I have searched for a highly rated guitar repair for many years to go over my beloved 1976 Guild D-35. After seeing a friends custom guitar utterly ruined by a poor shop (pre-Yelp days) I refused to entrust this gem to a color-blind gorilla disguised as a repair person. I was VERY impressed with the 5-Star reviews East Bay Guitar Repair garnered from everyone, and scheduled a visit with Mike. Mike is a literal GEM- very humble, extremely knowledgeable, very fairly priced (I.e. - relatively inexpensive). We agreed to what needed to be done, and I patiently waited about a week. I JUST picked up my sweet guitar and SHE SOUNDS MAGNIFICENT! Saddle, truss rod, nut adjustments and a complete go-over of the beautiful bones within. Mike is not just a skilled guy- he's what every guitarist I've ever met hopes to find. Hint- HE'S HERE - look no further! 5 STARS AND HUGE THUMBS UP!!! Thank you Mike!
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Bob S. and his 1967 Gibson SG
Martin
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I was searching the internet for a Guitar Luthier that could work on my 1967 Gibson SG Standard with Lyre Tremolo when I ran across Mike. I was reluctant to have anyone but a skilled Luthier work on this guitar. The reviews looked really good so I decided to contact Mike. Mike responded promptly, I explained the work needed, he worked up a quote that was very reasonable and I decided to give him a try even though I live 60 miles away in Stockton. Well I got my SG back today and am I glad I found Mike. I was having tuning issues, my e string was buzzing & muting, couldn't use the tremolo much without getting out of tune, and Bar Chords vs Open cords were off tune. Mike had to re-cut the Saddles so the strings would lay in the proper spots, re-cut the nut so the strings would land in the proper spots without binding buzzing or muting, put on XL strings that stay in tune better, wrapped the new strings around the tuning post properly to minimize any slippage, and did full setup with intonation. What a difference. I just finished jamming for 1/2 hour using the tremolo, used Bar Chords, and Open chords, played a Jimmy Page lead (Stairway to Heaven) stretching the strings substantially, and its staying in tune, playing, and sounding far better than ever before. Mike was a very nice knowledgeable friendly guy all along the way in our communications start to finish. I have been playing for 40 yrs, cut a few albums, my son gigged with Quiet Riot as their Guitar tech, and I would highly recommend Mike to get your guitar (newer or vintage) in optimal playing condition. Next for Mike is my Les Paul. Thanks Mike!
Zachary V.
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Jonathon S. and his Fender Jazzmaster
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I've taken multiple guitars to Mike at East Bay Guitar repair and the quality of the work he does is absolutely stellar. He took my average MIM Fender Jazzmaster and made it play like a much more expensive guitar. I also had him replace the pickups and put in a nicer bridge (with new buckets) and it's an absolutely stellar guitar now. Highly highly recommended. The turn around time is much faster than a lot of other shops too!
The shop is in a gated complex, so make sure to schedule a time to come by with your guitar. Your fingers and ears will thank you!
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Conor K. and his ESP LTD with Floyd Rose Tremolo
Martin
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I brought in an ESP LTD to replace the old licensed Floyd Rose with a Gotoh Floyd Rose and install some used pickups (Dimarzio Liquifire/Crunchlab combo) I got from a friend.
Mike and I talked through exactly what I wanted done to the guitar including re-routing the Floyd Rose claw, filling previously drilled holes in the tremolo cavity, specific 5 way switch configuration, and a standard setup.
Through the process we figured out that the previous owner of the pickups bored out the mounting holes somehow. This was no problem for Mike as he already had a solution involving lock nuts of some sort.
Now I have the guitar back and it is a much greater improvement than I was expecting. Obviously the Gotoh is a big upgrade, the guitar plays EXACTLY how I like it with no tweaking necessary, and the pickups sound great.
Lastly after having a look in the tremolo cavity I saw it was using three springs. My guitar has heavy strings (13-56) so I asked Mike if I could come by for him to put in a fourth spring I already had and he did on the spot for no extra charge.
I'll be bringing all my guitars here from now on.
TL;DR Setup: 5* Quality: 5* Service: 5* Mike: 5*
Zachary V.
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Ishak and his 1973 Gibson ES-335
Martin
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Mike is a pro and an asset to the guitar community here in the Yay Area. He's dependable, has a great shop and does excellent work. I went with stainless steel medium jumbos on my prized 73 Gibson 335 and he worked it to a spec that really makes me feel like I made the right choice in size and luthier. Don't hesitate to take your trusty axe into this dude's shop. Happy shredding!
Zachary V.
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Eddie H. and his custom Telecaster
Martin
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Michael worked on my parts tele. He filled and redrilled the neck and body to mount the neck plate. It was a little too crooked before. He also filed the sharp fret ends. Had the guitar back to me in a week and all of his work was done really well. Next time I need guitar work done I will definitely contact Michael at East Bay Guitar Repair.
Zachary V.
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Dale M. and his Les Paul Custom
Martin
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Head stock broke on my favorite Les Paul. Mike walked me through the repair and it was returned in better shape than I left it. Craftsmanship was great, setup and action was dead on, and the entire experience was great. I would recommend Mike at East Bay Repair!!!
Zachary V.
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Jeff M. and his PRS
Martin
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So I got a good deal on a used PRS. There was some paint/finish flaking off at a couple different spots on the neck. There are only 3 places in the Bay Area that does finish work on guitars. Out of the three people I contacted Mike was the nicest and most open to answering my questions.
The studio is great and located in a nice part of Emeryville. He did a great job and even did some adjustments when I brought it back (wanted a more of a floating bride for whammy bar). He has a bunch of Yelp reviews and I recommend him to anyone who needs a simple set up to complete repair/finish work.
Zachary V.
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Jon O. and his Washburn acoustic
Martin
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It has been quite a few years since I have been playing my old Washburn from circa 2000. Still in good shape but the set-up needed attention along with the fingerboard. I couldn't be happier with the like-new guitar that Michael returned to me - it was tuned an set up perfectly with new strings and plays effortlessly. Also he is a nice guy and easy to work with - the days of going to guitar center for anything other than strings are over.
Zachary V.
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Brent S. and his Les Paul
Martin
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Looking for a guitar repair shop, I recommend "East Bay Guitar Repair". Hadn't played my Les Paul in years, been locked away in its case. Decided to take it out and play, found it was not as I remembered. It needed to be serviced & searched yelp. Glad I found Mike. My guitar needed a fair amount of work. During the process, Mike kept me informed of all his findings. In the end, it plays better than it did before I hung it up. It's obvious that Mike knows his trade. On my visits of dropping off & picking up, I noticed that Mike always had other guitars either waiting for repairs or pick up, which tells me he's got a steady group of clientele. Mike is professional, friendly, explains all the work done, answers all your questions & his prices are very reasonable. I've got an acoustic & classical that I'll be taking to Mike. Look no further, East Bay Guitar Repair is the place to go.
Zachary V.
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Daniel A. and his Fender Precision bass
Martin
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Excellent service. Mike did a really good job setting up my P-Bass and my Strat. He also helped me do research about how original my P-Bass to assess its value and quality. I'm planning on taking my other guitars to set them up as well. If you work in a 9 to 5 basis from Monday to Friday, you can schedule an appointment with him either after hours or on the weekends, this was really convenient for me. Awesome work in general.
Zachary V.
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Zachary V. and his Martin 000-15M
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I am really sensitive about my guitar. I perform regularly and if my guitar doesn't feel or sound right, I'm not enjoying myself on stage and it just throws the whole night off. I've made the mistake too many times of waiting til the last minute and just taking it to whomever was available.
If you are a real player (real players you know who you are), you have to take it to someone who does good work. I've learned this the hard way. What I also learned in my recent search for a good luthier, is that the luthier pool is drying up in the bay area. It's too expensive to operate for many folks. So yes, Mike Drasin works out of his house way out in Danville. I Lyfted out there from Oakland (was like $35 each way).
But I'm glad I did. Mike gave me a perfect setup on my Martin 00015m. It feels so good and balanced. He also pulled out a Fishman Matrix pickup (the bane of my existence for the last 6 years) and replaced it with a K&K Pure Mini. The guitar sounds warm and full, and it plays excellently. Thanks Mike :)
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Nick V. and his Les Paul Custom and Jason Becker Kiesel
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Mike fixed some fret buzz on a classical guitar of mine and also did a full setup on a Les Paul Custom and Kiesel Jason Becker with a Floyd Rose. All three guitars came back on time and play great. Highly recommend East Bay Guitar Repair!
Zachary V.
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Kalan K. and his 1988 Fender Stratocaster
Martin
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I wanted to bring my 1988 MIJ Stratocaster back into playing shape for sentimental reasons and Mike pulled off the work beautifully. New frets, a new nut, and a replacement trem with a great setup have the guitar playing beautifully and feeling good. Could not be happier with the end result.
Zachary V.
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Lauren L. and her Gibson ES semi-acoustic hollowbody
Martin
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Super professional, quality and amazing guitar repair! Got my Gibson semi hollow to really sing coming back with more equipment soon - wish more techs were as talented, upfront and affordable as Mike!
Zachary V.
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Jon P. and his Gibson ES-135 and Gibson SG Standard
Martin
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Had Mike Drasin do some work on my Gibson es 137 and Gibson sg standard and was amazed on how much better both guitars sounded in comparison to before I took them in. Definitely will be going back to him again. It always helps to have a tech like Mike, who knows what he's talking about and won't BS you on what actually needs to be done.
Zachary V.
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Gary V. and his LSL
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I was initially referred to East Bay Guitar Repair by guitar tech Steve Streit at the Berkeley Jazz School. I brought my LSL T-Bone in for a setup. This is one of my nicest guitars and I was a little nervous about bringing it to a new tech. After meeting and speaking to Michael I felt that he understood what I wanted and was a serious and responsible guy that I could trust with my instrument. He did the work in a completely reasonable amount of time and I'm happy to report that the guitar has never played better. His setup was exactly what the guitar needed and I would recommend his services. I'll definitely be back.