Long Beach Guitar Repair – Long Beach, California

Aloha!

I was profoundly disappointed when World of Strings closed down after 50 years in the business. It was the only good repair shop in town, and they could work on any stringed instrument. Plus, their staff was the best, both friendly and knowledgeable and willing to give informed information and opinions. ,

Fortunately for us locals, the void was not there for long, as last month four of their former employees joined up and opened their own repair shop just east of the old World of Strings location. If you ever frequented the old store, you will instantly recognize these folks and feel right at home. They are Brian Stewart, Chris Baird, and Guillermo Rios. Pam Spangler also came over and is running her violin and bow repair business out of this location.

There is not anybody else in town that you would want to trust your prized instruments to. Spangler worked at World of Strings for over three decades and teaches at Long Beach City College, Rios is a top-shelf flamenco guitarist, Baird was the guitar tech for Korn for more than ten years, and Stewart has been working in the business for almost 30 years (the last 14 at World of Strings). For what it’s worth, my wife thinks that Brian is cute and Chris has pretty eyes.

These guys have worked on my guitars and cello for years, and I would trust them to do any of my repairs, from set-ups to refrets or customization. They have made numerous unplayable Les Pauls work the way they should and helped make one of my semi-hollowbody guitars into the best instrument I have ever played.

They also sell strings and accessories, and they are stocking Ruben Flores and Almansa classical and flamenco acoustic guitars. Also, they have a nice selection of electric guitars and basses that they have built, and I am sure if you want to pick one up they will make you a fair deal for one.

All of this is good, but their experience really pays off for customers that are not really sure what they are looking for. If you have a kid that wants to get into playing the guitar, stop in and they will give you sound advice and will keep you from buying the wrong guitar that either costs too much, or that could be a piece of junk that will discourage the learning process. When you break the headstock off your dad’s old guitar, after you stop crying, loosen the strings and take it in. They have seen it all before and they will reassure you that it can be fixed well, and it will probably not cost as much as you think it will. This kind of stuff is priceless, my friends!

When I stopped in the other day to drop off a cheap-o Martin, it appeared that things are going well, as they all had instruments on their benches and their spirits were good. Their new shop is laid out well, and it is in a better neighborhood – heck, I even found a parking spot out front! Parking was a real bear at the old shop…

Long Beach Guitar Repair is located at 2930 East 7th Street in Long Beach, and they are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM. For more details about their business, check out their website at longbeachguitarrepair.com or search out their page on Facebook. Or, if you are social media-impaired you can call 562-621-9000. You will be glad that you did!

Mahalo!