Neely Custom Guitars

Just got my PRS Custom 22 back from Mr. Neely. It plays, sounds, and feels better than ever. I definitely recommend taking your instrument to this gentleman.

For guitar and bass repair, David Neely is beyond compare. He is an authorized Service Center for Martin, Gibson, Fender, Guild, Gretsch, Alembic, Taylor and many other brands of guitars. There is no one better anywhere to take care of your guitars. I was fortunate to be referred to him by a guitar tech at Guitar Center. The first guitar that I brought to him was my 1971 D-12−35, a Martin 12 String guitar that I have owned since the 70s. It had a pick guard that was curling up, some binding that had become detached, and some dented frets. David fixed all of this and more, set up the guitar, and made it look, feel, play and sound better than new. Since then I have take several more of my guitars to David and I have always been thrilled with the work that he has done for me. David is also a really nice guy.

a few years ago I was having technical problems with my Taylor 314ce. a friend recommended me to take it to Neely Guitars. That’s where I met David and right away let me know what was the problem. I came back and my guitar was good as new. Great Guy and does what he does with great passion. highly recommend him. you will not regret it.

Why does David Neely have the best reviews? Because he’s the best. Don’t go anywhere else. A really awesome guy to boot!

I bought a used Strat from a popular Santa Monica guitar shop a few months back that sounded great off the shelf. Unfortunately, I took them up on their offer of a free setup and it did not go well. The guitar was not in great shape when I got it back. Its actually not the first repair they screwed up for me, so I decided I needed to find someone new. David Neely came highly recommended and did not disappoint. In just a few minutes, he perfectly set up my guitar. It honestly now plays better than any guitar I’ve ever owed. I couldn’t even imagine going anywhere else ever again. I’m not sure it will always be as fast as it was that day, but I’m positive it will always be the best setup in town.
Thanks David!

David and I go back to preschool days in Nashville, then first rock band in the late sixties, and now, fifty plus years later, is my and my brother’s source for real, accurate, and honest dianosis of bass/​guitar problems. Guitars have been his passion for a lifetime for David. He is the one I trust, as do many other, to have the best answer. If he could only be in L. A and Nashville at the same time…

I’d heard of David Neely through several friends of mine who have sworn by him over the years. Since I’ve built acoustic guitars, I’ve never really had a great need for guitar repairmen. Yet, when the headstock on my Gibson broke clean off, I felt that I needed some advice from the best. When I took my guitar in to have David give it a look, he told me that the break was pretty bad. I mentioned that I had experience in building guitars, so David graciously offered his advice.
I took the guitar home, and made the surgical repair. I had promised David that I would return for his review of my work, and let him do one of his amazing set ups. With the repair complete, David complimented my workmanship, and did a magnificent job on the set up meeting my exact requirements.
Honestly, without David’s selfless input on offering his expert advice, I’m not quite certain if I would have made the repair as well as I did. Therefore, I consider David Neely the consummate professional: someone who is willing to share his knowledge with a fellow luthier.
I believe I’ve made a friend in David, and will maintain my loyalty to him for anything that I may not be able to do myself. His client list easily covers the who’s who of legendary guitar players. I can easily understand why he’s earned his reputation. He’s down to earth, and willing to help in any way that he can.

The BEST! Neely is a Nashville Cat and the best in the business! There aren’t many luthiers around as good as David.
Always top notch guitar service and a fun guy too!

I have been in the guitar and amp business for almost half a century. Keeping this short and to the point, David Neely is the best guitar guru I know. The guy is a master. Side note … also a heck of a player and very cool and honest guy. The most bang for the buck and a lot of value when it comes to repairs, modifications, or crafting of an entire instrument.

Dave Neely is a guru. His work is impeccable, there is no problem (thus far) that he can’t solve. I have over 20 guitars he has worked on, I use them daily in the studio… never an issue. He has made unplayable guitars in to real players.
He fixed cracked fingertips before gigs for me. Stopping by to see him is always a learning experience.
I have been doing this for 25 years. I know a good luthier when I see one. Dave is a great luthier and your guitar/​bass/​Uke/​etc, etc. are in the hands of the best.
If you listen to what he has to say, you will learn a lot about guitar history, different woods and finishes, guitar electronics, etc.
Plus…as a consummate professional, he isn’t going to start name dropping. You have no idea what a blessing that is in a town where everyone does it. He really is «The Luthier To The Stars»…but he keeps that on the down low. A humble man, a teacher, and the best at what he does. I can’t ask for more since 1994.

man I have to say he really hooked it up. I always knew something was wrong with my guitar but every time I asked somebody in the band and a guitar player everybody had a guess and nobody can actually pinpoint what was wrong. I gave it to Nili and the minute he picked it up he already told me what was wrong he redid the whole guitar and I didn’t have to replace any parts even though I suggested we should. love this shop!

Just wanted to give my recommendation for the best guitar repair in Los Angeles, David Neely Guitars. David’s client list reads like a guitar players’ Who’s Who: Joe Bonamassa, Ry Cooder, Stephen Stills, Bob Dylan, Steve Cropper, Tom Petty, Chet Atkins, Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters and on and on.
I thought I had some issue with the electronics or maybe the input jack was loose on my Tennessean. David taught me lesson #1 in electric guitar maintenance: keep your jack clean! He took a q-​tip laden with saliva, which he says works great and doesn’t risk damaging the finish, put it inside the jack and rubbed it around. When he pulled it out, there was gunk all over it. He put in the dry side and rubbed it, and that was it. My problems were gone — AND, the guitar has never sounded so good. David taught me this lesson and didn’t even charge me for his time. Actually, I think he was just as glad as me that he didn’t have to open it up, because Tennesseans are *NOT* fun to work on the electronics. But if it did need work, there’s no one I’d trust more than him to do it. There are cheaper guys; but if you love your guitar — take it to someone who really knows their stuff.
David also pointed out that if the jack was really loose and the plug wasn’t making a good enough connection, the cord would likely be falling out of the guitar. Duh! It’s so obvious once he said it!
Thanks again, David! Very, very much appreciated. I’ve been cleaning the jacks in the rest of my guitars (which he says to do maybe once a month!) and it’s made a real difference in some of them.

I trust Dave to always do a great job, I don’t know anyone better than him — I’ve had multiple guitars set up by him and he always treats them with great attention and care. I know there are many guitar techs in this city, and I’m sure many are great, but if you really want the best quality work done — go to Neely.

I’ve taken all of my guitars to be set up here and they sound amazing. When I worked for a studio I would take all of the guitars here and every single one of them sounded amazing. The work he did to my guitars has lasted the test of time and I’m more than happy with it. It’s well worth it to pay to have your guitar set up the right way and Neely is the guy you want. Your guitar is your baby. You can’t let just anyone handle your baby!

I found out about David Neely from a Google search, and discovered that his website was very user friendly and informative. I live in Riverside, CA, so coming to Hollywood is a major time commitment, and I needed to be certain that my goal of repairing a vintage Guild 12-​string would be likely, so I called ahead. He was not there, but returned my call the next day and clearly listened to the message and discussed what I should do.
Long story short, he saved me a ton of money by telling me the guitar was unrepairable, and suggested I tune it to C for a dedicated slide guitar. Then, we talked a bit about this and that, and I found him to be quite a personality. I will be returning soon with work as I recognize a true talent, and feel that for valuable instruments, cost is not something to balk at when the job will be done right the first time. See you soon David!

David Neely is the best luthier in LA. He’s who your guitar hero calls. Your guitar will play better than it ever has. He is pretty much a guitar superman.
He’s also extremely accommodating. I wanted him to change something on my guitar when I picked it up, and he stopped what he was doing, said «you got a minute?» Then proceeded to take my guitar apart and re-​do it exactly the way I wanted.
Maybe he is more expensive than some other guy, but it costs a little more to have the best. I wouldn’t go to anyone else.

My Taylor needed some fret work done so I was looking for someone who was experienced and who did quality work. I mean after all, I won’t leave a $ 3000 guitar with with just anyone. So i called Taylor in El Cajon and they specifically recommended David Neely to me. I usually take my guitars to Eric’s Guitar Shop in Van Nuys (see my review) who I highly recommend but since David is a factory authorized Taylor guitar tech I just felt better taking my guitar to him.
Sure he is expensive (He charged me $ 250 to dress the frets and straighten the neck) but I’d rather pay a little more to have someone work on my guitar who I know will do a good job and not ruin it than risking someone permanently damaging my fine instrument. To me paying a little extra is worth the piece of mind.
David was very very nice. I don’t know why some people have had bad experiences with him. I found him to be very friendly, talkative and helpful. In fact, after picking up my guitar I noticed it had slight fret buzz so I took it back to David and he kindly straightened the neck for me and fixed the problem. If really care about your instruments and don’t mind paying a little extra to have them repaired or maintained then I would definately recommend David Neely to you.

This guy Neely, who is supposed to be the guy that does Tom Petty’s guitars is… well…it’s hard to say. He has serviced two acoustics for me on more than one occasion. At first he was ok but it just got worse and worse.
He is over-​priced for the work he does and has the biggest attitude ever and is super condescending towards women. I experienced that first hand. Look elsewhere.

Picked up the love of my life.
Set up soooo good; like a blind date with a playmate.

2 stars is a *bit* unfair. I’d say 2.5 is more like it.
He is a bit pricey at $ 90 for a set up. If you just take a little time to look around, you’ll find prices at a more competitive level. This is L.A. for Chrissakes… techs/​luthiers are about as oft seen as ‘screenwriters’ in coffee shops.
Does he get the job done? Sure. But he is worlds better on a discernible level than everyone else? No. Make sure you go to a luthier (see: older guy) who’s been at it for a while, and you will be fine.
But for my money I’d rather go to a luthier who gets the job done, who *doesn’t* have an attitude. After I got my acoustic set up, I asked him exactly what he did, what modifications he made, to which he gave me his best petulant, attitude laced response which ended with, «OKAY???” – as in «Is that OKAY with you?»
Listen buddy, I’m the customer turning over my hard earned $ 90 for your business. I’m entitled to ask questions, which *I* did courteously without the TUDE. Not to mention the fact that 3 days later, my brand new acoustic’s frets starting tarnishing and turning green.
Yeah, phuck it…2 STARS it is.