A great shop. I have been there three times, twice with my old tube amp and most recently with my Fender Strat. After they did a setup on the Strat it plays great. It is better than when I bought it new. Thanks Third Coast Guitar read more

Great staff, top work, clean shop, timely response, and professional environment. Good price for high quality results. Highly recommended! I had to set up my acoustic and replace pickups on my electric. They took the time to discuss options and explain the work. read more

I'm going to give them a great review. As with service providers that are used over a period of time, results are uneven. What I value is a record of quality service on the overall. That's actually ahead of the game in this world. I initially found them looking for a shop that would route a guitar for a Floyd. They must be one of the few in the US who actually do the service. That's how I came to know of the business. Over time I have brought maybe...7? jobs to them. I use different guitar repair stores in the Milwaukee area for different things. I am very picky, so the "tougher" jobs end up with Third Coast. The most involved were having an old HM Strat Plek'd and a Dean V routed for a Floyd. They even transformed my LP Custom from a guitar that didn't stay in tune, to one that stays remarkably in tune. I would say the Owner Chris is confident and opinionated. AKA is knowledgeable. All great service providers are like this in my opinion. I have had much better luck going with people who do things the way they know how to do, them instead of chasing too much to please. He has also been very openly informative and has said a couple of key things that I have used going forward. I really have a very high recommendation for these guys. If it's a big job, this isn't Amazon. There are wait times. It's just part of the deal. I have had a few one day turn arounds. And the Floyd route took a while. But it was done right to spec. Dead on. The staff is excellent. I have had different guys work on different things to great results. They know what the F they're doing. It's why I drive down from the northern Milwaukee suburbs. read more

Incredibly efficient, friendly, fantastic service! We brought in a guitar that had been jostled heavily in shipment and things just weren't right. Within minutes, the evaluation resulted in adjustment and great joy at a functioning Troublemaker. Many thanks to Alex for fixing the problem & complimenting the guitar, too. Another shop told us to drop it off and it'd be about "a month." Highly recommend this shop & Katie is a sweet pooch. Thanks, guys!!! read more

I took my Stratocaster in for some woodwork on the neck heel, installation of a new nut and one fret put back in. I was told by the kind man at the front counter it shouldn't take more than 3 weeks and it'll be about $500. I dropped off my guitar and had an invoice emailed to me on 9/16/2025. I am writing this review as of today, 11/20/25. In the span of two months i called multiple times asking about any progress updates and kept being told my guitar is "the first on the list" and "2 more weeks". I called one more time and asked if there was any work done to the guitar yet, and if there wasn't I'll be taking it back. They understood and let me take my guitar back, to which I brought it to another luthier 5 minutes away who quoted me for far less and a much faster turnaround. I'm sure this place is really good at what they do. But be prepared for little to no communication and long wait times. read more

Third coast guitar is the only place I will take my guitars for work or service. Their work is great and they are reasonably priced. Plus they are quick, so far I have gotten my guitars back in a day or two. read more

Third Coast Guitar Repair - Fixed action on my Taylor with truss rod adjustment and got the chip out of the head stock, looks brand new! Great work - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I thought the first time was an aberration when Third Coast damaged my guitar during a routine string change. But, they repaired it beautifully, and, as such, I returned when my next string change was due. They damaged it a second time. When I stated that I was not happy with their work, an employee said to me, "I don't care." After so many years of quality work for me, sadly, this is what has become of Third Coast. After years of trusting them, I am sorely disappointed. "I don't care," he responded again to another comment. In my opinion, this is the lowest bar a service provider can possibly have. How could I ever again trust my instrument to their care with that attitude. Regretfully, I must say good bye to Third Coast Guitar. read more

I can't say enough good things about the people and quality of work at Third Coast. I brought my Strat in for a complete refret, fingerboard refinish and a new nut. They took the time to discuss the work I needed and were genuinely interested in making sure I got exactly what I wanted. The work was impeccable. The frets were expertly done, nut was cut beautifully and the finish on the fingerboard was an exact match to the factory tint. I'm talking each fret perfectly seated with no sharp fret ends, no buzzing or dead spots and only minimal relief was used in the neck. All the work looks factory. You would hard pressed to tell anyone has worked on the guitar. Are they the cheapest in town? Of course not, but beware of the others when they say "I can do it cheaper". You're getting top notch expert work at Third Coast and its worth every penny. I couldn't be happier with my guitar. read more

Third Coast Guitar Repair - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

They do top-notch vintage tube amp repair out of their Palatine location. Had a 70's Fender amp repaired and it's the quietest sweetest sounding tube amp ever after the repairs and restoration. Only fixed what needed to be fixed. Very knowledgeable. read more

Third Coast is the best guitar repair shop on the planet hands down. I have been working with them since 2003. I was a regularly gigging musician for about 16 years, and they handled all my guitar and amp work over the years. They are super knowledgeable and the customer service is always great! Chris is a great guy and he really takes care of his customers. His love for guitars and his customers is the reason why Third Coast is infamous amongst the Chicagoland guitar player and gigging musician community. read more

I don't play any musical instruments anymore, but my s/o does, and I have brought several of hers here for repairs and custom work. I first brought a vintage Japanese guitar in to have the action and neck reset. For background, these are popular guitars because they have a lot of built in functions you can use to create different sounds. They were able to work through some of the thing's inherent 1970s design flaws and gave us back a really nice and playable guitar. Later, I decided to surprise her for her birthday with an all tube amplifier. I found an old Teisco on Reverb that needed some work, and got it for a great price. Intending to do the work myself, I discovered I lacked the ability without a schematic to follow, so I brought it in to Third Coast. They were able to get it back up and working well without a lot of hassle, and it sounds great. I also had them add on a headphone jack (which necessitated a separate little add on amp with switches and stuff in back) and that all works beautifully. The amp also was made safer by removal of the infamous "death cap" and use of a properly grounded three prong plug. Service was prompt and friendly, and just visiting the shop and seeing all the cool vintage equipment they have is a blast. read more

The action was too high on my Taylor GS Mini. They reset the neck, worked on the nut, and did a great setup. Super personable guys who really know what they're doing. Highly recommended. read more

Disappointed with this shop. Communication SUCKS. My guitar was with them for 7 months to have its fretboard replaced. Initially, I was quoted $1000 or $1500, if they had to do a refret instead of keeping the original frets on the board. Finally, when I did receive a phone call to talk about what I wanted done with my guitar, RD was not a great person to deal with, and implied many times that I did not know what I was talking about when it came to MY guitar. After sending him photos to prove that I knew what I was talking about, I never heard back from RD. I never got to discuss what I wanted done in depth, as promised by Chris, the owner. Instead, I heard back from Chris 3.5 weeks later, informing me that they were nearly finished doing what I sent the guitar there to have done. 7 months after sending it to them, I have it back and it is VERY disappointing. The fretboard I sent them had so much material removed from it, it is very thin now, and a lot of the wear was completely sanded away. Why? Why couldn't you take the time to fill in the wear and level the board that way, or better yet, just keep the wear, instead of completely sanding the board down. This should have been a discussion, had RD actually called me back to discuss what I wanted as a paying customer. On top of that, there is a huge chunk of tear out on the topside of the neck, from sloppy, quick tear off of the old fretboard. The guitar came back with the neck pickup picking up no signal at all, so I spent an hour resoldering to fix it. The low e string buzzes up and down the board. What is the point of the Plek machine if the guitar still buzzes. Perhaps it is the fact that the board I sent them was a old, used board. Regardless it buzzes. The color match on the top is way off. They used an ultra bronze color that is way more copper like than the gold that is on the top. Maybe this is from them burning the finish with a iron? Who knows. Lastly, their checking method is trash, and they clearly used a hair dryer and can of compressed air to check the area they sprayed, which is obviously the wrong way to check a guitar, as it is completely unnatural. So, now that looks bad and is very obvious it was resprayed. All of this, and they have the nerve to increase the invoice by $100. Why is it acceptable to send a customers guitar back with a completely different color match or burning of the original color? It is just so unprofessional and unacceptable. Not to mention their inability to remove a fretboard without damaging the neck. Don't offer that service if you're unable to deliver. This is the third luthier I have sent this guitar to, and each one takes a little bit away from the guitar. It is highly frustrating when you're paying big money. Now, I am forced to send it to Historic Makeover for a refinish to get the guitar back in the shape it was before sending it to Third Coast. Luckily a very good friend of mine works there, who will for sure take care of me. read more

I won't bury the lede. Third Coast is a great shop. I took in a new guitar for setup and help with a pick up issue. Two employees were super responsive and extremely helpful understanding my concerns. I had strong reassurance that they were all about quality work. The turnaround was about 3 days - unbelievably quick. What I found really cool is the tech who checked me out said something to the effect of how great the guitar was to play. It's obvious that Third Coast cares about their work and are genuinely passionate about it. Long story short, the guitar sounds great, feels good to play, and came in at a good price. Couldn't recommend Third Coast enough. read more

We have guitar that needs to be serviced per insurance, it was sent to Third coast guitar repair.I just tried their website contact form, just hoping to get a response, to my surprise it was attended immediately, With resolution. Very much appreciated the responsiveness and the customer care. Thank you, if I can give 10 stars, I will. Stay safe! read more

I brought in a vintage 1972 Yamaha FG 150 that sounded real good but had a bad bow in the neck, practically unplayable. They cut the neck and reattached it, wow. It sounds wonderful, plays excellent and the action is great. These guys know their stuff, and now their new location is right by my house...I already brought in three guitars for tune ups...can't go wrong with Third Coast Guitar Repair!!! read more

If you want a guitar repair/refurbishment done well and done with care, this is the right place for you. They do good work.

Praise the sun these guys moved out of their crappy location in the West loop because this is THE guitar repair shop in Chicago, a city with many good guitar techs. They took what I thought was another inherently flawed Gibson and made it an absolute monster with a new, perfectly cut nut that ended the dreaded tuning problem those guitars are famous for having. The staff are friendly, professional and brutally efficient and will probably get the work done in half the time they tell you because the place runs on fairy dust or unicorn blood or something. They also have a new PLEK machine with magical lasers to make your frets perfect. You guitar deserves their TLC. End of message. read more

I brought my Rickenbacker 360/12 here for repair after it plummeted off my kitchen counter to a tile floor. The binding was mashed and chips of paint came off the body around it. It was a pretty nasty wound on an otherwise pristine vintage instrument. When Third Coast called me to pick up my fiddle, I couldn't even tell what side was repaired -- that's how amazing Zack's repair was. But not only that, the whole guitar was really cleaned up and looked way better then when I brought it in. Zack is a real old school craftsman. I also want to make note of how nice everyone is at Third Coast guitar. It's not like I'm in the place every week, but Chris K. always remembers my name and is just a really nice person. It's like a family reunion, except where everyone loves guitars! read more

Third Coast Guitar Repair - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

These guys know their stuff. It's not shocking, given a) their excellent reviews and b) the fact that they used to be the in-house shop for Guitar Centers, but it's worth mentioning. You get buzzed up from a random stretch of Racine Avenue (sadly little parking), and they're friendly from the get-go. Their pricing is very fair. Though the man working there, whose job was just to restring one string, asked if I wanted the whole thing restrung and cleaned up, it didn't veer into upsell territory: he wasn't pushy, and it was $30 for it to get cleaned and restringed. It took some time for this once he brought it into the back room, but it seemed like a methodical process. In the meantime, rather than acting standoffish to someone who is a hobbyist at best (me), he was friendly and encouraged me to try out any guitar hanging up that I wanted, including expensive electric guitars (setting up the amp). read more

I purchased an acoustic sunburst Martin guitar from Guitar Center, unbeknownst to me, when I asked about a slight "bubble" on the guitar top at the binding, the answer I got was that it was just the finish - nothing to be worried about. I'm a guitar newbie, so I didn't think much of it at the time. fast forward to about 4-6 weeks later, and now that "bubble" has the top peeling away from the binding. I called Martin and they directed me to Third Coast for warranty repair. While it turned out that it was not covered under warranty, because apparently the guitar was dropped at some point prior to my purchasing it, I can't speak highly enough about the owner Chris Eudy or his technicians. Chris pretty much talked me off the ledge regarding being upset that it wasn't covered under warranty (I did explain that I was *not* upset at him or anyone else at Third Coast). Chris explained to me the "why" it wasn't, and even took the time to explain to me, as well as educate me, on how damage like this happens. I went ahead with the repair and I have to be honest - I can't even tell where it was repaired and repainted. Their technicians did *such* an amazing job of matching the sunburst, I couldn't believe it. If your guitar is in need of repair, I could not recommend going to Third Coast nearly enough. These guys know their shit and they do such amazing work, I couldn't even think about going any place else if I needed to get something done. And if I ever need to again, I won't even hesitate to call them back up. I don't know anything about cost when it comes to guitar repair, but if you have a guitar you love and is in need of repair - it's worth every penny to come here. You will *not* leave disappointed. read more

See all

I used to avoid guitar shops with multiple techs like the plague. I used all the great area techs with one man operations - Kenny Bright, then Steve Dvorak etc. Great techs! But I started using third coast for work (I run a guitar program) and slowly started using them for my own guitars. PRS to custom shop Fender to Collings to vintage Gibson. Whatever. I don't know how Chris Eudy hires his techs but I have never not been blown away by the refrets, refinishing, body alterations, pickup suggestions, general gear advice...whatever. Some independent techs I've used that I did NOT mention - they may have great reps with the marque players, but completely messed up jobs for me (plus the infamous high cost with a 6-9 month wait time ?!?!) - and Third Coast straightened them all out afterwards. So from a Fender Affinity student model to a 6k Collings, this place kicks ass. Only place I'll go to now for several years running. read more

I brought my acoustic guitar to be accessed for tuning issues. Sean McGarry immediately provided me with excellent service and great advice as well, since I had just come back to playing guitar after not playing for several decades. Sean was helpful, friendly and extremely knowledgeable in addition to solving my issue quickly. I will definitely come back here again. Harry Rossi read more

I have a nice little Torres replica that had a hairline crack. Córdoba guitars suggested to go with Third Coast. Just got my instrument back. Amazing job. Looks very clean. They also changed my strings free of charge to compensate for the COVID related delay! Much love!! read more

Maton EGB808 TE acoustic electric. A nice guitar. Been with me in too many bars too count. Fallen over, knocked over, banged on (joyously). IN short, badly in need of TLC. Just picked it up from 3rd coast after a week in the hospital. Never played better, even when new. These people are great, friendly. And very reasonable price! read more

I was looking for a place to go to replace my current guitar tech and decided to try Third Coast. I had a pickup swap and a setup on my guitar. I picked up my guitar and everything seemed to be okay but a sparky comment from the worker turned my completely off. He wasn't rude but the comment was unnecessary. I'll just have to find another place. read more

Been playing guitar for nearly 40 years but had my first experience with Third Coast today. Brought in a 1963 Guild Mark 1 acoustic that had a lot of issues. The guitar was purchased with a pretty ugly headstock repair and possible bridge reset. The action was sky high and there were several small cracks in the body. The crew at Third Coast got it back in playing order within a week. They gave the guitar a thorough set up and inspection. They gave me several options from basic structural repair to full restoration, but ultimately suggested just a set-up for now. They could have milked me for several hundred dollars and I would have been none the wiser. These guys do great work and do it honestly and ethically. Highest possible recommendation, especially a vintage instrument. You've got a customer in me for life. Thanks. read more

Third Coast is fast and effective. I found them when searching for a repair shop and they've been great.

Some of the best in the business! I had an old American Standard Strat set up and cleaned here and it is the best it's felt and sounded in a long time. Thank you for the attention to detail and reaching out to me when you had a question about where I wanted the action to be. That's being thorough. Keep it up! read more

I went in with a minor problem - I have an acoustic/electric guitar and the bottom 1/4 inch connection had come loose. I brought this into Third Coast based on a recommendation. I figured I'd take it in, leave it for a few days, pay $40, and move on. When I got there, I met Chris Eudy - the repair shop owner. Not only did he fix my issue on the spot, he did it at no cost (routine issue) and showed me the step-by-step process so I understood how to correct the problem myself in the future. Chris believes in the value of fixing guitars the right way. If/when I have a more serious problem with my guitar, I'm absolutely going back to Third Coast because I know they'll get it right. Highly recommend this place. read more

Yamaha SG2000 I scored this Yamaha SG2000 on Reverb last December. It was a '79 and one of those finds that looked like it stayed in its case for 40 years. Being a huge Santana fan, this was a dream come true. I did want to do some work to it as I was planning on gigging with it, recording, etc. The first concern were the frets as the originals were pretty low. Also, the original pickups were not potted, so they were squealing at gigs. Lastly, there were some tuning issues. I dropped it off at the shop and the guys at the front counter took it in and had a tech look at the frets. This time they felt there wasn't enough left to level and suggested a refret, which I agreed with. So we picked out the perfect fret size using the sample neck with different fret sizes and also picked up Chris' (the owner) Strat on the floor to check out his favorite fret size. I went with those which were jumbo, .110 x .055 and stainless steel. If you haven't tried out SS frets, do it! They play like butter, make bending and vibrato super easy as the strings easily glide over the frets. I've never noticed any real huge difference in tone as people say they may be brighter. The rest was communicated in 30 emails with Chris on his take and what he suggested. I knew I wanted to replace the tuners with locking ones, so we went with Grovers. We also replaced the strap buttons with Dunlop strap locks. I wanted to either replace or get the pickups potted, which they would do. I ended up going with Bare Knuckle Abraxas (I know, I bought into the hype, but more on that later). This is were Chris and I went into great detail on getting the right treble bleed circuit, as this is extremely important to my sound, style, etc. Chris admittedly was a treble bleed freak and we went through a few options before deciding on which one to do. Due to the current situation, things understandably took a while. This was mainly due to difficulty in getting parts. I finally picked it up a few days ago and am still putting it through its paces. First impressions- the fret job is superb. I didn't see this coming, but this is now my nicest playing and sounding guitar. It plays effortlessly and super smooth. I'm one of the "low as you can without buzzing and then go lower" guys. Robert worked on the frets and we spoke about final setup. He nailed it right out of the case. The action was perfect and the fret ends were smooth and rounded. The Bare Knuckles sound amazing and Chris' job on the wiring was superb. I had him install push/push pots to split coils and those took a while to get. Split, these sound amazing especially the neck. The middle position split and full on is to die for. I can't say enough how this guitar is making my playing sound that much better. I like to think hard practice and playing will improve your technique, tone, etc, but this definitely deserves a lot of the credit, as does the shop. read more

While I was anticipating the best guitar repair available in the second city for, the fantastic customer service and attention to detail (in all areas) made this vintage Martin guitar repair experience stand out. The price was fair and restoration work was finished on time (early, in fact). Highly recommended from this Chicago local. read more

Unbelievable work. I had a custom shop Gibson archtop that had a bad twist in the neck. As part of the repair, I also requested an upgraded fingerboard (from rosewood to ebony) and to add binding. What I received back far exceed my very high and skeptical expectations. They did some intense work on my guitar. They removed the fretboard. They dug two channels to the sides of the truss rod, installed two carbon rods, put in a brand new ebony fretboard, added gorgeous binding, installed new frets, touched up the nitro finish, and then brought it all together with the most spectacular fit-finish-set-up ever. Can't say enough great things about their skill level. Yes, it was 4 digit expensive but this was not a simple job and required the best. I got what I paid for - the best. I should also mention that I'm not local. You won't find shops around the country very easily that can handle this kind of work and deliver outstanding results. I had to ship my guitar back and forth and communicate only via email and phone. Very risky work - but these guys came through. read more

I brought my vintage soprano ukulele, my mother sent to me, to the Third Coast Guitar shop for repairs after reading everything about them on their website. I looked at pictures of repair projects, read about the technicians and the owner, looked at the brands of equipment where they are the preferred factory authorized partner providing warranty service. Martin recommended them and I just knew my search was over...and I did look at so many other repair shops and individuals list on the net. I was not disappointed! This uke is well travelled having been bought by my mother's friend, who travelled with her husband who was in the army. She gave the uke to my mother and many of us kids played it over the years. Time, unfortunately, took its toll. My mother sent it to me when I asked for it. It arrived with cracks to the front and back of the body, needing the tuners tightened and restringing and tuning. I was informed, by Chris, that there were two back braces that were loose and separating from the back. I just knew it didn't "sound" right to me. I approved the repairs, was told it could be 8-10 weeks before I got it back (understandably) due to other repair work ahead of me. I picked up this beauty yesterday, 23 October 2021 and it sounds beautiful!!! A huge THANK YOU to Chris and the techs at Third Coast! Your care and expertise in repairs brought the beautiful tones of this instrument back to life! I highly encourage anyone looking for a shop to repair your guitar, banjo, or ukulele to bring your instrument to Third Coast for the caring love they give to repairing your instrument! read more

So... through the years I have always had some of the absolute worst luck finding someone to properly do a set up and repair on any of my guitars. I recently had some issues with my Ovation acoustic, but fortunately had an excellent recommendation from Chris Medina to check out Third Coast guitars. Great customer service, great communication from the technician, and the best set up job I've ever had ! Thanks again guy's, I can't put the guitar down... The Ovation plays better than new ! Highly Recommended !!! read more

I was told my guitar could take 6 weeks to repair, but I had it back in 2! This place is consistantly friendly, they know everything about guitars, I certainly don't! THANKYOU read more

I'm sure they do quality repairs, considering many of their reviews, but in my personal experience this is a company which communicates poorly with customers. I dropped off a guitar for a repair and was told I'd be called with a quote in "a day or two", only for every person I called following up to tell me different information. I'd simply like to retrieve my instrument at this point to take it to a different business where my time is respected, but none have been able to tell me where it is. As a teacher in the middle of a pandemic I understand being "overwhelmed", but I have a hard time forgiving being dismissed. read more

Stainless steel frets on early 2000s Martin D-35. Had it back for about a month and it sounds and plays better than ever. Guys at the shop take the time to answer all your questions and explain the pros and cons of the different repairs. Highly recommend. read more

Very Knowledgeable and helpful staff. Trust them for all guitar and amplifier repairs.

Emailed for a quote to reset the neck on a 1980 gibson "The Paul". Emailed me back that it would be $550 for the reset and $250 for a fret job (they have never seen the guitar and I did not mention anything about a fret job because the frets are fine) they recommended the fret job. I live in South Florida and have a top, experienced, respected, honest luthier who quoted me $100 or less for the reset. Reminded me of the Tom Cruise movie where he says "Do I have Fxck me written on my forehead?"!!! If you like these folks and don't mind paying their prices---God Bless You. I bought a new Gibson J150 about 10 years ago from a Chicago area Guitar Center and paid to have 3rd Coast "set it up" ----- the job they did was so crappy that I went home and set it up properly myself....lowering the action (which they said couldn't be done without having the strings buzz). read more