Hal is a true gentleman and a scholar when it comes to fixing vintage gear. . .Everyone I know Loves Hal-- check him out when you get a chance! read more

Hal is the only guy I trust to work on my vintage amps. The first one he repaired for me was my '64 Princeton Reverb back in the mid '90's. It still sounds fantastic. I just brought him my '65 Vibrolux Reverb to be serviced which is my main gigging amp. He spent a good 20 minutes with me discussing the amp. He had it ready in a week and I am amazed at how he got it back to its original glory. What I love about Hal's work is he doesn't mess with anything that doesn't need messing with and magically can make a vintage Fender amp sound its absolute best. A true master and a real nice guy too! read more

Hal is a legend. Brought in a non working Supro amp and he was able to get it working as good as new for a great price in a fast time frame. Couldn't be happier with everything. read more