Tully saved my Rickenbacker! My 4003 had way too much relief in the neck and did not play well. It also was never intonated properly because of their bridge design. After reading all the horror stories about how quirky and difficult it is to set up Rics, I decided to reach out to Tully. He explained to me how Rickenbackers' 2 truss rods work together to create even tension across the board, and adjusting one affects the other. We also talked about how painful the bridge design was. When I picked up the bass from his shop, I could hardly believe that this was the same bass. The neck was as flat as physics would allow, action was nice and low, and the bridge was intonated bang on. This bass played so poorly, I once considered selling it. Thanks to Tully, I can just focus on playing without fighting it now. I recommend Tully's Shop. I plan to take my guitars and basses to him going forward. read more

Tully's Shop - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Bensenville, Illinois

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I had heard great things about Tully's work so when I decided that it was time to start playing again, I took my mid-80s MIJ Telecaster to him for a setup (first one in way too long). Amazing. I already loved it but it now plays like the best guitar I've ever had (including Custom Shop stuff that I had before). I can't put the thing down. The amazing setup makes me want to play more and more. I've already dropped off another guitar and once that comes back I'll bring the next one read more

Tully's Shop - Mid-80s MIJ Telecaster. - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Bensenville, Illinois

Tully is a gentleman & a scholar. Incredibly knowledgeable guitar repairman AND artist. My repair was quite minor in the grand scheme of things(jack replacement) but this guy can literally do it ALL. That includes building guitars from wood to soldering hardwires & cables. Dude is a WIZARD Thank you Tully! 10/10 would recommend. Will be back for any future repairs whatsoever. read more

I stopped playing for many years. Pulled out my 1995 Guild D26-nt and took it Tully for a set up it really needed after years of storage. He did a fantastic job. I can't put it down. read more

Tully's Shop - Tully set up my D26-nt that has been on storage for years. Fantastic results. I cant put it down! - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Bensenville, Illinois

One of best stringed instrument maker and fixers in the area! Added stick to my acoustic bass, so could play upright. Repaired antique guitar that plays wonderfully. read more

I used to get help from Tully setting up and maintaining my guitars before tours in the early 00's. He was the best, and my guitars were never better set up than they were back in those days. Back then as I recall he had a spot set up in his garage. Imagining that guy with a fully devoted space, with room for the specialized machinery I see in the pictures... holy crap. It's good to see. Tully himself is a great guy who always treated me fairly in the past, got things done on time, and did an amazing job of dealing with unique repair/customization requests that I'd come in with back then- and is someone I'll be giving business again soon, hopefully! Can not recommend enough. read more

Can't say enough about Tully's Shop. Fast reliable and friendly service. Bringing any guitars for repair, modification or setup, Tully's your guy. Never let's you down. Just pro service at a incredible price. Gotta see him!! read more

Tully is the man. He works out of a little shop he built in the back of his garage but DO NOT let that put you off. His work is top notch. Every time I bring in a guitar it goes from ok or good playing to amazing. Just tell him what you want and how you like things and he'll have it up and running in no time. His prices are extremely fair especially since with the set up he always does an amazing job of cleaning the guitar as well. I've seen his repair work and its great too. I cannot recommend Tully enough. I've tried almost every set up guy in the area and once I started using him I stopped going elsewhere. Like I said Tully is the man! read more

Tully's Shop - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Bensenville, Illinois

My son did a search for guitar repairs And we really lucked out finding Tully. He took care of my sons guitar quickly and very very reasonably. We left impressed by his generosity and skill and also by his impressive background working with many big stars. His shop is clean and well-equipped and he is a total artist. And I love supporting independent business! read more

Just bought a used Warwick bass and used cheap Epiphone electric guitar off Craigslist and both had issues. The Warwick had fret buzz and the Epiphone had a faulty switch, and probably a setup as well. Saw the reviews and had to hand these beauties over to Tully. Long and short of it is, he got the job done pretty quickly and at a reasonable price. Details - both instruments were taken in on a Saturday and ready by the following Friday. The total for the setups and switch replacement was $75, including $14 for the switch itself. I haven't gotten instruments worked on in a while, but I think the price was right. The only other place I inquired wanted $50 a pop for just setups. Tully knows guitars inside and out. Today he taught me that your pickups can actually be the cause of fret buzz and other setup-related issues if they are too close, since they exert magnetic force on the strings all the time. Makes sense, but I never would've thought of it. I'd encourage anyone to take a leap of faith and bring their stuff to Tully the next time it needs work. Then again it probably doesn't take a leap of faith; just check out the reviews! read more

I have been coming to Tully's Shop for guitar setups, modifications, and repairs for several years. The owner, Tully, is by far the most knowledgeable and experienced craftsman I have encountered in over 40 years as a local musician. Tully is more than a "guitar tech"; he is a qualified luthier and an expert on stringed instruments. He also builds custom guitars. In addition to providing top quality service, he also takes the time to share his knowledge by giving expert advice and tips on how to preserve and maintain the integrity of your instrument for best performance. This is a friendly, private shop unlike the big, generic music stores. Tully is always friendly and accommodating, and I feel very fortunate to have the privilege of being one of his loyal customers. If you own a guitar, or a collection of them as I do, I highly recommend giving Tully's shop a call. Your guitar or bass will play like butter! read more

Tully's Shop - Gibson Les Paul Classic - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Bensenville, Illinois

Brought my 93 Strat in for a fret level and crown it never had any fretwork done before so it was way overdue. I got it back yesterday and everything from the fretwork to the setup is perfect! Quality work at a fair price. read more

I would highly recommend Tully to anyone who's looking for a first-class guitar setup, modification or repair. I've taken my guitars to Tully for 5 years now, and every one he's worked on plays light years better than when it went in. His prices are very fair, and his work is amazing. You can trust him for any type of project, and his turnaround time is typically very quick. He had my most recent project (setup, new pickup, new tuners, new bridge) done and ready to go in a few days. His shop is cozy, and he's an all around great guy. Take ALL of your guitars to him - you will NOT be disappointed. A true pro! read more

4 years and $1200 later and you still didn't make my friend his custom guitar???? I find out you didn't even refund him after all these years??? WTF? Really Tully, I can't believe you're the same guy I went to for years and then recommended my friend too and he's still in this mess. If you can't finish it REFUND HIM!!!! I look bad here recommending you and this is now on my shit list and I'm going to follow up on how this gets resolved between you too. I'm not going to give you 4 years like my friend who's been way too patient with your excuses. JUST REFUND HIM NOW!!! For those of you reading this, that's my real name, this BS is real and going to get really real if not resolved. The Music Gallery in Highland Park won't Fuck over you or your friends, go there. read more

Great friendly guy! Did a nice setup and helped me out with a re-string issue I was having with my Epi Thunderbird. This guy knows what he is doing and he is good at what he does! You see the reviews, what are you waiting for?! Don't go to a mega store where they will do a half ass job and take two weeks to do it. Tully does all sorts of mods and custom work and his price on the setup was reasonable. Check him out!.. Give him a call and make an appointment first, he will fit ya in! read more

I've taken 3 guitars to Tully so far. The first one just needed the nut replaced because it was cut badly by someone else. I thought the guitar played pretty good, but he said it could use some tweaks with the setup and did that at no additional charge. The guitar played so much better than it did before that I brought another one to him the next week for a set-up. Once again he did a great job and also noticed a slight buzz on that one. He checked it out and found a few bad solder joints and fixed them for me. That guitar also now plays better than ever. I just got back another guitar from him last week that needed a setup and the nut slots widened for the new string gauges and that one is great also. His prices are good and his work is great. I will continue to take my guitars to him. I am extremely happy with his work. read more

Tully has worked on my guitars for years and I even bought one of the custom guitars he built awhile back (that thing is wicked, too). He definitely does awesome top notch work and is one of the few shops around that I trust with my gear! read more

Tully is a master. From set-ups on all types of guitars (including the touchy floating trem models) to customizations or ground-up builds, he can do it all. I brought my Gibson LP Jr Lite in for a setup last year and it came back playing and sounding better than the day I bought it! You can't get this kind of service from your megamusicmart. read more

Tully does wonderful work! Very reasonable prices. I've taken some of the most ratted out guitars and he sets them up to be wonderfully playing and sounding guitars. Great work, good guy, honest prices, locally owned business - what more could you ask for?!? read more

Tully does awesome work! Make it a point to visit Tully if you need any axe work done. He is always fast, friendly, and does top-notch work at minimal prices. I have had all my guitars as well as several friends guitars in Tully's Shop for setups and installs, and I couldn't be happier with his work. read more

Tully is the best. I took in my bass that had been sitting in storage for three years. The neck was severely bowed and needed to be intonated. I got a bass back that played and sounded better than it was when it was new. Tully is very attentive to details... Even fixing the zipper on my case. read more

I have had Tully work on several of my guitars, all work has been very well done. He listens carefully to what you want and does it right . He made a new nut for my 12 string acoustic that's perfect! I think his prices are very reasonable, especially considering the quality of the work done. I would absolutely recommend his services to anyone! | read more

Tully was recommended through a friend. He came with a trusted five star review and More than lived up to the recommendation! My husband had a beautiful 12 string guitar with a completely broken neck. No one in my area even wanted to attempt to fix it, not even try. No one could recommend anyone who could either. I was very close to trashing the guitar, reluctantly, when my friend saw my post and referred me to Tully. He was worth the trip and every penny I paid to get this guitar fixed. My husband was thrilled with the results! Top-notch work and very reasonable rates. It is clear that he takes tremendous pride in his work and loves what he does. Your guitar is his guitar and he loves guitars! You're in good hands with this guy! read more

Tully worked on my '02 Les Paul. He did a fret level, set up, swapped out pickups, saddles, and did the Jimmy Page wiring. Excellent work and very reasonable in pricing. He's a one man shop, but was able to turn it around one week after ordering parts.He breathed new life into the guitar. i couldn't put it down. The Dimarzio PAF 36th neck and bridge sound amazing btw. I think I found my new guy for guitar repair!! read more

I took my SG that needed a new nut to him. It was two weeks longer than the quoted time before he got back to me about picking it up. I picked it up and thank God I got that sketchy feeling and opened the case to try it out before walking away because the nut came off the instant I touched it. I wanted a refund but he said no refunds and that he could fix it. He said he'd put it on the top of his repair roster and do it right away. I wanted to wait and watch him do it right there and then, but he said he couldn't. It was another week before he was done. What level of quality control is a guy doing on himself when he doesn't even check to see that the nut adhesive is holding? I got a bad entitled attitude from Tully, and would not recommend him to anyone. read more

Tully is the man! Excellent work! Quick turnaround on a set up for my Ibanez. Price cannot be beat and the quality of work is unparalleled. I highly recommend Tully for anyone looking for great service at an unbeatable price. read more

I own a very cool (1990's) American Standard Tele. Tully re-fretted it for me and it now plays like a brand new guitar. His prices were extremely fair and his work is outstanding. I'll definitely go back to Tully! read more

ive been playing guitar for over 20 years in a band have always done most of my own repairs and set ups a friend of mine found Tully and brought 2 basses in for set up ,my friend was so happy with the job Tully had done and said the basses have never played as well even when new . so I brought one of my guitars in. Tully is a great guy ,nice, easy to talk with and when I picked up the guitar it was fantastic !!!! needless to say ive brought in 5 more guitars since, all top of the line jacksons , hammer , charvel ,guild acoustics , alvarez , and he has made them play and sound better than ever , I would have never of brought in my expensive guitars any where but I trust Tully and his workman ship is top notch and prices cant be beat anywhere . his knowledge and skill are well worth his prices and hes throws in his great personality for free !!!!!! thanks Tully Andy from lethal injection read more

This guy does very nice work! Nice guy and very professional. He also builds custom guitars. Bottom line is this shop is the best i have been to in the chicagoland area read more