I had a great experience with John at Mobile Guitars. From the moment I walked in, he was friendly, patient, and genuinely enthusiastic about helping me find the right fit. John really knows his stuff -- he's an active gigging musician who plays in bands, and that real-world experience comes through in the way he talks about gear. He gave my guitars a thorough assessment, explained everything clearly, and offered honest, practical advice without any pressure. His knowledge is impressive and his passion for music is contagious. On top of all that, the prices are very competitive. If you're a beginner trying to figure things out or an experienced player looking for expert guidance, I'd highly recommend paying John a visit. He's the kind of person who makes you excited to go home and play. read more

Outstanding service, My guitars came back excellent, I will always use John from now on, I wouldn't dream of going anywhere else

If I could give John 10 fkn stars I would!! Master of his craft, great at delivering the goods! He's currently customizing a train wreck of a guitar I found and he's the only 1 I'd trust w my vision of it! He's fixed about 10 of my guitars and I'll always bring him something else or even just turn to him for his visionary advice. He's a former touring musician turned full time luthier so he totally gets your guitar situation. I will always fork over X$ knowing damn well I'm going to sound awesome and the job will be DONE RIGHT THE 1ST TIME...can you tell I trust this man with my most prized possessions? Sure as Hell is HOT I do. read more

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I rarely write yelp reviews, but I just had John do a set up up my Taylor, including a fret redress and installing a new bone nut. I don't know what magic he performed, but it sounds like a new, even better guitar. He got rid of the buzzing I had, the intonation is great, and somehow the bass shines through and the volume and clarity are amazing. I highly recommend Mobile Guitars. Thanks, John! read more

I first posted this on Google Maps, but this place is a gem in the neighborhood, so I'm leaving a review here, too: John (the owner, I believe) is super knowledgeable and helpful. He gave me some good advice regarding my bass and told me useful information about how to maintain proper humidity. The prices seem reasonable, too. Email or call/text beforehand to set up an appointment, and keep your eyes peeled for the place--it's a little tricky to find, but worth the search. read more

Outstanding expertise and service, and very fast turnaround. John quickly fixes scary guitar problems and makes it look easy! One time, my wife put a brand new leather strap on her acoustic guitar, and while trying to remove it I (unwisely) loosened a strap button. When I did that, I realized that I have no way of tightening it again because it was anchored by a nut inside the guitar case. I took it over to mobile guitars, where John magically fixed it in 5 minutes and refused to charge me. Thanks to John, I only spent a few hours in the doghouse, as opposed to days (or weeks!) :D I'm also a very sweaty human who loves playing guitar, and as a result my neck and fretboard get really icky. When I hand my guitar over to Mobile Guitars for setup, John returns it with the fretboard and neck looking brand new. Thank you John - I am so grateful I live close by! Mobile Guitars are the best instrument technicians in NYC - come to them first; you won't be disappointed. read more

John has been my guitar technician now for a little over a year. He is by far the most talented tech that I have ever met. I have a fleet of over 50 guitars and John has absolutely transformed each and every one of them. Even at times when I think a guitar plays alright, John somehow manages to work his magic and take it well beyond my expectations. If you can settle for good enough, go somewhere else. However, if you're at all serious and you want what's best for your guitar, you simply have to come see John Oliva at Mobile Guitars. You will NOT be disappointed. read more

Mobile Guitars - John doing a very careful removal of a decal that's been added to the headstock of this vintage Jaguar - Musical Instrument Services Near Me

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Had new Grover Tuners installed on my Guild D55 with a setup and new strings installed. Guitar came out great. John knows what he is doing and made the process as easy as can be. He gave me some great advice as far as humidity and storing guitars. I highly recommend him for any work big or small. I'll be a returning customer for sure. read more

John made me feel like I was getting the same professional treatment that the stars get, and that's because I was! (even though I'm no star hehe). I'm a homebody so I had John come to my place and work on all my guitars after most needed major TLC since I somewhat neglected them since going back to college. John spend so much time on every guitar, making sure they were perfect. He was also respectful, fun to talk to and always made sure that I was happy with each guitar. Whether you go to their shop or have them come to you, I highly recommend Mobile Guitar Repair if you want the best quality work done. I've been to techs all over California and a few on Long Island, and I promise these guys were the best of the bunch. read more

Stopped in again during the pandemic to get my bass straightened out (we have plenty of time to play these days, right?). In addition to a setup, I was considering doing a whole mess of work to my bass, including swapping pickups, electronics, and just about everything else. John took the time to work with me, explaining that starting with a setup may solve some of my issues, and it did. With a more appropriate string height, my bass is sounding much more even than it was before. Can't recommend Mobile Guitars enough. read more

I was received a very nice Martin that came out of the box with a poor setup that was hard to play -- probably because it was bought from a Major Retailer. I sure hope the Martin factory didn't ship it that way. :) Took it to John for a setup, and 2 minutes into looking at it he diagnoses a poorly-seated fret I hadn't found, fixes it, makes a quick truss rod adjustment, and hands it back to me free of charge. "I'm not going to charge you for a full setup when you don't need one. Come back to me when you do." Then talked me through keeping it properly humidified in this crazy NY weather. This kind of honest service has been rare in my experience. And the guitar feels completely different -- the work was top-notch. Its clear John knows what he's doing and also that he does it for the love of the work and the long-term customer relationship rather than a quick buck. My guitars will go to him every time they need work now. read more

I've been to a lot of places in queens and Brooklyn to get my guitars set up. They come back ok. Just ok. Dirty not very clean. And sometimes with the wrongs strings etc. The guys at mobile guitars are literally best at their craft!! The really take the time to make sure whatever guitar you bring in will get their fullest attention. I've gotten all 3 of my guitars back and they play truly amazing and they can fix anything. And the turn around time is so impressive. If you own guitars or a bass bring it to them. You will NOT be disappointed! read more

I cannot say enough good things about this place. I got super ripped off on a sub par set up in Williamsburg. I came to Mobile Guitars and they charged half the price for far more work. Dan was super professional and walked me through everything they were going to do. I played a show right after getting my guitar back and across the board I got way more compliments on my playing and tone than at any previous gig. They made my mexican strat sound better than it's ever sounded. It was a hike for me to get to the shop, but so worth it for the service. read more

I had 2 electric and 4 acoustic guitars that badly needed setup work. John and I communicated a few times before hand regarding what I needed done, etc. John arrived at my house on time and spent roughly 5 hours setting up my guitars. He is just completely awesome, both in doing the setup work and in talking to me about what he was doing and further things that I might want to consider down the road. He could have just said I needed the work and charged me, but he didn't. He let me know the things that really needed to be done and those things I could do without. And let me tell you, the work he did was nothing short of excellent. The guitars are playing and looking great! I would happily recommend them to anyone that needs setup work and I plan to use them again. read more

I was blown away with not only the work, but the honesty, transparency, communication and overall integrity at mobile guitars. Great guys worth traveling for! I've used many different places all over long island and the city to get my guitars set up, and no one was as accommodating, reasonably priced, and transparent every step of the way as John at Mobile Guitars. The shop is immaculate, and John was able to turn around three guitars and a bass in a few days with scheduled drop offs and pickups (late hours as well were a plus for me). John took the time to discuss the ways in which I use each one with me and provided some options and prices right there. I left feeling very confident that he knew what I needed and when I returned, the work did not disappoint! I also brought him a Martin 000 with a broken neck that I had had quotes of over 2k to repair, and John was able to get it done in a few weeks for less than $300. It's been my go-to guitar ever since! A month or so ago, I was having small electrical issues and action issues with a few of the guitars. I made an appointment and brought them in, John assessed each one and made the repairs in about a half an hour, then wouldn't accept payment because he said the job had been too small. I'll be heading back out to Queens for as long as they'll have me! read more

I brought my Gibson Songwriter acoustic in recently to check on a buzz in the pickup output and to do a full setup. I could not be more pleased with the work they did. It truly looks and sounds better than it did the day I bought it. The electric buzz is gone. In it's place is a clear, clean, bold tone that I haven't heard from it before! The guys were friendly and knowledgable as well. I can't recommend them enough. And do the full setup. Totally worth it! Best, Geoff Atkin, Bayside Queens. read more

I had bad fret buzz on my 10 month old Orangewood Hudson acoustic daily player. Was hoping it was bent strings from my capo, but after a string change and truss rod adjustment the buzz persisted. I took to Yelp to find luthier service. It was reassuring to learn the guys at Mobile Guitars were not only professional guitar technicians but musicians as well. Got in touch with John via email and scheduled drop off at the Bayside shop. Btw the shop is under the old pet store awning and not in the apartment building. John gave her a once over, walked me through the work to be done and gave me a date and time for pickup. I confirmed the issue was resolved at pickup and they took time to discuss different humidity control options. These guys are professional and friendly. read more

I had 6 setups done recently. Top notch work. Everything about the experience was great. Fast turnaround, responsive and friendly. I would 100% recommend them to anyone. read more

REALLY professional, REALLY knowledgeable....Brought them my custom Lakland bass that just felt like crap....quick turnaround...plays like BUTTA....they LISTEN to what u want and need....AND THEN DO IT....These guys are now my go to techs for my electrics... read more

Really friendly guys who great work out of a cute shop out in Bayside when they're not touring around as guitar techs. Dan and John were responsive and accommodating and did a bang-up job setting up and replacing the pick-ups on my Washburn HB-30 semi-hollow body. Looking forward to using them again! read more

Absolutely incredible work. My Mexican Tele needed a new nut, and John talked about what options I had to fix the issue. With a new nut and set up (something I haven't done in the years of owning this guitar), my tele sounds better than when I got it. To everyone out there looking for a guitar tech in Queens and don't know where to go, do yourself a favor and give these guys a call. You won't be disappointed. Worth every penny. read more

My boyfriend had his Jackson RR5 stored away for a few years and it started to get old and rusty. We thought there was no hope for it but thanks to the quick service John from Mobile Guitars provided the guitar looks great! Unlike Guitar Center, John really took his time to assess my boyfriend's guitar needs, so glad we came here instead. It does not look brand new because we'd need a miracle for that but it is cleaned up and sounding awesome. Mobile Guitars is an awesome little shop which we loved since we were able to get a one on one experience. read more

Kind of incredible that there is a professional guitar repair shop in this neighborhood. The owners have been around guitars their entire lives, play in bands and even go on tour with national acts around the world. I recently brought my PRS and Vox guitars here and they really did an awesome job on the set up and cleaning. I have a neighbor who has an ibanez with a locking system that was never set up properly, I told him to come here and he was blown away with how proper his guitar felt after the set up. Even if you have a piece of shiz guitar, these guys will make it feel like gold. read more

I was introduced to John a couple of years ago and have been using him to do my setups ever since. Recently I worked directly with Dan and was just as pleased. They are both very courteous, professional and easy to talk to. They're knowledge and work are top notch. My guitars are very happy with every visit. read more

John is not only a professional guitar tech, but a true gentleman. I seek his service, not knowing much about guitars, to get my Uncle's 1960's Hofner Contessa 12 string repaired. The guitar itself already had alot of problems: old strings, no bridge saddle, warped/bent neck, divets on the frets. John did his best to cure the problems, but halfway into process he had to stop the repairs due to the neck being too bent to support the tensions of new strings. He offered a compromise to tune the guitar 2 steps lower or make it into a 6 or 7 string guitar. We decided to not move forward with anymore work done on it. Even though the guitar fix was half finished, John did not charge me. As a client/customer, that left a huge impact on me. I have much respect for the way John conducts his business and the code he follows when a job does not follow through. I only hope that this review is a testament of John's genuine passion in guitar tech and making clients/customers happy. So please, if you have any guitars that need repairs, go and support small local businesses like Mobile Guitar. read more

I'm so happy I came here to get my guitar looked at. Dan was amazing, super helpful and friendly. I came in because there was an issue with my Takamine acoustic when it was being plugged into an amp. Dan regularly called and gave me updates on what was happening with my guitar, and even when my guitar stumped him (apparently, microscopic piece of dust was causing the problem, so he thoroughly cleaned it and voila - all good!) , he called Takamine to see what was up. In addition to solving the issue with my guitar, Dan did an amazing set-up for me. Changed my strings and cleaned her up, my guitar looks like I just unboxed it again! The setup cost was $65, and since Dan ordered strings for me, I paid for the Elixirs as well of course. Relieved that I only ended up paying for the setup, strings, and cleaning (because that's what was hurting my guitar), and it all totaled to less than $100. Setups are expensive, especially for a college student like me, but I would definitely go back and do it again, it's worth the money. I'm ecstatic I found a reliable spot in New York that I can trust my guitars with if there are issues; SKIP THE CHAINS OF GUITAR CENTER AND SAM ASH: go out of your way to find these guys if you need your equipment checked, it's worth it! I'll definitely be coming back if I need to - just remember that they're appointment only AND CASH ONLY! read more

Amazing! Very professional, answered email inquiry quickly, and re-wired/set up my guitar (that I botched) in a few days time. If you need any sort of repair or set up on your guitar, take it to Dan and Joe! read more

I usually do my own setup work, but with a mystery buzz at the saddle of my tele and an important session coming up, I decided to seek out the help of pros. John and Dan did an awesome job, tweaking my guitar to my exact preferences, getting rid of the mystery buzz, and fixing issues I didn't even know existed (specifically, shimming for optimal neck angle and securing a loose jack ferrule). On top of all of that, when I managed to break a pickup at a show a few weeks later, they had me come in, swapped in a new pickup and souped up some of the electronics. My tele never sounded better, and just in time for the tracking date. Highly recommended. read more