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January 2024 by Robert Schuweiler
A friend told me about the work Garrett Riley performs so I took my Eastman Dreadnought for a nut replacement. After discussing Garrett felt a complete set up would be best. I am so glad I did and worth every penny. My guitar has always had admirers and offers to buy it from me but after Garrett adjusted it I can say the volume, tone and playability were really amazing. I have played for a long time and owned a wide array of Martin's Gibsons etc. After the set up I will put this guitar up again any commers. In short Garrett installed, raidused the nut to conform to the radius of the neck. He uses great care in measurements so that playability and the intonation of the first three frets especially are ear candy. He relieved the truss rod to offer greater neck relief. Consequently this caused him to lower my saddle which was higher than most. It now is a perfect height with great string break. Lastly he has a unique way of finishing the nut that really makes it nicer for the player's hand, plus it looks better.Garrett has been to luthier school and been in the business approx 15 years most of which as the manager supervisor for larger repair shops. He also makes custom electric instruments. He is a honest tech and will not do what is not going to make the intrument better. I hope this helps.Rob Schuweiler, Everett, WA
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December 2023 by kevin b
Snohomish County, North Enders, Eastside listen up. Your new Luthier is here. Not only is Garrett Riley making guitars and basses by hand, he's taking in instruments for services.Nestled on Everett Mall Way, and close to the freeway, is where Riley Guitars is located. Plenty of parking in the lot. A comfy waiting room is there for you while you are waiting for your turn.Garrett took in my instrument with a broad scope of work I had planned out with him. He helped me navigate through a minor detail that we found a solution for. Like it was no thing, he took care of everything.The guitar plays so well. I am very inspired by the instrument and its attributes; new pickups, hardware, strings and a setup. It feels like an extension from my body.Go to the website for general information, give him a call, or email him. Garrett is very communicative, easygoing and just a nice person to hang out with and talk about gear and life.
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December 2023 by Frank L
Garrett is awesome! Friendly, courteous and respectful of one’s instrument. I had him fix wiring on this Tele of mine and couldn’t be happier! I will take my guitars to him in the future.
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December 2023 by Paul Blenheim
I can say without reservation that Garrett's abilities as a luthier are exceptional! His fret dressing work on my Hamer 12 string bass surpassed that of other local shops that had been unable to address two specific fret buzz points.I also greatly appreciate his willingness to dialogue extensively with his customers in order to fully appreciate what they are looking for when they bring in an instrument. I wish him the utmost success and will certainly be bringing my future guitar work to him!
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December 2023 by Jonathan Morgan
Garrett has worked on several of my guitars now, and the results have been universally excellent. From routine setups to finish touch-ups to making a new bridge saddle for my resonator. Garrett's communications and customer service are as great as his skills at the bench. Best full-stack guitar tech between Seattle and Bellingham. He makes great electrics too!
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December 2023 by Frank J.
Garrett is the man! I took my Tele to get the wiring fixed and couldn't be happier! He is careful and respectful of one's instrument and is a chill dude. I will bring more of my gear back to him in the future.
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November 2023 by Travis Henderson
I brought my guitar in for a full electronics and pickup swap, and setup. Garrett did a great job, is really knowledgeable, very communicative and friendly. Super fortunate to have such a talented luthier this far North of Seattle, will definitely be taking my guitars here for any other work.
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November 2023 by Chris Lund
Extremely detailed and professional.Fast turnaround on all my guitars and wonderful to talk shop with. Highly recommend.
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October 2023 by Jon Jenness
Top notch work on both my taylor and martin guitars!
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September 2023 by James
Garrett is the man! I've visited or contacted the best luthiers in the area, and he is the best one I've come across by a mile. Very experienced, great customer service, clean shop, fair prices, and high-quality work. He really does excellent work, and genuinely had my guitars playing easier, tighter, and more consistently than they did when I first bought them. He asks plenty of questions to make sure you're getting your guitar setup the exact way you'll want, for the sound and feel you're looking for. And what I very much appreciate is that he takes the time to educate you throughout the process.One important note is that he runs his shop out of his home. Because of this, there aren't set hours when you can just stop by, so you'll need to contact him to make an appointment. The nice thing about this is that you are able to schedule in a much more convenient way than some shops around, most of whom have very limited hours.I will take all of my guitars to him from now on. I'm even planning to have work done on my guitars that I wasn't considering before, because I know he'll do such a quality job. I just wish I had more guitars for him to work on.
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August 2023 by David Cordell
I just had Garrett do a fix on my Taylor six string. It had been making a "thumping" sound when strummed hard and played through an amp. Garrett quickly identified the problem during my initial visit/assessment, and gave me a solution. The Taylor pickup was an old design that used fluid and had started to leak. Based on Garrett's recommendation I replaced the pickup with another type and had a few frets replaced and an overall adjustment. It plays better than ever now, and he was able to do the work in two days time. It's so nice to work directly with a craftsperson who knows what they're doing. I plan on returning anytime I need anything done with my instruments. Fantastic and friendly service!
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July 2023 by Samuel Alvarez III
Excellent service! My guitars have never sounded so good. I will definitely come back for more work when needed! Thank you!
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June 2023 by Brian Simpson
As a transplant to the Seattle area, I immediately began looking for a great luthier. I was incredibly lucky to find Garrett Riley and have been bringing my guitars to him for repairs, setups, advice, etc., since. He is a master at his craft and works with me, directly, as an individual player, asking questions and taking the time to understand what I want. Every guitar he has worked on comes back playing (and sounding!) better than ever. Most recently, I brought him a Strat that has been worked on / set up several times over the years by different guitar techs in different towns. I picked it up this week and this is, by far, THE BEST this guitar has ever played. I don't want to put it down. I can't say enough good things about Riley Guitars!
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May 2023 by Evan Thoman
Garrett Riley is a very skilled luthier with a wealth of experience in repair work. His name brand guitars are absolutely beautiful and play like a dream. Give him a ring and see what he can do to get your guitars in their best shape and sound!
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May 2023 by Mike Kratochwill
I've been searching for a good luthier since I moved to the greater Seattle area from out of state. Being north of Everett, there isn't much and most of my efforts to reach out to others has been met with "try back in a few months" or worse, no response back.Since I've found Garrett, I've had him work on 4 of my guitars that were way overdue for setups. He resurrected a tele with a problematic neck that I was about to give up on and sell for a loss, did a flawless fret dress on another guitar and set it up for a new string gauge, repaired the nut/saddle on an acoustic guitar and got it back into playable condition.His turnaround time on his work has been incredible. I feel like I'd like to keep him a secret but that would be selfish. His work is too good to go un-noticed.He also builds guitars. I was able to demo one of his Nomad guitars and the build quality and overall vibe was incredible. The neck was so good. Even when it was unplugged, I could tell it had a nice resonance to it. I plan to have him build me a custom model when I get the cash.
