A true master! Although his times and locations are very specific, if you need something fixed, he's always welcoming and will answer any questions he has, he'll also recommend you other people if he can't do the job. I had a small wiring problem with a guitar and he did it in stellar time, charged me very little since it was an easy fix. Truly honest guy. read more

Had some pickup swaps, a volume pot, and other small minor repairs done on 2 guitars. Tom did excellent work. My guitars came back clean, the connections and electronics were all well done. The things I didn't want him to touch (I have a weird truss rod setting preference) were not a problem to him at all. It's great to find a trustworthy guitar tech/luthier. He earned my trust with this job and I will go to Tom first with any guitar work needs in the future. read more

Tommy at TR Guitars is by far one of the coolest cats I've ever had the privilege of getting to play guitar with. He is really a great person. If you ever get the chance to jam with him, do it. He taught me how to write chorus and I'm really honored to have had him in my music endeavor. He is the greatest. And he is pretty good looking too. Really smart knows everything about guitars. If your looking for help NAMM guitarist this is where you go. Sincerely, Christi Carl... read more

Tom Rocks! Tuned up all 4 of my Axes to peak performance! If you need your guitars worked on...He's your guy! Thanks for your great service!

Tom! This Silvertone you modified is still rockin'. Hope you are doing well. Do not hesitate to have any repair work done by Tom. One of the last great craftsman in the business. read more

TR Guitars - Silvertone in for some mods and neck repair. - Guitar Stores Near Me

About 10 years ago, I dropped my Taylor on the headstock and torqued the neck. At [a repair shop I won't name] they said I'd have to replace the neck. But Tom fixed it on the spot in the parking lot of Jim's Music -- no charge! Since then I've been lucky enough to have Tom maintain and repair each of my 20+ guitars every year. He's personable, fair and knows how to do tech stuff well -- old guitars, guitars with a lot of electronics, all of it. I wouldn't expect perfection from anyone. However, Tom comes close. read more

I cannot say enough good things about Tom. The man is a miracle worker. I got a brand-new bass. An American made (I don't want to say the manufacturer, but it rhymes with Phender) that had an issue with the neck. It should have never left the factory like this. Tom did not come across like a "know it all" puffing his chest out like "OH YEAH I GOT THIS!" He did the opposite. He came across as "let me see what I can do and if it doesn't work, we can try and get you a new neck" His work was AMAZING! I really like what he did and now I can rest easy knowing that my bass is OK. read more

TR Guitars - Neck after Tom worked on it. Now THAT is awesome! - Guitar Stores Near Me

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I made an appointment with Tom to come over in his Repair ambulance vechicle to work on my Guitars. I must say it's a fun experience. He's quick and gets the job done. I recommend you give him a call. Thank you ! I will be back. read more

TR Guitars - Ambulance guitar repair vechicle - Guitar Stores Near Me

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Tom is fantastic. He has done warranty repair work on 3 of my guitars now, as well as some custom alterations. Each time he calls me to keep me informed during the process, his work is always top notch, and his prices are very reasonable. He also has easy drop off and pick up options. Highly recommend. read more

Amazing gentleman and technician! I talked to Tom on the phone and he suggested I bring my Bass guitar by his mobile repair shop, the next week. He was almost sure he knew the issue and he opened up the back, did a little probing and removed a battery wire that shouldn't have been there. He is a magician and I would recommend him to anyone in the Orange County CA area! This was a warranty repair, potentially, but Tom was so quick, he didn't charge me for the repair. Wow! read more

We had the TR Mobile unit out to the house. My wife and I are old plunkers with lots of instruments that we now play in retirement. We've accumulated them over the years and we love them, but we don't "know" how they work or how to really care for them. THomas took the time to explain what he was doing as why. We now have so much more appreciation for our instruments along with the peace of mind that he is "the doctor". We recommend T.R. Guitars without reservation read more

I have several guitars that get lots of work. I've been having repeat problems with using Guitar Center and Sam Ash guitar techs so I looked around for an actual luthier/tech and found Tom at TR Guitars. He has a mobile service and was able to service 8 guitars in one sitting. Setups, cosmetic repairs, restringing, action adjustments, etc., he does it all and does it very well. He doesn't mind showing you what he's doing and why, and he'll let you watch his work. That's confidence and I feel like I learned some great stuff from a seasoned veteran guitar tech. My guitars look brand new and playing is nearly effortless. If you have decent guitars, you need a reliable tech to get the most out of them. You can't do better than TR Guitars and you'll ultimately save some money too. read more

TR Guitars - Service truck - Guitar Stores Near Me

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I have been taking my guitars to Tom for years. He has always overdelivered and his prices have always been more than fair. He's a great guy too. Highly recommended for all of your guitar service needs. Thanks Tom! read more

Fixed my Gretsch pickup cleaned her up and placed new strings and was reasonably priced! Nice guy too!

Tom did a terrible job refretting my Les Paul. He said that he was an expert. There is a terrible cringing buz after the twelvth fret. I was pulling my hair out in college at the time and needed things to go smoothly. It didnt. The next time I contacted him he suggested that I meet him on the street corner somewhere and just leave it with him. Guess what? My guitar is in need of repair by a qualified tech after Tom worked on it. read more

Tom gave my GibsonUSA Les Paul a fret dress that now rivals what the Gibson Custom Shop would put out. Smooth round frets instead of the old 'school bus' speed bumps that were even buzzing on some frets. All that's gone and together with the setup the sustain and playability on it is mind blowing now. It bends so smoothly, notes ring out forever, and slides don't get stuck anymore. AWESOME WORK! read more

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Tom was kind and super helpful in helping my 14 year old with an issue with her electric guitar. Fabulous service, lovely conversation, and awesome van :-) Would 100% go back for other issues. The convenience of the Tuesday "office hours" is unmatched and a fun experience! read more

Highly recommended. Brought back life to my 2 old guitars that needed to be restrung and much needed TLC. Very happy to be able to play them again. Thank you TR Guitars! read more

I don't know if this is kosher or not, but I'm leaving a review for TR Guitars based on my experience there... from almost 20 years ago!! Back when I first started getting into nicer guitars, I lucked out and came across a '75 hardtail Strat. Unfortunately, it had gunk all under the saddles and one of the higher frets was unevenly worn out, causing the notes on the G and B string to buzz when played up there. I took it in to Tom, who cleaned up all the gunk, and dressed the frets, and made the guitar playable again. (And in a fit of idiocy, I sold the guitar around 2001, and will regret it til the day I die, but that's a story for another day...) My next adventure was when I got into Jaco Pastorius and decided that the frets on my MIJ Jazz Bass needed to come out. I brought that in to Tom, and he took out the frets and filled in the slots with tiny strips of maple. Intricate work, but done so well!!! That bass was such a joy to play.... which makes me wonder why I sold that instrument too. I guess I was an idiot. But I digress.. A few years later (still in high school, mind you) I had the privilege of buying a Guild DV-52 (though at the time I had no idea what a monster of a guitar I was getting). I needed to have a pickup put in, so I brought it to Tom, who put in an LR Baggs LB6 pickup for me. That setup actually served me well over the next 15 years (and yes, I still have that guitar, thank goodness that I had SOME sense to keep it), until recently when I decided to swap out the pickup on my own (yeah, I'm adventurous that way). Now that I live up in the SF Bay Area, I can't realistically go back to Tom for my guitar work, but I do miss dropping by his shop. It was always fun to go in, and see his pictures with Eddie Van Halen, and see all the other cool gear he had lined up for work. He was always willing to spend time to explain things I didn't understand, and for that I'm thankful, especially since I was just a punk high school kid who didn't know what he was doing. Tom, if you read this, thanks for the wonderful work you did for me, and for always being willing to listen and share! read more

I just got my Taylor fixed - had to re-frett some and ground down - and man - it really plays good - I mean, it plays better than when I bought it - seriously! Thanks for the quality work. read more

My daughter's guitar teacher gave a big thumbs up for this guy when we sought advice on restoring her great grandmother's old guitar. It was missing some parts and looked beat to hell until we got it back. Wow! He did an amazing job cleaning it up and getting it playing again. Won't go anywhere else. read more

I have been using TR for a long time now and Tom is simply the BEST!! I wouldn't go ANYWHERE else! He is a very well trained and experienced luthier and his mobile shop (The Ambulance) is awesome. He delivers too! He can do everything from the simplest of repairs to crafting and building the dream guitar you have always wanted. His prices seem actually low for the quality of work he does. Go to TR FIRST!! read more

This was my first experience with a luthier; ironically I quit playing guitar 30 years ago because the action was awful; the guitar was a Yamaki which sounded amazing but I would buzz my chords constantly, not knowing there was a cure! Tom was very kind and watching him work with professional guitarists was a true learning experience. You could tell everyone had immense respect for him. After two minutes looking at my Yamaha he said, "Sure, I can fix this". After finishing and replacing the strings, he handed it over to me to try. All I could say was, "I have a brand new guitar!" What a joy to play now! Thanks Tom!! read more

So grateful for Tom. Tom really knows his stuff. He does efficient work, and he explains what it is he's doing and why he had/has to do it. I will definitely hire him again. He's a real pro, extremely polite and knowledgeable. I look forward to getting more work done in the future. Thank you Tom! read more

So knowledgeable, helpful, and kind to a beginner. Gave me answers to questions I didn't even know I had, and ensured I had the knowledge to take care of my guitar after my paid maintenance. Thank you so so much! read more

I met Tom back in the 99's when he lowered the action and made my Takamine 12 string better than new! I still play the same guitar and recently bought a nylon wide necked Yamaha Silent guitar. Tom lowered the action and set it up to play amazing. I'm a customer for life! And now he's mobile! You won't regret having him take care of your guitars! read more

Tom is the Best!! Tom builds me great custom guitars, as well, maintains my 30-guitars for over 25-years. Simply, the guy for everything guitar. read more

Tom is nothing short of amazing. I got to him very late in his shift and he still stuck around to help me out with my guitar. I had a broken tuning key and no one else had been able to help me out thusfar. Tom whipped out a spare, assembled it, and brought my guitar back to life in less than 3 minutes. If you need some help with your geago see Tom, you will not be disappointed. read more

Tom is just great. He set up 9 of my guitars, which covered the gamut: 12 string, acoustics, electric and basses of varying brands, and did so expertly. Also, after you have played the guitar a couple of weeks, if something is not quite right (in my case, my own idiosyncratic taste), he will further adjust the guitar at no cost. And Tom's personality is just great, which makes him a true pleasure to deal with. I learned a lot about guitars, and how much I didn't know as well. And boy, does he have some great stories! read more

Tom Is a great guy and a first class luthier. I've been using him since 2006 and just used him recently on my latest Strat. It plays like a dream now. His mobile setup is awesome and it couldn't be any more convenient having him come right to you. read more

Tom is super good at what he does. His mobile workshop setup is so convenient as he completes his top-notch work right outside your front door. I have taken many guitars to him for all kinds of different work for years and they always come back sounding great. His prices are very reasonable for the high-quality work that he provides. Recommended! read more

I called TR Guitars at about 10am in the morning to see if he could do some work on one of my guitars and have it turned around in the same day. He said yes and that he was at a local music store today [Jim's Music in Tustin] I told him that I would have to leave work at lunch time to drive home [15 miles] get my guitars and then drive to Tustin to meet him and would he still be able to get done by the end of the day. He again said yes. I told him, I'll see you in a couple of hours. I drove home, grabbed my guitars and then back to Jim's Music. I entered the store and asked to speak to Tom. I was told he wasn't scheduled to be there until 4pm... Another employee said that no, he has been getting there a little after 1pm. It was 12:30pm at this point. I told them I can't wait around for another 1/2 an hour just for him to show up, then take additional time to explain and show him what I needed. I walked out. When I got back to work, I called TR Guitars again and spoke to Tom to ask him what happened. He didn't seem to understand what I was asking. I tried to refresh his memory that we just spoke 2 hours prior and that he told me he was at the store... Again no recollection... I asked whether or not I could still bring my guitars back to the store and drop them off for end of day pick up. Suddenly, he has all kinds of excuses that he has a ton of customers who just called coming in and can't promise anything. No thought seems to be given that I set up an appointment at 10am that morning... I said forget it and hung up. I can't comment on his skill of guitar repair but his customer service was awful. He wasted over an hour of my time and I ran out of time to get my repair done when I needed it. I will not offer him my business again. read more

The observatory enjoys paralled views of the city and surrounding mountains depending on the weather. There are well presented permenant displays of various aspects of the solar system inside a beautifully restored Art Deco building. The Planetarium has 3 shows with wonderful visuals, as good as a theme park ride, befitting it's location in the movie capitol. There is a solar telescope for safe viewing of the sun and on clear nights telescopes allow views of nearby planets. A half day well spent. read more