Larry did a great job fixing my fender Stratocaster no more buzzing, it plays beautiful now I strongly recommend him to work on your guitar!!!!!!! read more

Larry did an excellent job on several of my prized possessions. Including several acoustic guitars and ukuleles. He did some fine turning on frets, bridge repair via re glue and set up of the instruments that require it. He also installed a passive pick up on one of my ukuleles. Not only was his work reasonably priced, he showed the care and expertise on ensuring my satisfaction of work being completed. I would recommend him and had a great experience. read more

I recently bought a guitar to start learning how to play. I was told that it would be advisable to have it properly setup. I checked online for a repair shop closest to me. After consulting with Larry, he agreed that the guitar could use an adjustment of the action so it would be easier to play. I couldn't press hard enough with my pinky finger due to having a trigger finger. But after the adjustment, I would say not only is it easier to play but it also sounded better! I was very happy with the work he has done and he was able to get it ready in no time. I'm having so much fun playing & learning how to play. I highly recommend Larry for your guitar issues. read more

I was looking to find a competent shop to trust with my very expensive, rare , beloved 1927 banjo. Called and spoke to Larry, he seemed nice enough, but when I questioned him about a possible neck repair with celluloid inlays, I started wondering if I really wanted to bring it to him the very next day. It's a very delicate repair. I decided I didn't want to risk it. I let him know I had decided I wasn't coming, and sent a message letting Larry know I had decided to play it and enjoy it as it was. Then Larry thought it would be cute to say my banjo "looked like a toilet seat" ...and from that point on, I knew I wouldn't use his shop if he paid ME to work on my gear. That's no way for a business to treat a customer, no way to run a business. He's not the only shop around. You'd be better off not transacting business with a pretentious juvenile spouting insults. I know I can find a better shop, without all the nasty, spiteful , childish drama. read more

Bought a new guitar that needed a setup to play properly. Most places want days to a week to get it done. Larry had it completed in about 30 minutes and his prices are the best I've found in the area. read more

Larry was great. He brought life back to my classic 75-year-old Gibson ES-150 that hasn't been played in 20 + years as well as setting intonation and action on a newer Gibson dreadnought of mine. Had all repairs done in a day! Highly recommend and would use his services again. Thanks again, Mark read more

I recently changed my strings on my Strat but the action went up too high afterwards. Called up Thin Man Music, and Laurence - guitar tech accomodated me quickly to get it setup properly. Service took only about 30 mins while I wait, and he did not overcharge me. Now my Strat feels awesome. Would recommend this place for your guitar services. read more

Larry was responsive and professional, and he lowered the action on my ukelele so that it is so much easier to play now!

Larry is very nice and knowledgeable. He fixed my cello that the sound post had fallen and made it sound better than ever. He got it done very fast so I could get to playing again. Highly recommend him for your instrument needs. read more

Larry does great work, super friendly with quick turnaround times. Will definitely be going back.

Larry provided quick, high-quality, inexpensive service for my Gibson Les Paul, which had a cracked neck. A job well done. No complaints. If I ever need guitar service again, I know where I'm bringing it. When I accidentally sent him double the quoted cost for repairs, I got in touch with him and he sent me back the extra amount I accidentally sent him very promptly. read more

Thin Man Music - The crack in the neck. - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Antioch, California

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After a year and a half, the guitar was finally returned to me. It was not repaired. I did hear back from Larry ONLY AFTER after posting the original review. He claimed he was going to help me get the guitar back. That did not happen, and he started ignoring my texts again. I do not appreciate that you were not up front with me about the fact that you would be giving it to someone else to fix. Your now non existent website also doesn't say anything about that. Additionally, I don't know what is going between you and your son, but I was made to feel like me and my guitar were the source somehow. Your family drama is not my problem. Incredibly unprofessional. read more

I do recommend this business. Larry is very professional and knowledgeable. He helped even when he was closed.

Larry was very patient and took the time to help us assess and tune three violins. He was quick to respond to our call and we were able to arrange drop off and pickup quickly. read more

What a great experience. A banjo with a neck that could look around a corner and almost impossible to play. with loose fret board and other parts. not a complete basket case but headed in the direction of an unplayable wall hanger. Now a very playable instrument and a pleasure to play. The knowledge and artistry Used to bring an instrument back from the depths of doom is truly amazing. Thanks Larry. You're the best. Congratulations on keeping obesity at bay. read more

Thin man is the man to fix your banjo. Nice guy, responsive and knowledgable.

Larry was polite, prompt, professional, and above all, satisfied my curiosity about a ton of musical instruments. Will be returning to Larry for all future banjo/ukulele/mandolin needs. 10/10. read more

Larry made excellent string recommendations for my Martin HD28 and an old beater Yamaha Guitar. He answered my endless stream of questions about "this, that, and the other thing" related to guitars. It was interesting to watch him assess and then lower the action of a few strings on the Yamaha to make it more comfortable to play. He treated both guitars with equal respect and care. He knows what he's doing and on top of it, he seems like a genuinely nice guy. I look forward to seeing him at Walker Creek Music Camp in West Petaluma in April. read more

Larry has set up two of my acoustic guitars and he also checked my Gretsch. A couple of weeks ago I attended a guitar conference and even got compliments on how great the setup is on my Fender acoustic. Larry is quite the skilled luthier! read more

Larry repaired my Gibson guitar and re-strung my old time banjo. He can also re-hair violin bows as he is a luthier. But his incredible talent and experience with stringed instruments means he can breathe new life into any stringed instrument by his suggestion of string type and repairs that improve the sound. His work on my guitars, banjo, and violin were excellent. Just knowing the right string type for any particular instrument can make a huge difference in its sound. Contact Larry, you will not be disappointed. read more

Thin Man Music - Repair of bridge on my Gibson guitar. - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Antioch, California

This beautiful store is right next to the pinball museum. It's full of beautiful guitars and everything needed for them. If my guitar needed servicing, I'd definitely bring it here. We didn't buy anything, but we were treated very nicely. You can tell a lot about a store by the way you're treated even when you're not buying something. The vintage posters on the walls and rows of instruments are beautiful. read more

Thin Man Music - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Antioch, California

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When Thin Man Music closed its doors on Webster in 2016, I wrote a review about how sad I was. But I'm not sad any more! Rylan White is carrying on his father's tradition of first-rate guitar setup and repair beyond what I ever imagined. He has his own shop in north Oakland, but will transport guitars back and forth for those of us who live in Alameda. I first brought him my 575-style hollow-body electric made by The Heritage -- the craftspeople at the old Gibson factory in Kalamazoo. It's a jazz guitar that I play like a rock guitar, so I had very specific needs in how I wanted him to set it up. Rylan just nailed it, and now I never want to put it down. And then I gave him the ultimate test: my badly road-worn (abused) 1968 Gibson SG Special with the original Vibrola tailpiece that always prevented it from playing in tune for more than a few minutes. I wanted Rylan to do a "Pete Townshend modification" - attaching the strings directly to the bridge. He went above and beyond, with cleaning, adjustments and just getting everything perfect. The action and intonation is ridiculous! UNBELIEVABLE how well it plays. It went from old nightmare to best friend...again. Thank you, Rylan. More guitars to come! read more

Thin Man Music - My used and abused 1968 Gibson SG Special with Pete Townshend mod...done and tweaked to perfection by Rylan at Thin Man Music. - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Antioch, California

I'm very happy to recommend Thin Man for guitar repairs. Lawrence replaced the original plastic bridge on my old Gibson acoustic with a glued-down wooden bridge and dialed in the action. I am pleased to say that she plays better and sounds better than she ever has for as long as I have owned her. And the price was very reasonable given that I didn't want to spend a lot on an old beater. I would happily use Thin Man again. Thank you Lawrence! read more

Laurence is the person I go to for all my string instrument questions. He is also the person I go to for strings, parts and accessories for my ukulele and banjo. I bought a wonderful concert ukulele from Laurence, which I have truly enjoyed playing. I also brought my 4 string banjo to him for repair. This banjo had been sitting in a garage for many years and was not in playable condition. He did a wonderful job getting my banjo in playable condition again. read more

This place has always served us well. I am sorry to hear that they are closing their store front, but glad to hear that they will still be providing service to the community. Had my Cello tuning pegs replaced. Even with a move going on, he took care of me right away. Excellent Customer Service. Highly recommend! read more

I don't know. I hate to rag on a music store....but.... It was the day before a studio session, and my Crybaby wah-wah had died earlier that week. Switcher was good, clear sound was good, wah was not. I couldn't fix it. A friend suggested the Thin Man for a used wah. Why not? I showed up on a Saturday afternoon. The place was empty, but the counter dude was not happy to see me. I zeroed in on the used wahs in the glass case by the register. He pulled one out for me. It was $69. A new one is like $15 more. But, hell, if it works, fine, good, let's do it. The guy seemed to be annoyed by my asking to "hear it" to confirm that it worked. He walked over to a guitar, plugged it in, and played about four notes...as opposed to ME playing four notes... but I'll take the blame for not aggressively insisting that he hand me the guitar. My bad. The wah is fine. It's fine. The sound is fine. BUT it's missing a foot. Now, considering this is something you pump up and down, a missing foot produces noise. Back-and-forth noise like bouncing on an uneven chair. No good in the studio. The whole process sucked. I went the following week and bought a new wah somewhere else. I'm still trying to muster the balls to return the used on. My bad. read more

Wow, wow and wow. I wish I could give 6 stars. 5 years I've been in Alameda and I never knew this place existed, (I live on the other side of the island). I needed to have my acoustic guitar repaired and Starland Music pointed me here because they couldn't do the repair. First off, I have 3 young children -- 5, 6 and 9 -- and they are *extremely* well behaved, (no fault of mine, I just got blessed). However, I'm still used to businesses getting really uptight when I enter their store with my girls, e.g. "DON'T TOUCH THAT", when my children aren't even within 6 feet of the don't touch item. I don't blame 'em, though, I've seen some of the snot-nosed rugrats that terrorize these stores. Not only did the employees here welcome my children, but they engaged them... answering questions about instruments and laughing at their kid jokes. This is rare, and it's good business, (bonus points to keep me coming back). That said, the place was busy when I went in. Shoppers crowded around, and the guitar fix-it guy, (a young fellow), was up to his nose with people getting repairs -- I'm not sure if they're normally that busy, but they were that day. The nut was broken on my guitar and I'm not confident with filing the grooves on a new nut myself. The fix-it guy took my guitar, filed a new *premium* nut on the spot and strung my guitar with some really nice strings, all while chatting with my inquisitive girls. I was in and out in half an hour, this is including the wait time for the other customers. Finally, the icing on the cake... the ridiculously reasonable price. The price included new strings, the stringing, the measuring, cutting, filing and fitting of the nut, and the cost of the really nice bone nut itself. I am not going to say the actual cost, because I would be stepping on the toes of any future sales by setting a standard, but let's just say... I'm very happy! Oh, yes... I should mention, replacing a nut can be problematic. Some people will try to say it's easy... well, I say, easily done, but not easily done right. Anyone can slip a pre-made plastic nut in and restring, but your guitar will sound and play like poo. See here if for any questions: http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/repair/acoustic-guitar/nut.php However, my guitar sounds better, *way better*, than it ever has. Top notch repair job! read more

Stopped in yesterday to pick up some buttons for my mandolin. I was tired of tuning using a wrench. TTM had the style I wanted in stock and also a few mando books. It was a little busy in there and made my social anxiety kick in a bit and it took awhile before I was able to get help, but that was alright, I wasn't in a hurry. Maybe I'll go back after the holidays and check it out again. A-OK for me. -oh, not their fault, but the metered parking only takes dimes and quarters- and I only had bills and nickles. (made change run). read more

I saw my old review for this place, and felt like it didn't have much useful information, so I will try to provide some examples this time around. I've been in here several times in the past 2 years. I bought two ukuleles here, and I've been really happy with both of them. The first one I had a specific budget for and when I told the guy at the counter, he helped me find something I'd be happy with for the price I could pay, even when that meant adjusting his sale price. I really appreciated that, and so when I got a bit better at the instrument and had a little more cash, I went back for one with a pickup and was not disappointed. Additionally, I've come along while my boyfriend was getting his instruments repaired. We hadn't used them for repair before, but the experience was great and I would definitely come back for their repair services. We called at the last minute and they were able to fix it on the same day, while we waited. The tech knew what he was doing, and the customer service was excellent. In general, they have a lot of unique instruments and a lot of good prices. They've got a fairly limited selection, and it's mostly for strings, but this is one small shop where you can actually beat the price you'd pay at Guitar Center. Stop in and check it out -- you never know what you might come across here. read more

I love Thin Man! I walked in because I'd had my fill of the pinball museum next door, and I wanted to kill some time waiting for my friends to finish up. I had recently started playing ukulele and was still on my starter instrument. They let me poke around at all the ukes. I fell in love with a mahogany vintage 50s uke. The sale price was adjusted to fit my budget, and I got to take home something really special. When I came home I realized the original pegs couldn't hold tune. I took the uke back the next day, and within an hour they swapped out for modern pegs free of charge. I also went to get my tenor uke restrung. I wanted to buy a hard case for my entry level uke, but they didn't stock that particular item. (A hard case for a pineapple shaped uke is hard to find even on Amazon., so no faults there.) They spent quite a bit of time looking up another store to refer me to for that kind of case, which I thought was a great courtesy. I've been gifted a couple guitars that I will definitely bring here to restring. I'm so happy to have found this little gem, and am happy to support a longstanding local business. read more

I use to come here to get strings years ago but recently took a guitar I got from ebay to get setup here. Coming here is like going over to your next door neighbor's place to get service. The setting is very casual and you can't help but find yourself talking guitars with the staff or the locals. I worked with Ed Ramirez who was an absolute stand-up guy to work with. He was obviously very knowledgeable, and had a slew of other guitars he had to work with - a testament to his skill and customer loyalty. My guitar plays and feels like a dream right now. The shop itself also carries a bunch of affordable quality guitars as well. We're talking about high quality imports from blueridge, recording king, and etc. While you won't find any brand new high quality guitars from american or boutique makers here, Ed and his crew carry an assortment of vintage american guitars that have been patched up and sold at a very affordable price. I saw a patched american guild here for 500 dollars and what might have been a scratched up but very playable 000-18 martin for 1200. Their prices are fair but his turn around on repairs and services can be a little slow because of the high volume of work they get. But that's more of a demonstration of people's faith in them rather than a negative. read more

Everyone who works in here seems to be extremely knowledgeable about the instruments, especially the owner. I came in not too long ago for new strings, and to get the action on my guitar adjusted. It was inexpensive and they were very helpful and friendly. I also bought my last guitar here that I am in love with. It only came out to $170 including the case! This is a teeny tiny store, and I get really claustrophobic whenever I come in. I'm always so petrified that I am going to knock over some piece of expensive musical equipment, especially since I tend to be a bit clumsy. Not only is the store small but it is PACKED with instruments. Such a great selection of equipment, I wish they would move to a bigger location! read more

I'd give more stars if I could. Rylan really goes above and beyond, and the prices are super reasonable. He had my guitar fixed up within an hour, and it sounds beautiful (as beautiful as one can when it's being played by me...) 10/10 would recommend to a friend. read more

We can shop online for the best deals, we can go to guitar center to try stuff out, but having a shop like Thin Man in your neighborhood is PRICELESS. Dude knows his stuff and can fix your guitar, amp, whatever for cheap. Thin Man is to the East Bay guitar commmunity what Sam Adado is to SF drummers. read more

Great staff ! = 1 star Great location = 1 star A lot of selections new and used = 1 star The downside is the prices. A used fender acoustic for 115 dollars. The very same one brand new on Amazon with a case , tuner , picks, beginner book for 109.00. read more

I brought my son's guitar for minor repair. (We got tuner broken.) I was expecting few days. But very same day, I got phone call from store that repair is complete! (With VERY convincing price.) Very knowledgeable and friendry service. I definitely recommend to you. read more

I had a wonderful experience at Thin Man; helpful, honest, and kind. I will definitely go back! I bought a nice guitar for a very good price and the owner gave me many little extras for free, and even let me in to buy even though they were technically closed since we came from pretty far away. He honored my daughter's desire to carefully play a few little guitars (who is 5 yrs old) even though he knew we weren't buying one for her yet. He has a great selection of lower end guitars that actually sound good, which is more than I can say for MANY stores I have been to. I say for the guitar student on a budget, this should be your first stop when looking for a good instrument. read more

This is a great little shop with a nice selection of new and used guitars, especially acoustics and hollow-body electrics. The vibe is laid-back, the staff is friendly, but not pushy, and the prices are fair. They also have an in-house guitar tech for inexpensive guitar adjustments, or if you're just too lazy to restring your own guitar. Lessons are also great. I've been taking weekly lessons for the past three months with Darryl Berk. He's a friendly, energetic teacher who could probably play through the entire Beatles songbook from memory, if you put him up to it. I always look forward to my lessons (plus a little pinball next door at the Pacific Pinball Museum). Places like this (and this whole little block of Webster St., actually) are why I love living in Alameda. read more

this is a great shop. If you want the cheapest fender and canned customer service (sales team), go to guitarcenter. If you want to talk to real people who love music and want you to find the right instrument, look no further. I have been going in this shop for years, mostly to buy strings or picks, but a couple of time to buy a guitar and I've never been disappointed. I can't say that I've spent a lot of money there, but I've always been treated as a valued costumer. A couple of months ago I went in to get a small sized guitar just playing around the house or travel. They had a beautiful solid top guitar for a very reasonable price. even through in extra strings. I am a guitar maker myself and I can say that nothing they sell is less than quality. and the prices are good. read more

Knowledgeable, pleasant, and personal. This is a storefront, M&P instrument business, not a Guitar Center mega mall. The folks who work here know their stuff. They have parts, used gear, new instruments, do repairs, and have lessons. That is a lot of music happening in one small place. read more