I've had a half dozen guitars rewired and set up by Sam and Roy at Portland Fret Works - Teles,…read more335s, Martins. I'll be bringing in a Taylor this week. There are no better guitar techs in Portland. I'll be a customer for life. - Mike Rodrigues, Portland

I brought in a couple of guitars, one for a setup and pickup swap and one for a SS refret. Very…read morehappy with how both turned out! My 80's Charvel plays better than I could've hoped for. I can't recommend PFW enough, I definitely got my moneys worth

Came in to get some help for the fret buzz on my new beginner bass from amazon. Help was offered as…read moresoon as I walked in the door and the employee immediately got to work after quickly diagnosing the issue. He told me it wouldn't be perfect since it is a very affordable bass and that I could purchase a full set up, but that it'd probably be a better investment to put that cost toward an instrument upgrade down the line instead. After a few minutes of adjustments, I was offered a cable to hook up to one of the in store amps to try it out. SO much of an improvement! I wasn't even charged for the service. I wanted to look at gig bags afterward but noticed they seemed to all be in an employee only area. A staff member almost immediately noticed me and showed me their options. When I said I'd do some more shopping around and would keep theirs in mind, there was absolutely 0 pressure to try to make a sale. The customer service was fantastic and felt very genuine--no pushing to make a sale or upsell something I didn't really need. Especially as a beginner who wouldn't necessarily know better, it's so valuable to feel like the person helping you actually cares about your best interest as opposed to just making a sale. Super happy with my experience and I'll definitely be back in the future for any of my musical needs!

This place is great! They have a huge selection of different types of musical instruments. They…read morealso have a diverse range of priced instruments, it's not just the really expensive ones. They also do music lessons. I have interacted with three different teachers and all have been fantastic. The service is top notch and they also have a little café in the middle to get coffee. Highly recommended if you are in the market for an instrument, lessons or just want to go and look.

James Hingston is a wonderful luthier and guitar techincian. Recently I gave him a custom made…read moreEdenhaus , Chambered, Set-neck Strat style HSS wiring with Seymour Duncan pickups. This guitar also has an awesome Wilkinson Trem, Planet Waves tuners on a Birdseye Maple Neck with a Pau Ferro fretboard. It needed routing, fretboard work and wiring to get it to a wonderful playing condition. James came through as always with excellent, excellent work. This sounds and plays like a dream!

I brought in my tired 70's guitar that was incredibly difficult for me to play. The action was too…read morehigh, the neck was starting to bend and my strings were probably as old as I am. James was friendly and has an affinity for older foreign guitars which made me feel like I was leaving her in good hands. I didn't have much hope for this decrepit, soulless noisemaker, but he brought it back to life and gave this bird a new song. He even replaced it's crappy plastic nut with a fauncy new one, made from bone, at no extra charge! James treated my guitar with love and made this Blue Bird sing again.

I wanted to share my experience with Ryan Lynn, a master luthier whose meticulous fretwork is…read moreexceptional. I haven't encountered his level of skill anywhere else on the West Coast. He truly stands out in two key areas​ important to me: First, he can seamlessly replace a single worn fret, making the repair virtually undetectable. Second, he is adept at installing a new set of frets and perfectly feathering the edges into existing binding nibs (a distinctive feature on some Gibson guitars). This makes it ​h​ard to tell that the frets were ever replaced. He is simply ahead of the competition.

This was my first time with Eastside and was very happy with the service that I received. I had…read moredone some research and knew it was worth the couple week lead time for professional work. I had my single cut electric set up, frets dressed and a new bone nut cut for it. Jacob was the tech who did my work and it turned out tremendously! Just the right action and the nut is amazing, adding to the already great sustain. I'm definitely going back and will spread the word to fellow players. **I'm adding to this review the following day after not being able to put my guitar down since picking it up yesterday!! EVERY note rings true all up and down the neck and the guitar plays effortlessly!! What a great job by Jacob. Thanks so much!

Incredible pro. Tony took care to restore my 1956 clarinet, going above and beyond any normal…read moreexpectations. His care and love of instruments was a joy to experience. I feel fortunate to have discovered such a wonderful, kind craftsman who charged such a reasonable price!

Tony's Instruments did a great job fixing and repadding my clarinet! Highly recommend.read more

Greg at Powell Baker guitars is great. I have had him work on 4 of my guitars, 1 of them he did a…read moreelectronics upgrade and a bridge over haul, and the other he did a partial restoration including fixing an issue with the fretboard that was delaminating from the neck. Greg's prices are always reasonable and fare. I have a couple more guitars that I will take to Greg and have him do a setup and adjustment on. I am also saving to have him build me a custom guitar that he and I have been talking about. If you are needing a good setup, a restoration, or want a custom guitar built I would definitely take the time to contact Greg and speak with him about your project.

From the owner: Full service guitar repair and sales of hand built custom guitars!read more

Incredible customer service! Very friendly and family oriented. Actually wants you to get the best…read moreout of your musical journey.

My children, like many of children in the area, have joined the public school orchestra. They…read moredecided on their instruments (which completely matched their personalities) and so we were directed to Uptown Music for rental and other equipment. Emmaly was amazing and took incredible care of me and my boys! The store was very busy, considering it was the weekend after Orchestra Parent night, but she greeted us immediately and was incredibly helpful in finding us what we needed. She sized up my one son immediately, as he played the same instrument she did, but she was quick to realize that my other son wanted to play an instrument that might be in short supply, so she rushed to check on that one first. She happened to get the very last one that was in stock and immediately claimed it for us. She then spent a great deal of time going over the entire instrument, ensuring that we had the right bow, rosin, and that the case fit correctly and had everything in it. She then set us up on the other instrument, and made sure it fit properly. She clearly explained all the rental rules and requirements and how it worked. I will say this; Uptown Music appears committed to keeping people playing music over maximizing overall profit. It's a rent-to-own system, and when a child sizes up out of an instrument, you can bring it back in and have the credit go immediately to the new one. If my children stay with these instruments, I won't have to constantly go back and buy a bigger size while being stuck with lost payments on an old one. I really appreciate that! They also operate on a month-to-month rental agreement, so if it doesn't work out, I'm not stuck with a long term contract. Music books were ready available, and despite the fact that all the schools in the area were starting up orchestra, they put $30 music stands on sale for $20. I had to drop some money to get my kids set up for this, but it could have been A LOT more. Then, because of all the confusion, there was a small error in the initial payment on the rental agreement. Emmaly gave us a call and the store was super accommodating in giving us time to get back in and catch up on the payment. I visited Uptown Music years and years ago, over eleven I'd have to say, and took some piano lessons here to try and build on what I learned as a kid. Going back with my kids now was a great experience, and made me get excited about music all over again. I'm really hoping my kids enjoy playing their instruments. I'd love to keep them playin for years and years. One of my sons is interested in the saxophone, so we're looking at that for a potential future option. If you're in need of musical instruments, I strongly urge you to avoid large national chains and check out this place. I had a great experience and felt very well taken care of!

My old bass amp died, and I've been wanting to upgrade for a while. this place if jam=packed with…read moreinstruments and musical gear, new and used. The staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and gave me time to try a few amps, Plus the price on what i bought was the same as the big national chain. And the new amp sounds so much better than the old--bigger speaker, more watts.

Fantastic service from the repairs staff. They listened to what I needed and gave me options along…read morewith costs to consider. The work was solid and turn around time was reasonable. Prices are very fair. Highly recommend!

Matt; I'm trying to locate you. You have had my flute and my piccolo for almost a year now on April…read more25th it will be a year. Where are you, Matt? Please call. My most recent text below Good Morning Matt: This is KAZ. Yamaha YFL61 French flute . Serial number 1450 I'm checking in and if you are too busy to repair my Flute and Yamaha piccolo ; I totally understand. When can I come and pick it up my flute along with my piccolo? -KAZ Please Respond. 503-997-8004 I will change the rating once you have returned my instruments to me. At this point in time : it's looking like theft. -------------------------- Does anyone know Matt Berkvam? His initial reviews were excellent. I had no indication he would just disappear with my Flute and Piccolo and not respond to me.

Best self-owned company I've ever been! Matt (the owner) is an amazing person and I plan on…read morevisiting again.