Arlington Fret Works

"I'd trust Daniel to work on my kids' teeth!"

Matt Trimboli      

Note-  Matt is the guitarist and musical director for the big band Swing Shift. For  gigs and info:   http://www.swingshiftdc.com/

Daniel is what every guitarist dreams of in a guitar repairman: he has a deep understanding of his craft - both guitar repair and woodworking/carpentry in general -, he's meticulous and exacting, and man is he fast on the turnaround! I recommend him wholeheartedly, without reservation whatsoever. Thanks, Daniel, for a perfect fret dress on my Campellone jazz guitar.
 
Roger Taylor, guitarist, Anita's Jazz Hat (www.anitasjazzhat.com)

Daniel does the repair work for us at National Pawnbrokers. His workmanship is immaculate.

I used to be the sound man at Blues Alley and  worked with  Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, Ramsey Lewis and all the greats who came through, so I know about sound, and Daniel's  cocobolo custom strat is a beautiful sounding guitar. What else can I say ... beautiful.  I wanted to buy it, but no deal.

Rico Amero   www.BigPoppasPlace.com

National Pawnbrokers
3100 Lee Highway
Arlington, VA. 22201
(703) 522-1777

Thanks for working on, refretting and setting up, the SRV custom made stratocaster.  I was really impressed with you going out and finding the exact specs of Stevies #1  guitar.  It plays so much better now.  I am truly grateful.  Thanks,  

Steve Clark

Note - Steve makes great custom amps. 571-437-5891.  www.sligoamps.com 

"I have brought four Basses to Daniel for set ups, neck work and pickup installation.
He is a true craftsman. His work is “Top Drawer” quality.
I am totally satisfied with the work he performed on my instruments.
Not only is Daniel professional he is also very personable.
He is very willing to work with his customers in setting up dates & times for dropping off their instruments for repair.
He has a very short turn around time, in my case he performed a set up on two guitars within a few hours on the same day that I dropped them off to him.
For high quality work with very reasonable prices & quick turn around time on your treasured instruments, you can count on Daniel & Arlington Fret Works"

Denny – Sterling, VA            

Note- Denny is the bass player for the Chicago style blues band Deja Blue. For gigs and info: www.dejabluebluesband.com 

"I'm a singer songwiter based in Washington DC and Daniel has been working on my guitars for two years; it is a relationship that I will gladly continue.
Examples of Daniel's work for me include: Refret, set-up and new nut on my Taylor 610; Refret, set-up and nut adjustment on my Yamaha LL 5-EC; Set-up and fret dressing on my 1933 Harmony Supertone parlor guitar; Installation of K&K pickup on my Ventura V-13 six string acoustic, Set-up on my Fender Fat Strat (where he corrected several mistakes of a previous set-up), New nut and neck adjustment on my Ventura V-15 twelve string acoustic; Repaired the fretboard on my brothers 90 year old banjo.  In addition Daniel has inspected several other guitars for me, and I have purchased two guitars from him as well, including a classical guitar that he completely rebuilt.   He's also done work for my students.
If you are looking for high quality work at a fair price from someone who will take the time to explain the process and your options, then Daniel is your man. Too often repair shops give you the bum's rush, and you leave not really sure of what you are paying for. I am always appreciative of the extra time Daniel extends to me to explain the process, and his enthusiasm is reassuring. I also like the fact that Daniel has 35 years experience as a carpenter. He has an amazing eye for detail and strives for precision. It is my pleasure to highly recommend him to you."

David "Silky Dave" Ensor
www.silkydave.com

Daniel--I just want to let you know very pleased I am with the setup you did on my Eastman mandolin.  Everything from the bridge and nut adjustments to straightening the neck has made an already good sounding instrument become a great one---the intonation is perfect all the way up the neck and the action is set exactly the way I like it.  I am very appreciative of the way you were patient and explained the process to me, and took my desires into consideration when you did the work.  Again, many thanks for a super job!
 
Kirk Lawrence
Alexandria, Va.

Dear Daniel:
 
I cannot adequately express how absolutely pleased I was yesterday when you showed me the finished results of your work on my 1956 Gibson LG-1. You truly are a master and a creative genius when it comes to "cleaning up" and repairing this (and so many other) wonderful vintage instruments. I was so greatly impressed with the time you took in your workshop to show me step by step how you accomplished it and, more importantly, how pleased you were, to make this happen. Additionally, and equally important, as a true artist and craftsman, you have a wonderful command of innovative techniques that you shared with me which allowed me to make informed decisions about the work to be done. The end result is a wonderful vintage guitar whose beauty and sound will last for many more generations. And you did it all at a very reasonable (low) cost that made the whole process all the more enjoyable. As you know, this guitar will now become a cherished treasure to be given to my daughter and kept by her as a "connection" to her Dad's youth. So for all of these reasons, I thank you so very much. You are more than a Luthier - You are a creative master and now a trusted friend.
 
Best wishes and Thank You
 
Richard (Rick) Pariser
Sterling, VA

Exceptional service, great price, and fast...‎
Rated 5.0 out of 5.0 By Scott - Nov 9, 2009 ( Google Local Business)‎
I highly recommend Arlington Fret Works. Dan worked magic on my Washburn acoustic and Stratocaster, delivering far better playability and significantly better sound to both instruments. Dan looked over the instruments, made his assessment and explained the options in terms I could understand. I learned a lot from his detailed explanations of how small changes in an instrument make a big difference in sound and feel. He completed the work quickly and at a very reasonable price. I could not have been more pleased. I had read about the advantages of having guitars properly set up by a pro like Dan, but I had no idea what a difference it could make. It's an instant upgrade without spending the money for a more expensive guitar. Life is short; go see Dan and get your instruments playing at their very best!‎

Trust your guitar to Daniel!‎
Rated 5.0 out of 5.0 By rjdavisjr196 - Oct 19, 2009‎
Am a bit of a guitar hermit. Have been playing for close to 40 years but have never taken my guitar to a pro for adjustment until recently. Would just rather do it myself. But had a few fret divots in my used guitar and wanted it to play a bit smoother. Daniel saw me early on a Sunday (!) and expertly advised me on all of the options available. A week later...WOW! Like playing another (and much superior) guitar. Effortless bends, silky slides, spot on intonation. Plays the same all the way up and down the fretboard. Some folks treat guitars like utilitarian tools, and thats fair and fine and probably appropriate in a lot of cases. Others patiently treat guitars like organic extensions of the player. Daniel is squarely in this 2nd camp. Clearly somebody to trust with your special instrument!‎


Dan is exceptional‎
Rated 5.0 out of 5.0 By sukharev - Sep 4, 2009‎
I am not a gigging pro, but I enjoy making different kinds of guitar music. Dan revived two of my acoustic guitars and essentially re-built a cheap solid-body guitar making it a very playable beautifully sounding and looking instrument. Dan has knowledge and intuition of what is appropriate for each instrument as he finds the most parcticable solution. Every time I come to his shop I learn a lot about my own instrument. After his final touches I enjoy playing my instument more and more. Highly recommended!‎

Dan's the Man!‎
Rated 5.0 out of 5.0 By Rick - Aug 14, 2009‎
I am a pro gigging guitar player and have taken my guitars to to Dan for fretwork. I can honestly say that Dan does excellent work always to my complete satisfaction. I have used many guitar techs throught the years and can say Dan is the best! I highly recommend Dan for all you guitar maintenance/set-ups and fret work needs. Bob‎

Minor guitar miracles‎
Rated 5.0 out of 5.0 By maksim2042 - Jul 28, 2009‎
Dan is my go-to guy for all string instrument work -- and has risen to every challenge I threw at him. From a busted Spanish guitar that was practically brought back from the dead, to a weird late '60s vintage bass nobody makes any parts for, Dan has gone out of his way to make things work. (one story: in order to set the neck on my '68 MIJ Hofner-clone, Dan had to manufacture a single-use tool just for this purpose)‎

Excellent Guitar Tech‎
Rated 5.0 out of 5.0 By Matthew - Jul 26, 2009‎
Highly recommended. I found Fret Works online and met Dan at his shop in Arlington. Whereas I thought I'd drop off my guitars and see them two weeks later (like every other lutheir I've worked with), Dan had me stand beside him for the next two hours as he meticulously inspected the instruments, making adjustments where necessary and correcting set-up mistakes that I'd made. Needless to say, this was an incredible learning experience and the results were excellent. Better yet, he explained why some of the repairs I'd requested were either unnecessary or potentially harmful to the guitars and offered easy & inexpensive fixes instead -- you can't ask for more than that. Will definitely be bringing my guitars to Dan from now on.

Daniel,
  Just a quick note to thank you for the great job refretting the Strat neck. The guitar is basically back together except for the upgraded electronics, which I plan to put back into it this week. I went ahead and put strings on so that I could check everything out. It feels great and plays beautifully, and I haven't even set it up yet. I'm grateful for the careful work, and I'll be sure to tell people where it was done!

Phil Holt

"I can't say enough about the fine quality work that Daniel has done on my guitars. A set up on my Ric 12-string, which included filing out the slots in the nut, made that guitar play (and tune) perfectly. He also did a fantastic job replacing the frets and dressing the neck on my favorite acoustic. Communication was great, and it's so obvious that he wants you to be completely satisfied with the job. His only fault is that his prices are too low! Anyone who puts this kind of time and attention to detail into their work ought to charge more for it. Just don't tell him I said so."
 
Scott O'Brien
Warrenton VA

   My guitar is the "simple" neck reset Daniel calls it.  I guess calling it simple is a good sign.  
   The action was way high on this. I was considering just making it a slide guitar.   I recently bought another nice acoustic and wasn't sure what to do with the D43.  I saw Daniel's ad on Craigslist and being close to my residence, I decided to see if a professional could do something for this guitar.   I first brought Daniel an electric that he performed a setup and fixed a messed up pickup mounting.   He did that very promptly and  well so I decided to inquire about the neck reset for the Washburn.
   Well, I have good second/travel acoustic guitar now.
   I purchased this USA Washburn D43 in 96 from Musicians Friend on a blowout sale.  It listed for about $750 I recall.  Another fair USA acoustic would cost me over a $1000 these days, so the result of Daniel's work was well worth the price.

Denny 

"The last couple of times I needed some work done on my basses, I came to Daniel. I have two Fender basses. On one of them, Daniel performed work like fret leveling and crowning as well as the basic set-up. My Fender MIM Precision had a very rare problem that none of the other guitar technicians I brought it to could identify. The open E string produced tons of buzz when played relatively hard. Daniel was the only who could notice what the problem was.
Daniel is very friendly and will listen for your concerns and will have your guitar ready in a short period of time.
If you are looking for a great service at a great price, then don't look for any other luthier/guitar technician. Some of the things that I noticed about Daniel is that he takes care of your instruments like they are his. Guitar techs at music store don't care if they drop a guitar, put a dent, or a scratch in it; they are not careful with the instruments they work with. Daniel  will also take the time to explain exactly what he is doing and why he is doing it and will discuss the process in detail. He really does love working with those "thousandths of an inch" to make sure your guitar performs at its best. I really appreciate all the work Daniel has done for me and will always come back to him in the future. Highly recommended."
 
Mike Z.

“I had a classical guitar that had been purchased in Spain about 40 years ago.  After much neglect, I brought it to him for fretwork and refinishing, basically to see if it could be saved.  He enthusiastically took on this project.  I would have given him as much time as he wanted, and he still had it back to me in less than a week.  He completely brought it back to life while being careful to avoid anything that would affect the original tone.  I was thoroughly impressed and would trust him with any of my guitars.
 
Daniel, thanks so much for the work that you did.”
 
Dan B.

 Daniel,  The guitars both sound great.  I no longer have any reservations about replacing my Epiphone - it now plays exactly how I'd like it to.  Being in tune everywhere on the fretboard is a new experience that I can't believe I did without for so long.  I also noticed that my pickups on the Epiphone are in much better positions, with distinctions between pickup settings that I've been learning how to exploit.  And I've already gotten used to the action as you set it up.  It allows much cleaner playing, most notably when I play legato phrases.
  What amazes me about both of them is how more precise my playing is now.  Fewer slurs and fewer notes becoming slightly bent when I grip a chord.  I'm also not afraid to change positions rapidly because now I know I will nail it better.  Must be a combination of all of these factors.  Thanks again.  And if you'd like me to leave a review on your website, just direct me or feel free to cut and paste from this email and quote me.

 Eric Masdeo