Guitar Works

Message: Jim is an absolute legend. I wanted to make something truly blasphemous. A fender baritone telecaster neck on a dean baby Flying V body. He set the neck. Moved the bridge. Installed the tuners and string tree. Moved my output jack per my request and set the guitar up at an EXTREMELY affordable price. This thing plays, looks and sounds amazing. If you’ve been considering a luthier look no further!

Message: This was the best guitar repair/work experience I’ve ever had. I went to Jim to get some active pickups swapped out for passive pickups which required new pots, wiring, etc.. Not only was the work carried out wonderfully, it was done in 3 days. I’ve been to other guitar repair shops in Portland and have waited 1+ month for MUCH simpler jobs so the fact that Jim did this in a few days was awesome.. When I went to pickup the instrument, he also took the extra time to help me take some measurements and what to look out for when buying new hardware. The guitar is Japanese made so finding metric vs. standard pieces and understanding manufacturer specs was very important and he helped clear the air! 10/10 will be going back!

Message: After getting another place to do a "setup" on my Hamer American Cruise bass that was absolutely rubbish I found this fellow. The last shop charged me for their failure not to be able to do this setup with a 2tek bass bridge. I have 2 of these bass guitars and brought them both to him to see how the other was setup, just how i liked, and he was able to complete the setup on my bass within hours. I picked it up the same day. I have decided that I will never go to anyone else as long as we both live. Thank you. (NOTE) 2tek bridges are not common.

Message: It doesn't get much better than Jim / Guitar Works. The only other place I will take my guitars is The 12th Fret. Over the years I've had Jim fix a bad setup on my Les Paul, make my Martin acoustic playable, and re-fret a totally beat up (think heavy relic but legitimate) 1960s Epiphone Wilshire. The fret work he did on my Epiphone was top notch, and the action can only be described as "slinky" now. I have put hundreds upon hundreds of enjoyable hours on that guitar since getting it back and it is just so good I barely want to play anything else.. During the pandemic I bought a holy grail (for me) guitar: a beautifully worn vintage butterscotch telecaster. The frets were a bit low and I recently dropped it off at Guitar Works. I guess it's the highest praise I can give Jim that I got a holy grail and promptly brought it to him to work on. If you take an instrument here, you won't be disappointed. Jim is the man.

Message: A very talented luthier, Jim's work is the best.. I won't go anywhere else. When I get my instruments back, they always play a thousand times better than before. A world class person as well.

Message: I brought two guitars (acoustic Takamine and electric Strat) to get them both set up and adjusted. Jim did a very professional job with perfect results. He completed both guitars very quickly and his rates are super reasonable. Highly recommended.

Message: I'm wary of 5-star reviews. However, in this case, I'd give 6 if possible. Jim has re-set the neck on a '44 Gibson my dad left me. Can't even see how it happened.. flawless. He just replaced the nut and basically made my newer Les Paul play as it was intended.. now I remember why I bought it in the first place----- It stays in tune now after hours of playing and bending. I don't like having problems with guitars, but at least I'm assured to have a great visit when I need to see him. Jim is technically brilliant, and just as much so in his relational skills. His prices are way, way, way reasonable.

Message: Jim is an exceptional luthier. Not only is his work top-notch, his ability to listen to what you want and deliver it at a reasonable price is such a pleasure in this time of exorbitant guitar repair costs. I've entrusted guitars (Gibson Nick Lucas acoustic, 1942 Harmony Patrician acoustic, many vintage and custom electrics) to Jim, ranging in price from many thousands to many hundreds of dollars. My expectations are high when it comes to guitar set-up and repair and Jim always seems to exceed them.