Diablo Guitars Show Room (Appointment Only) — Local services in Renton

Finally had a chance to swing by friend Ronnie's work, only after almost a year of gentle nudging 😉😅). By appointment only, it was literally like stopping by a guitar Rock Candy Shop and I really enjoyed being able to just strum and play the guitars without much interruption 💯🔥🎸🍬

Ronnie, is the PNW's Best Kept Secret. He is a Master Luthier and has a wealth of underground Legacy Knowledge when it comes to most things guitars! A rare skill trait, especially when it comes to craftsmanship, working on, and properly identifying & distinguishing Vintage Guitars!

After working for Gibson Custom Shop, Gibson Acoustic Division, Peavey Amps & Guitars (hello EVH?) and Weber Mandolins, I'm surprised the Pawn Stars from Vegas hasn't called him up to consult him on Vintage Guitars yet!!

I really like the selection of guitars they have. Lots of cool guitars to choose from, both American, Japanese and internationally made ones. They are mostly unique, not too commonly found on the bigger boxstore type showrooms.

It's cool how they also have in-house versions of modern rehab Custom Shop unique creations, which is akin to recreating personalized guitars used by many of the most influential artists in music history. The James Hetfield Gibson Explorer is a really cool unique example, especially curated by Ronnie. You should check it out in the showroom and have a go at it in the insulated private amp room 💯🔥🎸

Cool back story about their shop's back Brick Wall - built over 100 years ago actually used to belong to Renton's Town Hall!! And when you look close enough, you can see that masonry was actually used to cover up two doors and windows, because where their showroom floor currently sits at, used to be an alley way! 🤯 Pretty cool if you ask me!

Overall I had a great experience checking out the store. They are growing really fast, and move a lot of guitars and instruments, but I really enjoyed getting to play & A/B test the guitars.

I did not buy anything that day (or yet), but I can really appreciate the privacy & convenience of being able to just walk in after setting an appointment. Buying guitars is a very intimate experience, especially because it is so tactile and you hold the guitar so close to your body whenever you play. And I really liked how I was able to be left alone without much fuss and getting to know the instrument on an individual level. I will be back to check them for sure and in the...

Well I will tell you this about Diablo Guitars.....

• BUYER BE WARE ** I purchased a wiring harness, pots, tuners and the neck selector switch that were for a 1961 Gibson Guitar. the salesman repeatedly was told that they were to be installed in a 1961 Gibson Les Paul/SG and he repeatedly told us that they would work " NO PROBLEM" even though the listing stated they were for a Barney Kessel Model. Well upon receipt of the parts I discovered that they were not even close to fitting in the electronics cavity in the Les Paul/SG. The pots were to big and the switch was too long so I called Diablo and i shipped all of the parts back to them and they re-assured me that my card would be refunded back for the purchase price of 1820.00. Well after an excessively long waiting period i discovered that they had finally refunded 1600.00. Of course that left a difference of 220.00 that I was informed was their "Restocking Fee" and they would not refund that. Well I would'nt have purchased the parts in the first place if their inept salesman had given me the right information. I gave them another opportunity to refund the full amount of my purchase price as it was not my fault that the parts would not fit in the guitar. Based on the bad information from the sales person who does not have the proper PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE I am out 220.00 because this person just probably wanted to make a " quick buck" and refused to refund the deficiency balance. Needless to say that Diablo WILL NEVER GET ANY REPEAT BUSINESS FROM ME and I will tell everyone that I come in contact with in the Music World about my experience with...

amazing communication and they gave me an extremely fair price on this evh 5150, it plays amazing and i needed to put in minimal work on it i dont give 5 stars solely because the set up could of been better and the guitar is not perfectly as described. I had to adjust the truss rod because the neck was bowed up (incredibly simple fix, could of just been due to the weather difference from washington and where i live) and I had to tighten a few screws, the allen screws holding the nut were a little loose and caused it to go out of tune when dive bombing (it still does a little) so I had to tighten those up. i believe there was also a grounding problem but after going in the guitar and looking at everything, and messing with the wires, it somehow fixed itself without any extra work, I still do not understand how but I hope it stays this way lol

the biggest issue (which still is not very large) is the input jack is worn and I do not remember that being mentioned in the description, at different angles it will cut out, its EXTREMELY specific and not something that impacts it a lot but it is worth the mention.

overall, this is a great shop, it came with a setup, a brand new gig bag which I was not expecting, picks, the whole 9 yards, I was very surprised, although I would be a little thrown off if I was someone who didn't really know how a guitar works.

overall great deals on some of their stuff, came with a good setup (basically got me 99% of the way to having an amazing playing instrument) and a ton of goodies, but the qc is not perfect, I would buy from this shop...