Seattle Luthier and Guitar Store Reviews

This is a little hole-in-the-wall store just a few blocks from the Trading Musician in Seattle’s University District. It has a friendly atmosphere and some nice guitars. I haven’t actually bought anything there or spent a lot of time there so I don’t know very much about the place, the proprietor or what they offer. But I like its vibe. Anyone care to comment further?

http://www.folkstoreseattle.com/

5210-A Roosevelt Way NE Seattle, Washington 98105

206-524-1110

Guitar Emporium is a cozy little shop with a lot of beautiful hand-made guitars, located in the heart of Ballard. Robb Eagle, your host, is highly knowledgeable and always creates a friendly relaxed atmosphere. Warning: he may wax political on you, but he won’t pressure you to buy anything, and anyone is welcome to walk in and play as long as they respect the instruments. People often hang out, jam and socialize there. A note - this is generally not a place for the first-time guitar buyer. Robb’s guitars are all pretty much high-end guitars and definitely geared towards the serious player who is looking to make an investment in a really beautiful and special guitar. 

Robb also offers basic guitar repair at very reasonable prices, so if you need something small done on your guitar (such as a set-up, action adjustment, new tuning peg etc) he will do a great job at a very good price. If you’re looking for more involved work he’ll likely refer you elsewhere - guitar repair is just a sideline for him so he does not usually do major repairs.

http://www.guitaremporium.com/ 

206 783-7607 

5349 Ballard Ave. NW , Seattle, WA 98107

Dusty Strings, a truly grassroots Seattle entity, is a major fixture in the folk music scene. In addition to great instruments ranging from entry level to very high-end, a friendly and knowledgeable sales staff, an in-store luthier, an in-store school with private lessons and workshops, and a separate facility where they actually build many of their own instruments, Dusty Strings has a stage where they host concerts throughout the year. They also have a teacher directory for any kind of music lessons they don’t personally offer in their own school. Of course, I am biased, because I teach there part-time myself, but I think Dusty Strings is one of the greatest institutions in Seattle. My only critique would be that their instruments can sometimes be priced a little higher than what you  might find if you hunted around for a bargain. However, you definitely get what you pay for - and part of what you are paying for is the highly trained staff. Dusty Strings is the only music store I know of where you actually have to pass an extensive test on your knowledge of musical instruments before they will allow you to work there. So any questions you have as a customer will be fully answered, and you are sure to walk out of there with a quality instrument that is well-suited to your needs. I recommend all first time guitar buyers to go to Dusty Strings, as I am confident they will always be well-cared for.

http://www.dustystrings.com/

3406  Fremont Ave N., Seattle, WA, 98103

(206) 634-1662

Trading Musician is a big store in the University District with a lot of new and used guitars and gear, and an in-store luthier (see Seattle Luthier Reviews). You can sometimes find a good deal on a decent guitar there, but unfortunately you usually have to wade through a lot of kinda junky guitars to find that one gem (kind of like a thrift store). I wouldn’t recommend a first-time guitar buyer picking up a guitar there - you really need to know what you’re looking for. It IS a great place to get good deals on gear and accessories. I got a used amp and mixer there pretty cheap and they’re both still working. Also they often have great deals on used cases and gig bags. The sales staff is pretty friendly and the mood of the store is a little chaotic - all part of the charm. 

Trading Musician - 5908 Roosevelt Way NE Seattle, WA 98105, 206-522-6707

http://www.tradingmusician.com

There are a couple of different Luthiers who work out of Trading Musician. I’ve always had good work done there and the turnaround time is usually only a few days or a week. The only drawbacks to getting work done there is it’s kind of a cookie cutter mentality - it’s difficult to get hold of the luthier directly to communicate your wishes and you are expected to leave your guitar at the counter without ever getting to meet the luthier face to face. 

I’ve found this can be overcome by calling in and asking to speak directly to the luthier on the phone. It’s just a bit of a hassle, and also, these guys charge more than Cat Fox, my favorite luthier. However, if you’re just looking to get a basic repair and you’re in a hurry, I can vouch for the luthiers at TM having done consistently good work in the past.

Trading Musician - 5908 Roosevelt Way NE Seattle, WA 98105, 206-522-6707

http://www.tradingmusician.com

My favorite luthier in town is definitely Cat Fox at Sound Guitar Repair (located in Fremont). She is friendly, personable and always does a great job at a very reasonable rate. I recently refinished an old guitar and got some great free advice from her about how to proceed, from the beginning of the process right through to the end. After I was done, she glued the bridge back on and did a bunch of other work for me all at a very fair price. She also did a set-up for me on a different guitar at her highly competitive rate of only $60! (Many lesser luthiers charge $70 or $80). The only drawback is she usually has a waiting list of at least 2-3 weeks, but the high quality of workmanship combined with Cat’s great prices is well worth the wait! 

http://home.earthlink.net/~catherinefox/

(206)783-7317