I have an original 1963 Twin Reverb. I am very careful who I let work on it. The owner was very knowledgable and was able to get it back in shape every time it decided to bug out. I would also get my my guitars adjusted and set there. He always nailed exactly how I like my guitars. The owner (I forget his name) always remembered and addressed me by my first name. This is incredible since i would only go every 6 months or so. read more

Ernie is one of the nicest most helpful guys ever. We have been customers of his for a decade and loved his little shop uptown happy for his new place. It was like a candy store window, He always had something unique in the window. He has a great variety for a small store. We have purchased and traded in guitars. Found a cool Fender Strat, unique and a great Taylor Acoustic....not just your average music store....He always remembers our names and treats us like music fam.. read more

I was with a coworker passing out posters and such for a local event today and stopped in to Saker Guitar Works. I play guitar and thought it would be cool to buy something from the store since they were giving us some free publicity. I've been wanting to learn a little slide guitar, found some brass slides on the counter, and asked for the price (here's a nice little item I can buy from this lovely, local guitar shop, I thought.) After the man behind the counter told me the price I noticed it had a decent amount of scratches along the surface of the slide and replied, "Is that the used price?" See, I never really like to pay full price for used items, and thought it was a relatively simple yes or no question. I was dead wrong. "LEAVE, YOU'RE AN IDIOT!" he calmly explained. After a good minute of trying to figure out how I had been deemed an idiot for asking an easy yes or no question, and being called an idiot 4 or 5 more times, I picked up our brochures and bid farewell. I even got snarled and barked at by the dog for good measure. This guy is a grade A jerk and I really have no idea how a business owner can justify the behavior of a guy calling a customer an idiot several times for asking a legitimate question. Apparently he has no problem calling someone a "fag" in front of a child either. They sell bullshit guitars, have awful customer service, and try to pass off used equipment at full price. Thanks for your time Saker Guitar Works. It was truly a pleasure not doing business with you! read more

Be wary. Brought in an old acoustic guitar to have the action lowered and was told the guitar needed a reset and that it wasn't worth doing. Except I brought it to another shop and they adjusted the nut and worked on the saddle and for less than $100, the guitar plays beautifully. I overheard him tell a customer while I was there that a Cort acoustic was every bit as good as a Gibson or any high-end guitar. Um, no it's not. I stopped in at another time and when I asked him a question about a guitar on the wall, he started yelling at me that I wasn't going to buy anything just like everyone else who walks into the shop, so why yank his chain? I guess everyone has a bad day, but his rudeness was appalling. I quizzed a few other friends about the shop and they had similar stories of rudeness or being told their guitars were unsalvageable. I guess if you need a guitar cleaned, he could do it. But I would go elsewhere. Planet Woodstock, Barcone's Music, Rosendale Guitars...have all done work for me with politeness and quality results. Interesting that several legitimate negative reviews have been "filtered," including mine! My review is legit. All that I wrote is 100% true! I stand behind every word! read more

Bought a new Cort acoustic guitar 3/4 size. Ernie (I think) was working on a guitar and running the store. He was great, very knowledgeable about Cort and how they compare to other brands. He was right on about the guitar, sounds as good as my 50 year old parlor, but I won't be afraid to travel with it. The store 'vibe' is very welcoming and I will definitely return. If you're looking for an $8,000 Santa Cruz, well, they won't have that. if you want straight talk, good repair services, mid-level new stuff and interesting vintage instruments, just go there! read more

I laughed when I read the prior review because the guy's personality shines right through. I took an amp there for him to sell on commission. Had a written contract that if he didn't sell it in two weeks, I can take it back. Went back a couple weeks later and when I let him know I was taking it back, he said "oh so you're just going to f**k me, then?" I looked at the young dude working for him, and gathered my thoughts. Excuse me? He brought out the amp, which he had cleaned up preparing to sell (without asking me), foolishly investing himself in something that didn't belong to him, without taking any effort to actually sell it, like putting it on Ebay. So I took it from him amid all this seething hostility and when I sold it to someone else, he immediately found that the Saker guy had stolen the power tubes from the amp. It had no tubes. Nice. I was on my way out of state so I didn't go to the cops or anything, but the guy is a thief. read more

I don't know what these bad reviews are about, I've been in several times, asking questions and only making small purchases and this guy has been nothing but nice, pleasant and helpful. I will definitely go back. read more

Very pleased with both times I've dealt with Ernie at Saker Guitar. He's very professional, and knowledgeable in his craft. Old school craftsmanship for sure. read more

If you write reviews for having your feelings hurt (and not actual work), I guess we're all screwed. Ernie has worked on several guitars of mine over the last few years and the work was always top notch and reasonably priced. You can pay for cheap and then you can pay for correct. Ernie repairs guitars. I've never asked him to complement my knowledge of guitars, or anything else for that matter. Maybe somebody else could comment on his actual work and not his bedside manner. By the way, what is "and such"? read more

I was just looking up Ernie's website for Saker Guitar Works, as he has easy access to the sites of companies that he carries in the shop on his site. I am thinking of getting a new electric, and wanted to peruse online before I go to Ernie's store in person to get his opinions and to make a final decision. I was sidetracked by the fact that the Yelp "rating" for the shop was only three stars when I googled to get his site. I was more surprised by the negative reviews. I obviously can't call people liars that I don't know and haven't met over alleged experiences that I wasn't present for in the Saker Guitar Works shop. I CAN say that I first started going to Ernie's shop many years ago when I bought my first "real" acoustic. I decided on dealing with him after perusing every guitar shop in Dutchess, Ulster and Orange counties. Ernie was the most knowledgeable, in my opinion, and had while not the largest selection, the smartest. He knows his stuff and picks the best guitar brands and guitars for the price ranges that he deals in. You will find brands and guitars in his shop, both past brands and ones he has now, which are well known among real players and known among those players as great values. I doubt, as per one previous review, that Ernie ever said that a Cort was as good as a Gibson. I have never heard him be that unrealistic. But I HAVE heard him personally say that they are a great guitar for the money. Without spending an arm and a leg, you can have a quality, solid-top guitar for a reasonable price that will increase in richness of sound over time just like a more expensive brand. I've heard him say that---and you know what? He's right. I don't think that anyone who knows guitars would argue the fact. Corts are solid guitars. He picks great guitars which are good values to carry in his shop, and even a beginner can get a better guitar to start with for a reasonable price than they're likely to get anywhere else. So as far as the "brass slide guy's" negative comment---I CAN say without knowing that guy---if you think that Ernie's guitars are "bulls**t"---then you don't know anything about guitars. That is just a fact that no one with any knowledge is going to argue. This is long---and lest it be taken the wrong way---I am not advocating Ernie and his shop for sainthood. I AM saying that the negative reviews here seem suspect, and I have never seen Ernie be rude, and as the other positive review here mentions, though I am not an everyday visitor to his shop---sometimes it is nearly a year before I'll come in for a set-up or some sets of strings or picks or frankly just little, inexpensive items---he always remembers my name---and more remembers what we talked about last I was in and what was going on in my life the last time I saw him. I have no doubt that this is the same for any customer that buys a guitar there. It's really kind of remarkable---I don't know how he does that---it could be---GASP---that there are still business owners around that actually care about their customers because they know that's the way to long-term success and positive word of mouth. In closing---this is in my opinion the best guitar shop in the area. If you're looking to start out, you can't do better. Ernie is smart, knows his stuff, is honest and will lead you to find the right guitar for the money you have to spend. And from DePinto electrics to Wood Song acoustics, he always has some great smaller brands that are nonetheless well known for quality among musicians and casual players, and are not as exorbitant as the "high-end" brands that I feel often trade on their name more than anything else. I was really incensed that all of this negativity was directed at a place and a guy that I know as nothing but a place and guy that helped me to get more into music and playing guitar and always made me feel good about where I chose to take my business. read more