Dave's Guitar Shop — Local services in Sun Prairie

Terrific experience with their phone service and their technicians:

I had called ahead and asked if there was a tech at the store and the guy said they had two. I explained that I had done everything I could to get my string height set low enough to where I liked it and I felt the nut slots were too high, and asked if I could have one of their techs lower the slots just a little for each string to see if that was the right direction to go in. My other option was a plek and full set up if this didn't work. He said he didn't know if they could but if I brought my guitar in he would tell the tech about me ahead of time.

Fast forward a half hour and I'm in the store talking to one of their techs about the issue. The worker on the phone had told him my issues and he and I had maybe a 10 minute chat about the condition of my instrument as he looked it over right in front of me. He told me the work is usually done on a first come-first serve basis because his intention would be to set up the instrument (correct truss rod a bit, set string height and tail piece break angle, and then intonate) but he seemed to believe me when I told him that I could do that on my own and it felt like he was actually listening to what I was saying.

So he goes, "I'll tell you what, let me take the guitar back to my bench and I'll file down the nut slots a little bit so you can take the guitar home and tinker with it on your own. Should take me about 10 minutes." I agreed, left and got a drink at the grocery store and when I came back the work was already done.

He told me that he corrected the truss rod anyway so he could better judge how much to take the slots down. He also corrected the bridge height roughly so he could better do his job. And let me tell you, man. Those first cowboy chords and scales played up by the nut felt EXACTLY like I felt they should. I was no longer fighting the nut and bending notes out of tune just to fret them.

He at first insisted that I not need to pay for the work but I refused. This man's work has value and he nailed it first try in 10 minutes. I walked in ready to spend 150 dollars or so and walked out spending 38 dollars for the work, some picks and a new set of strings. This store will be where I have all of my guitars worked on for the rest of my life while I live in or...

I wish I could write a positive review, but my experience with Dave's Guitar Shop is extremely disappointing.

At the beginning of the summer (June), I engaged with this dealer looking for a Dave's 62 "Thin Skin" Stratocaster. This is a guitar I have wanted for YEARS. Dave agreed that I could put down a down payment as they were in the process of ordering this model. So I put down money on the guitar in June and sat back the entire summer, waiting patiently for the guitar to arrive.

Fast forward to September, I email Dave's looking for an update. A few hours later, I get a random refund and an email that they received my guitar from Fender and that it was listed and sold on their website. This is a guitar they cannot reorder as Fender is not making these models anymore from what I was told which is extremely disappointing. And if they do, who knows what the ETA would be....

So, I am beyond frustrated and defeated with this situation. Dave's Guitar Shop dropped the ball here and originally offered NOTHING except, "let us know what I can do" nonsense. Yes, there is something you can do. Give me the guitar I put money down on, but you can't, because Fender isn't agreeing to make them at this point.

So after a few email exchanges, they finally offered something. A discount on a Custom Shop Strat. Wow. Probably not at cost to make things right for their mistake, but at a discounted price that is still astronomical. So now, they want me to shell out at least another $1,600 when I shouldn't have to.

Would I recommend this dealer, NO. Stick with local, Sweetwater, Casino, Wildwood Guitars, etc. I do not have trust or confidence that Dave's can deliver an exceptional customer service which is what we, as consumers and guitar players are...

I want to give a shout out to Chris and the crew at Dave's Guitar shop in Fitchburg (Madison) WI. I was visiting friends in the Madison area recently and we decided to stop in on a whim. From the moment we entered we were met with friendly greetings from the staff and allowed to play on any guitar we fancied.

My eyes immediately went to the wall full of Gibson Les Pauls and ES-335's. The manager Chris and I struck up a conversation about the guitars we had at home to find out that we both owned R9 Les Paul's from a small run Gibson did in 2018 with Brazilian fretboards, and we had both purchased them from the Dave's store in LaCrosse a few years ago!

After telling him I always had an ES335 on the bucket list, Chris helpfully guided me to a cherry red ES-335 1964 reissue. This guitar instantly spoke to me. The quality that Gibson is putting out is amazing! From the playability, to the attention to detail of the lightly aged hardware and finish. And those custombuckers...wow!! My friend Greg and I returned a few days later, and I purchased the ES '64 reissue (which I have affectionately named "Roxy") and he bought a new R8.

I can attest that in the Chicagoland area there are many choices of music stores. But the service and hand picked selection of instruments that I have experienced time after time at Dave's is unsurpassed. That is the reason my last three guitars were purchased there.

Do yourself a favor and visit...