Ithaca Guitar Works

Everything seemed overpriced and no one approached me to see if I needed help, even though I was in there for a few minutes.

I’ve been stopping by Ithaca Guitar Works since I was a young teenager. The first time I walked in, I was a new guitar player that had showed my parents that I was serious about playing and learning.
The way that the guitars line the walls in every possible nook and cranny has the Duncan’s Toy Chest effect (in Home Alone 2 when Kevin goes to the cool toy store).
I’ve had several guitars from here and I’m always satisfied with the service and quality of what I’ve purchased. I’ve had one of my amps repaired at the shop and wasn’t blown over by the price. The amp came back and works flawlessly now. I also enjoy talking to Chris and his son. It’s the kind of place that you really enjoy stopping by to try a few out but then you start wanting to buy it.

Biggest selection best service. They have all the popular brands like fender, Taylor, Martin, Gretsch, kala, eastman and deering. And they’re authorized service center for most major brands. They’ve been around since the 60s and have an old school real guitar store vibe.

I took in my guitar for a setup and fret dress because the east coast moisture modified the neck structure so a few frets were buzzing. The initial ETA was 3 to 4 days. I got it back 13 days later. During the process, the front paint was damaged. To attempt a fix, the luthier buffed the entire front of my guitar so it has a gloss finish now (it used to be matte). The matte finish can still be seen around the pickup and bridge holes, giving a «faded» effect. Not good. Sloppy. Further, the set up and fret dress left many frets still buzzing, and my action is about 2.5 times higher than it was initially. That, and I was charged $ 30 extra because it took them longer than expected. I will not bring a guitar back here ever again. The luthier would not return my calls, and was in the shop randomly for maybe 3 to 4 hours a day. The shop attendants handled my requests as if they had a lot of experience with this luthier’s service habits. I can’t speak to the other services this place offers. Maybe it is a good shop for lessons or purchasing equipment, I really don’t know. But the luthier is sloppy and slow.

Ithaca Guitar Works really is a cool shop.
Their location in the Dewitt Mall makes it an ideal place for browsing.
The inventory is Fender-​centric, uke/​mando/​banjo enthusiasts will feel good, bassists too. Beginners can get outfitted really well here and those who like high-​end/​botique guitars and amps have options.
They price at ‘internet prices’ so you don’t need to go shop big-​box.
The staff is friendly and patient, though not always great at assessing customer needs without cues from you.

After a long period of looking for a guitar repair shop in Ithaca, I was glad to find a shop dedicated to guitars. Conveniently located in the Commons, a bus ride away from Cornell, it was great. Lots of customers and helpful employees (at least some of them, more on that later) all seemed to be a good sign. My guitar had been needing repairs for some time and as I asked for an estimate for everything, both the employees I talked to were confident that they could do it for ~$ 45, max $ 65 if they had to replace the parts. Also, they promised it’d be done by the end of the week.
Two weeks passed by and the much awaited and dreaded phone call came in. «With tax, $ 87.» What the hell? Asking if they had to replace any parts, they all refused to answer, even though it was clearly written on the invoice later that no replacements were made. They had charged me labour fee of $ 65/​hour for 1.25 hours. No, it wasn’t something I could do easily myself, but that was just a ridiculous figure. Once I got my guitar back and was asking what was actually done to the guitar, they were suddenly silent and quickly turned into one of the rudest employees I have encountered.
As for the guitar, all the problems mentioned were fixed. The knobs were shoddily put back on, so much so that it was moving out of its place and easily removed when pulled. Even with new strings, the low E string is buzzing now.
I’ve no experience with purchasing products here, but for repairs, I’ll say this is one of the rudest, rip-​off shops I have ever been to. I’d avoid it at all costs, even if that might mean some shop farther away.

This place has just about anything you’d need if you are a guitarist or bassist. They sell mostly used stuff, so everything is relatively reasonable. The ceiling is lined with new guitars though, but they’re not as accessible. The staff is really helpful, and they usually don’t mind if you take an old, expensive Gibson off the walls just to jam on, in fact, they’ll usually plug it in for you. Guitar Works also sells all sorts of music, tapes and CDs of local and well-​known bands. I’ve been going here for years, and it’s probably the best place in Ithaca for guitars.

You need guitar equipment in Ithaca? You go here. It’s as simple as that. They’ve got tons of everything you might possibly need and there isn’t any sort of sales pitch going on. The fact that they let me and my friends come in and just jam on their guitars all through high school speaks to how laid back a place it is. The employees are super helpful and usually damn talented. When you buy a new guitar you get free adjustments for three months that they tell you to use, even if you don’t think you need to.