D'Angelo Guitars — Local services in Fair Lawn

I first discovered Phil by accident, looking for a 'guitar guy' in my area because the chain store repair guys said the did 'the best they could' with the neck problem on my Gibson Left-Hand ES 335, a piece impossible to replace. Phil was able to add more threads to the truss rod so that the correct adjustment could be made and really restored the full potential of the piece. Then I brought him my 46 year old left hand Gibson acoustic B25 with a broken head stock, again irreplaceable. He gave it back to me even better than it was before it was broken - I'll explain further but want to give another example first. I have an Epiphone left hand Les Paul - a less expensive piece that I use for air travel not wanting to risk my more expensive pieces with the airlines. I thought I had set it up pretty well but was I mistaken! When Phil got finished with his 7 point set up and fret work - also changed the tuning pegs etc - I couldn't believe it. I thought, I either became a 5 times better guitar player over night or this thing is now playing itself! What I learned here is that it's possible to take an inexpensive but basically sound piece and 'soup it up' so that it sounds like something 6 times more expensive - like the way you'd 'soup up' a stock car. The value derived is worth far more than the cost. So what everyone is saying about Phil's skill with set ups, repairs and restorations is absolutely true and more - but I'd like to make a point that previous reviewers haven't touched on. I now implicitly trust Phil's judgment about what would be the optimum set up and even the types of strings to use on a particular guitar based on his in-depth understanding of various instruments. By this I mean, often players will try to adapt an instrument into their style of playing or their set up preferences. This is fine to a degree but often they'll be playing "against" the actual nature of their guitar - trying to make it do things it was not meant to do. This is especially apparent if you like to play 'clear" without special effects boxes. I discovered that by relying on Phil's expertise and understanding of various instruments - and the fact he's handing me back a guitar set up to achieve the absolute fullest potential of that piece - if I then adapt my playing or "touch" to what he has done, the results are incredible. I'm suddenly a 5 times better player and I'm confident that the guitar is the best it's going to sound. Bottom line, Phil is a master Luthier with highly technical skills and equipment and he's also a great guy. Yes, there's all this technical stuff, but to those uninitiated into the mysteries of guitar tech, what he does seems like Magic....

I had Phil set up my custom USA Telecaster that I parted together, neck was brand new, so the nut needed to be slotted. He did an amazing job, I didn't have to plug it in, I can tell by feel if I like a setup. Everything was bang on, intonation, nut height, neck relief, the guitar plays amazing. Then I had him do a fret level, crown, polish, and setup on my Peavey HP Special CT USA guitar, WOW. I am blown away by how great this guitar came out. With both guitars, all I told him for preferences was the string gauges and brands to use, because I wanted to see what his setups were like without my influence interfering with his judgement. He read me 100% just from the type of guitar, and the gauge strings I wanted. I asked for 10s on the tele, he went for low action but not too low, because tele is blues and bending strings. I asked for 9's on the Peavey (it's basically a Wolfgang), he went for shredder low action, correctly assuming fast playing, aka Eddie Van Halen, with 9's being slinkier and easier to bend that low. His ability to read his customers is just as great as his luthier abilities. A+ all the way, definitely my go-to guy from now on.

Also, the guy who gave 1 star and complained about the active pickups installed in his custom shop fender doesn't have a clue. I do most of my own setups and tech work except nuts and frets (which is why I brought my two guitars here), and when I read that guys review I cringed. The reviewer has no idea how active pickups work or how they are installed. Ignore that guys review,...

Warning warning warning he ruined my guitar!!! Do not go to this place. I took my Fender Masterbuilt to him to add a switch, one week later the guitar stopped working so I removed the pic guard, to my surprise he cut the guitar with a saw and all of the wiring he did fell out. He led me on for months that he was going to reimburse me, and never did. Now he just avoids my calls.

1 there was no discussion of cutting my guitar you openly admitted that to me you never showed me a cut you never said there was a battery that needed to be replaced

2 The guitar stopped working that was the reason the pick guard was removed

3 I asked you to call to fender guitars and ask how much is a new body you have never called me back fender guitar told me you cannot buy a master built body there are custom shop bodies used on stratosphere website that are $900

4 I tried to call you and to email you and you are not responding after you agreed to pay me payments of $500 per month and I said OK

5 $4500 is not the price that I paid for the guitar and I have not seen a guitar that I particularly like four $4500 the music zoo is asking $7500 for their master built models

6 you have my phone number and my email you can contact me for resolve this with no issue I am unhappy with your work that I did not authorize if you disagree we will have a New Jersey state judge...