Raritan Bay Guitar Repair

For the last 7 years. I have been performing non stop. Especially in New York City as a Member of Music Under New York. performing twice a week 6-12 each time. Grew my callouses along with it. But with it the string slowly dig into the frets. Raritan Bay Guitar changed all the frets and set it up, the guitar sounds like it was new. Cost me around $400 but if you care about your guitar its worth it.

This is where I make my living. It took me about 2 months though waiting for it. Its wonderful shop and they also sell used guitars they repair at very prices. If you need work on your guitar go check them out. And if you are a Bruce Springsteen fan, you can visit his childhood home in the area. The tree he took a picture standing beside is still there :

Experience was good, bought a guitar they were stuck with. It plays perfectly A few months later, I brought them another guitar which needed fret work. New pick ups, nut cut, and set up. They told me 6-8 weeks, it took them 10. The guitar sounds and plays great

Unbelievably disappointed and bummed that after getting my Fender Mustang's dead pickup swapped out, and a friendly call by Raritan to include a setup, the high E clicked on bends and gave no sound above the 12th fret. Brought the guitar to Sam Ash and plays like it did for the last 10yrs. But wouldn't you know, when plugging in at last, nothing but crackling out of the amp. No crackling when playing my other electrics, so I came home with an unplayable E string, and a pickup that is defective. $200. Back to Sam Ash. Never again.

Since changing ownership, the care and customer service from the new owner has declined since CJ owned the shop. Several other musicians I know have had the same experience. For example, I brought in a Telecaster for a setup. The owner takes my guitar, spews out upcharges for work he says is needed (nope, did not need work), tags the guitar, hands me a ticket and only then tells me that the shop is backlogged and it will take 6-8 weeks for the set up. HUH? Other musician buddies shared the same experience. So, always ask how long will it take to get your instrument back. Better yet, go somewhere else!

Friendly and knowledgeable staff who take care of their customers. I Would highly recommend for all your guitar needs.

These guys at Raritan Bay Guitar shop are the absolute best! I had a 1980 Gibson SG that had been put to the side and was in need of a serious makeover. Kyle took on the project, and refurbished the entire guitar and did an excellent job! Couldn't be happier with the craftsmanship, price, communication, and service from Kyle and the guys at Raritan Bay! Highly recommended for all your guitar needs!

Brought my new guitar in for set up. Great experience! Reasonable pricing, very helpful staff. This will definitely be my go to place for repairs and advice.

Had my taylor guitar in for a neck reset, Mike was a pleasure to deal with, very friendly shop they got my guitar fixed in a more than timely matter, will definitely be back when more any of my guitars need anything, highly recommend

The best guitar repair shop around. Friendly, knowledgeable, skilled, honest. Can't recommend them more.

I have always trusted the crew at Raritan Bay with my guitars. They are extremely thorough and meticulous in their work. My guitars always come back sounding amazing. Highly recommend

Since discovering these guys a year or so ago I've had basic setups, pickup installations, complete rewirings, and even had a D-Tuna installed that required routing into the body of the guitar. Not only does everything come out sounding and feeling perfect but even the routing job - which they warned me could impact the finish - was perfect. I'm pretty local but even if I move I'd gladly make the trip to continue to have my work done here.

Since discovering these guys a year or so ago I've had basic setups, pickup installations, complete rewirings, and even had a D-Tuna installed that required routing into the body of the guitar. Not only does everything come out sounding and feeling perfect but even the routing job - which they warned me could impact the finish - was perfect. I'm pretty local but even if I move I'd gladly make the trip to continue to have my work done here.

These guys are top notch in the business of guitar repairs and restoration. I have a '92 American Strat with a Floyd Rose which I am extremely protective of, as it is a rare model and difficult to find for sale, and it is my favorite guitar that I own. Naturally, I'm apprehensive about leaving it with anyone, but back when i first bought it in 2001 i brought it here because the frets were very unevenly worn and they did a superb job with leveling and crowning.

Fast forward to 2018 (held up after all this time and lots of gigs) and it was time to do it again. They suggested i have it re-fretted at this point. I was a bit apprehensive but agreed and couldn't be more pleased with the work. You can't even tell anything was done other than it looked like someone waved a magic wand and made the frets brand new again!

I even waited a few months before writing this review and they are still perfect. They also did a nice job with the setup and i had them replace the bolts on the Floyd to freshen it up. I normally do all my own setups, re-strings, and electronics work, but when it comes to intricate fret work i don't have the right tools and certainly would not attempt to re-fret a valuable guitar myself.

I have not had any amps re-tubed or repaired here, so i cannot comment on that. But whatever services you have done on your guitar, you will not be disappointed. Best guitar repair shop in the area, period.

No exaggeration. I've probably been to this shop over 50 times. Great quality craftsmanship. Great guys. Never had a issue w any of my repairs, upgrades or setups. And if you do they'll correct it. Would never let anyone else touch one of my guitars. Top notch shop.

Before discovering Raritan Bay Guitar Repair, I had to settle for getting my repairs done at Freehold Music, who would then overcharge for basic things like a replacement string. (I was a beginner and my teacher at the time wouldn't show me.)

Then one day I stumbled into Raritan Bay Guitar Repair looking to see if they had a Gretsch. Not only did I get lucky and they had a vintage one for an excellent price, but I received a free guitar lesson from Chris, which is standard with any new guitar.

My experience was so positive I quickly abandoned Freehold Music for CJ, Kyle, and lessons from Chris. They do amazing repair work and never try to sell you on things you don't need. It's obvious that Kyle and CJ repair guitars because they love it and want to preserve these instruments.

Before discovering Raritan Bay Guitar Repair, I had to settle for getting my repairs done at Freehold Music, who would then overcharge for basic things like a replacement string. (I was a beginner and my teacher at the time wouldn't show me.) Then one day I stumbled into Raritan Bay Guitar Repair looking to see if they had a Gretsch. Not only did I get lucky and they had a vintage one for an excellent price, but I received a free guitar lesson from Chris, which is standard with any new guitar.

My experience was so positive I quickly abandoned Freehold Music for CJ, Kyle, and lessons from Chris. They do amazing repair work and never try to sell you on things you don't need. It's obvious that Kyle and CJ repair guitars because they love it and want to preserve these instruments.

I trusted a'59 guild to Kyle, and it turned out Amazing! His depth of knowledge and skill, are unmatched. There are none better then this shop!

Having dealt with Raritan Bay Guitar Repairs for several years, they have always been friendly and attentive to whatever I needed. This includes when I first began discovering the need for work to be done on my guitars no matter how simple or extreme the modification was. Set ups have always be excellent. I will point out two extremely fantastic jobs they did for me.

One was to install a Charlie Christian pick up on my 2009 Gibson Les Paul Junior so that I could make my own John Lennon LP Jr and the other was for my Sonic Blue Fender Strat that needed a truss rod installed, and on that one they made a nifty access door on the headstock so that I could adjust it from there rather than at the base and also so that it looked like the vintage SB Strat from 1961. Incredible work!

I've been playing bass for over 30 years and have used various guitar repair places. It's very difficult to find a place that isn't "flaky". Eventually something happens and you ask yourself, "Why am I coming here?"
Well that recently happened to me and I searched again for another place to maintain my basses. Happily I discovered this place which is almost 30 miles from my house.

Let me tell you, it's worth the trip! I've now brought quite a few instruments here and the prices are very reasonable, in fact less than my previous luthier. They even repair amps. A very professionally run business! I'm always satisfied with the work they do and if you aren't just bring it back and they'll make it right no charge. Do yourself a favor and try them.

I've been playing bass for over 30 years and have used various guitar repair places. It's very difficult to find a place that isn't "flaky". Eventually something happens and you ask yourself, "Why am I coming here?" Well that recently happened to me and I searched again for another place to maintain my basses. Happily I discovered this place which is almost 30 miles from my house.

Let me tell you, it's worth the trip! I've now brought quite a few instruments here and the prices are very reasonable, in fact less than my previous luthier. They even repair amps. A very professionally run business! I'm always satisfied with the work they do and if you aren't just bring it back and they'll make it right no charge. Do yourself a favor and try them.

I purchased a custom built one off guitar from Germany. It was shipped to me and out of the box needed an adjustment on the neck as usual. I took it to a local shop in my town where I have been taking guitars for about 5 years. Got the guitar back and the screws on the bridge were all mangled and there was a ding on the front of the guitar. Needless to say I was upset, Long story short the shop refunded me my money and paid for the damages.

Never again. So this lead me on a journey to find a new guitar repair shop. Somewhere I can get my guitars setup where the people are reliable, friendly and knowledgeable. I called a few places around my area, Small time guys out of there house, and really wasn't impressed. Then I stumbled across Raritan Bay Guitar Repair. I gave them a call and spoke to Kyle.

Very knowledgeable and understanding. Willing and able to do the work. Not to mention their reviews are 5 star everywhere you look. This prompted me to head down and check them out. I ended up speaking with CJ who is a really great guy. Super friendly,down to earth, understanding and knows his stuff. Very easy to talk to. I left the guitar with them and in a day it was ready.

When I went to pick it up the guitar looked great and the setup was perfection. Never had a guitar setup so well. Prices are excellent as well. Very reasonable. So from now on this is where I will be bringing my guitars. If its for a setup, pup install or a repair. 40 minute drive one way, and IMHO totally worth it.These guys know their stuff. Not to mention they are very personable. Which means something to me. Great work and great customer service!

I purchased a custom built one off guitar from Germany. It was shipped to me and out of the box needed an adjustment on the neck as usual. I took it to a local shop in my town where I have been taking guitars for about 5 years. Got the guitar back and the screws on the bridge were all mangled and there was a ding on the front of the guitar. Needless to say I was upset, Long story short the shop refunded me my money and paid for the damages.

Never again. So this lead me on a journey to find a new guitar repair shop. Somewhere I can get my guitars setup where the people are reliable, friendly and knowledgeable. I called a few places around my area, Small time guys out of there house, and really wasn't impressed. Then I stumbled across Raritan Bay Guitar Repair. I gave them a call and spoke to Kyle.

Very knowledgeable and understanding. Willing and able to do the work. Not to mention their reviews are 5 star everywhere you look. This prompted me to head down and check them out. I ended up speaking with CJ who is a really great guy. Super friendly, down to earth, understanding and knows his stuff. Very easy to talk to. I left the guitar with them and in a day it was ready.

When I went to pick it up the guitar looked great and the setup was perfection. Never had a guitar setup so well. Prices are excellent as well. Very reasonable. So from now on this is where I will be bringing my guitars. If its for a setup, pup install or a repair. 40 minute drive one way, and IMHO totally worth it. These guys know their stuff. Not to mention they are very personable. Which means something to me. Great work and great customer service!

I had a guitar custom built in San Francisco. Additionally from, another source, I had some custom built pickups made that were built by a well respected shop. After getting the pickups, the builder installed them but there was something wrong and it didn't sound right. The pickup builder advised me to see the most well respected shop in San Francisco.

They worked on it and charged me accordingly but, it still didn't sound right. Finally when I got it, I was turned on to Raritan Bay who got a hold of it and instantly found that it was a wiring issue. Fixed it, and now it sounds fabulous. These guys really know what they're doing. Not like others who say they know what they're doing.

I've been going to Raritan Bay since '97. CJ and Kyle do exceptional work at extremely reasonable prices. Sometimes their repairs border on sorcery! I had the head stock snap off of a brand new Gibson custom shop 359. I brought it in and the boys there didn't even flinch. They assured me it'd be fine. About three weeks later I got my guitar back better than ever.

You seriously can't even tell the guitar was completely beheaded! I'm a die hard loyal customer for life. This is just one of the many, many times these guys have saved the day. They also do incredible set-ups. My guitars play themselves when I pick them up.

I have brought my son's guitars here several times and always had a great experience. They do great work and have a fantastic guarantee, so if it needs to be tweaked you can bring it back and they will make any adjustments at no additional charge. I highly recommend this shop!

Places like this are rare now a days! You don't feel like you're just another customer, unlike taking your guitar to the assembly line that is Guitar Center, Sam Ash or other corporate juggernauts. The guys here are TRUE masters of their craft. Friendly and laid back, you instantly feel comfortable and are completely confident they will handle your guitar with complete care.

Here they take the time to see what your guitar needs without nickle and diming you, and go out of their way to make sure you're satisfied. Will not take my guitar anywhere else!

I would not go anywhere, but here for my guitar needs. Honest, reliable, hard working, timely, straight forward, down to earth. these are just a few of the words that come to mind when I think about the crew at Raritan. Thanks for all you do! There aren't enough honest businesses like yours out there.

This place came highly recommended from several fantastic guitar players in the area. I have many issues to be addressed with my martin guitar, as well as a re-repair from another shop and I am looking forward to experiencing the result today! So far, my experience has been great and I know I am dealing with professionals that have seen it all so no worries here. I will update with the results which I expect to be amazing.