Picker's Supply Inc. — Attraction in Fredericksburg

I have found the front staff of Picker's Supply to be friendly, knowledgeable, and courteous. They certainly have some very nice instuments in the inventory. Unfortunately I have experienced some poor experiences with the luthier work performed through Picker's Supply on three occasions. First occasion occurred when I brought an older Gibson mandolin in to repair a tail piece. The screw on the mandolin pulled out. After being notified the repair was completed I picked the mandolin up, never looking at the repair at the store (shame on me). Once I arrived home I noted there was a 1/4 inch gap between the tail piece where the screw was suppose to be and the mandolin itself. There was no screw in place. I slide the tail piece cover off to find two screws through the tail piece into the binding area between the top and side of the mandolin. Until now I did not say anything to the staff at Picker's Supply. The reason being is they had a second Gibson mandolin of mine in for extensive repair. The top on this mandolin was collapsed and was previously repaired through Picker's Supply. After the first repair of this mandolin I returned to Picker's to have the instrument restrung and set up. When Matt loosened the strings in front of me a sound post fell out of the mandolin sound hole, much to his surprise. I expressed an interest in having the mandolin properly repaired and then sell it on consignment. It was approximately six months later when I inquired on the status of the mandolin. Matt stated he just received it back and would put it on the floor for sale. During this time I came across an individual with an interenst in the mandolin, but he lived quite a distance from the store. I spoke to Matt about the possibility of me picking the mandolin up to take to the possible buyer. Matt said it would be no problem. I picked up the mandolin immediately noticing the mandolin did not look quite right. On closer inspection at home I found the top very wavy. I have sinced delivered the mandolin to a crafter of mandolins. Upon the removal of the back he found a much larger sound post had been inserted in the mandolin which caused mulitple issues. The good news is this 103 year old mandolin will be properly repaired and very playable in the near future. I recommend Picker's Supply for their inventory, staff courtesy, and friendliness. I do not recommend using Picker's Supply for any luthier work. I knew the collapsed top would be a challenge. If the luthier was not able to properly repair it he or she should...

I’m extremely letdown by my first and only experience in this store. I’ve been a musician since 1999 and I’ve never been treated as rudely as I was at pickers supply today. My toddler and I walked in and we were blown away by their selection of really unique and gorgeous looking instruments. One person working here said if we needed any help just let them know and I said thank you as we walked into the back of the store. Once we got to the back of the store, another man who I’m assuming is the owner shouted at us that they don’t allow food or beverages in the store (I was holding an iced latte, my toddler had a juice box. They’re almost 5 and absolutely knows how to be around instruments because I have so many.) So when I abruptly was stopped from checking out the rest of the instruments, we made our way to an exit and the first person who greeted us apologized. I don’t know who that other dude was but if this is his store, I’m surprised it’s still in business. I’m never walking in there again and you definitely do not have my support. If you wanna buy a banjo, I recommend checking out an actual dealer or just buying direct from...

If you're visiting Fredericksburg this is the first store you should go to. I really love Picker's Supply for their huge selection of instruments. If you look past the dozens of beautiful guitars and banjos you can find more uncommon instruments. So far I have purchased three instruments from them and I felt the pricing was very reasonable.

My old tenor banjo had some fret buzz so I brought it in to have Matt look at it. He ended up swapping out the bridge. He didn't push for more dramatic repairs, just what was needed to get this thing playable.

At a later date I brought in an old guitar to see what it would cost to get it to be playable. Matt gladly took the guitar and had his luthier look at. He was completely upfront with me and told me the cost to repair would be many times more than what I paid for the guitar. He was extremely understanding when I decided not to go through with the repair. In summary I have always found Matt to be very knowledgable, direct, and...