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My Reviews
Here's some kind words people have sent in to me after having work done. Alot of the customers listed on this page have recommended me to their friends and bandmates as well as returning themselves with ever more interesting instruments.
Please send me an email if you have some more kind words and you could become famous on this very page!
...or at least press this recommend button :)
Click the pictures for more photos of that customer's guitar(s) and press your keyboard's Left and Right buttons to view
“Jack, Just a quick mail to say thanks for the excellent nut replacement I received on the Tokai last week. I could not have asked for a faster and friendlier service, the job was done to a level I can only describe as perfect (and the price was right too). The tag with confirmation work done is a real nice touch and your website and design is really bold and eye catching.
Thanks, good luck in the future and see you again real soon.
Bests, Allan.”
- Allan Hutchison - Various guitars since this Tokai, See pictures!
www.ortopilot.com
"Hey Jack!!! :D
The guitars fabulous thankyou, couldn't be better, the crack isn't really there and it's not affected the sound at all and its as good as new. Can't thankyou enough for your help with it!!! Shh don't tell my parents I broke it!!!
yaz :)"
-Yasmin Wilding - Classical headstock break
"Jagstrat" Hybrid custom build
Jack, its all done!!,its been a absolutely epic build,for you and me!!!,but im chuffed to bits with it,i`ve played and owned most makes over the years,but nothing,and i do mean nothing is as sweet as this one, its truly special!.
Total tonal supremacy,there`s nothing that this guitar cant do,so a massive thanks,and i might even give john squier a ring,and see if he wants to borrow it for the stone roses heaton park gigs, lol.
-Mark Denny, John Squire Jagstrat custom build
From Google places/Google Maps: - Tom - Nov 2011, Five Stars
I took my guitar to Jack after reading the glowing reviews. Mine was an old Harmony Guitar which although it had been through the wars, retained a good sound. I only intended to have a machine head fixed, but after chatting with him for some time I decided to also have a crack fixed. There was no pressure to have extra work done, but I could just tell he knew what he was doing, and thought, why not?
There were a lot of problems with the guitar, and I think Jack spent many more hours than he expected with the neck. It's clear that his was a labour of love and not just a commercial enterprise, and I know that he didn't charge me for all the work that he did. The guitar is completely transformed and exceeded all my expectations.
I recommend Jack to anyone, and if ever I need any more repairs, it's a no-brainer! Cheers Jack!!
- Tom Stevenson - Harmony Sovreign neck reset, body crack repairs and fret dress setup
Ade247 - 30 Apr 2011
Really Knows His Stuff.
I've recently had my DBZ Bird of Prey and Daemoness Antichrist to Jack for Full Set Ups including Fret Dress due to choke and other issues I had with them. I also had a couple of scrapes and a chip on them on the body work. Both of these guitars are very beautiful and expensive guitars and basically I wouldn't trust anybody else but Jack to work on them. He is very professional in both his craft and manner and I also found him to be an honest and courteous chap. (No I promise we aren't related - I'm just a satisfied customer).
He took time to explain the nature of the work to be done and took me through it comprehensively. I have used other Luthiers in the past, closer to home (I live a way from Jack), but none have done the job in such a way that I have been satsified - until now. Highly recommended - this Luthier really knows his stuff and has a great attitude towards his work and customers.
-Adrian Martin
Hi Jack, Many thanks for the work you did on the Cort and Yamaha acoustic, they both feel fablious to play. I've just spent 2 hours playing the Yamaha and it's never felt better.
You're a star!
-Keith Bates
Hi Jack,
The mando is great. It sounds realy good and is so nice to play. You did an ace job on it and ive passed your business cards round to people, If anything else should go wrong with it or any future instruments I get, I know who to bring them to.
Cheers mate, All the best.
- Sam Clark, Mandolin fretboard level, refret and setup
"Message: Hi Jack - Just a quick note to say thanks for such a fast turnaround on the guitars I left for you. Very happy with the results, friendly service and reasonable cost. I'll be sure to point my guitar-playing friends your way.
Cheers Conrad"
-Conrad Williams, setups on his and his son's nylon string guitars
Taken from Basschat forum thread
All done! Picked it up from Jack Ellis at Jack's Instrument Services in Cheetham Hill this morning.
Great guy to work with, did all I asked and was helpful in guiding me with what needed doing. And cheap too!
-Chris Hutton
"Hi Jack.
Got the plate! It's really awesome. Great job. Just put it back on there. Here's some photos. I'm a happy customer! Thanks a million.
Michael"
-Mike Kinloch - Mail order sctratch plate for a Guild Bass
"Sooooo, after buying a brand spanking new bass, a crazy idea of wanting to keep the spark alive with my old bass occured to me, so I took it to Jack and his magical workshop of dreams.
Only a day later i now have the best toy a boy could ever ask for... Upgraded fretless musicman bass with electronic modifications including brand new coil tap, pickup phase switch and killswitch. Also, modified treble rolloff and passive bass rolloff. Not to mention a brand new bone nut and a full setup too.
Feels like a brand new fretless bass!
Thanks again Jack!"
Zlatan Pasalic - Musicman Style bass defret"Jack,
It's been a couple of weeks now and I'm a few practises short of the introduction to This Charming Man. I never could have played that with the action as it was. Thanks for sorting out the set up fast and ensuring I was not without my guitar for too long.My Martin now plays wonderfully with scales and chords higher up the neck no longer a chore to undertake.
As I said, feel free to pass my email address if you wish me to vouch for the work you did for my guitar.
Thanks again,
Mark Radford"
-Matin DX1-RAE for advanced setup with fretwork
"Perfect Luthier"
By athismajestysrequest - 14 Jul 2010
"Jack has had 5 basses from me. All have been returned to me in exactly the way I asked him to set them up. One had a cracked neck, and he fixed the neck without taking any of the finish off, and it's a great player now. He re-did the neck on my Fender Jazz bass, oiling it; hammering the frets back in and made sure that the neck was finished (as when I bought it it should have been but wasn't) to a perfect quality! Made a hated bass into a beaut with that one! He de-fretted a Peavey Millennium bass for me, and it is an amazing job!!! He set my Fender P bass up exactly as it should have been from new, and as for my work horse of a first bass (that has been in a skip several times), turned it back into my workhorse for professional studio sessions and gigs alike.
Jack is the easiest guy to get on with, and will always be doing my jobs for me. Definitely a returning customer here!!!!
"Jack really goes the extra mile as a guitar repairer. His attention to detail, care and love for his job is something that you will rarely come across in this industry. I could not be happier with the quality of work he has done and continues to do. You won’t find a nicer chap to send your guitars to."
Thanks, Adrian
TO ALL GUITAR NERDS! If you need a guitar setup or repairs etc get in touch with Jack he's the man!
Taken from northwestbands.com recommended repairers section
Hi all, just had 2 instruments set up at Jacks Instrument Services, Salford - just off Regent Road, about 50 yards from Salford Lads Club (so you can get a "Smiths" style picture if you want!) and accross from PMT music.
He did a cracking job at a very competetive price and he's a real nice fella that's only been in business for himself for about 18 months (did a few years as a tech for a company but now he's going it alone). Well worth trying
Contact details are through the website - www.jacksinstrumentservices.com or 07706 828122.
Cheers, Shep
-Steve Sheppard, Delta Blue Bouzouki setup and Yamaha APX 12 string setup
"Hi Jack, Just to let you know you've done a superb job.
Admittedly, as you could see by the (comical) action on the guitar, it hadn't really been used that much recently but the difference is amazing, I can easily and instantly play chords that I didn't have the patience to mess around with before. Also, hammer-on's and pull-off's have improved a thousand fold. Clearly any resoldering you've done has had a beneficial effect as well.
So rest assured, if anyone asks, i'll recommend you and i'll certainly be a returning customer myself. It was well worth every penny.
Cheers, Paul."
-Paul Davenport"Thanks to jack the action on my guitar is so low all I have to do is think of a tune and it plays it. Wonderful :)"
-Dave Soden - www.myspace.com/wifedivorces - 12 String Takamine setup
Anyone needing guitar luthier/repair work from set ups/fret stone/resprays to defretting and electronics work, jack's the man. a luthier that put some of the most "experienced" to shame
"Took my old mystery 50's archtop into Jack for a complete overhaul. Bracing work for the body, repairing a crack along the base, machine heads servicing, new electronics including fitting a new humbucker, a fret dress and full set up and before I forget, a varitone switch for the pickup.
Fantastic outcome, better than I imagined. Absolutely Made up with it! I'll be back in the future!!
Thanks again,
Anthony"
-Anthony Hamilton
Hi Jack,
I've had a good play of my guitar that you worked on over the last week or two. It is sounding really great! The re-fret you have done is better than any I've had done before--very tidy and no buzz--the setup is great, and guitar is just playing like just I want it to. So, great job!
Also, my pickups just arrived from The Creamery today, so I'll let you know how they sound too. I'll probably put them in tomorrow.
Hope all is well,
Neil Newton - Lecturer at University of Manchester
"Jack recently set up my Mexican Fender Stratocaster and my uke;
Both jobs were done incredibly quickly, at an amazingly good price, and the guitar came back playing better than the day I bought it - a Fender Strat has never played so well before! If you need anything doing to your instruments, Jack is the man - I already have other, more drastic work in the pipeline for him."
-Dave Balchin
Dave Balchin on iTunes
Another from Dave... "Daviey SergeLegend Balchin
MOLLY IS ALIVE AGAIN!!!! thanks with love to Jack Ellis of Jack's Instrument Services for fixing her up!! Her head is now glued back on, you can't see the break and she plays better than ever... I wonder to myself if maybe Jack just bought me a new one..."
-Dave Balchin, Levin Electro-Acoustic headstock break
Taken from from www.basschat.co.uk's regional recommended repairers forum
+1 for Jacks Instrument Services, Cheetham Hill. Just picked up my Retrovibe bass and its exactly how i wanted it.
Jack made a new bone nut, fret level and polish (inc sharp ends), full set up (inc electrics clean) and even knocked me up a new TRC from some scraps of scratchplate he had knockin round.
Action is briliant, exactly as i wanted as he took time to ask about my playing style and recomended how he thinks it should be set up. Comes with a check-card tag which lists everything that has been done and includes a 2 month guarantee on work. If i want it tweaking within this time its free.
Very knowledgeable and had a good chat about various basses n valve amps. Will be taking my pride n joy, my main bass Burns Bison for some new pots soon. That is as much as a recomendation as anyone can get, i wont let most people even TOUCH the bison!
-Paul Allen
Hey jack just been playing through the guitars for a bit, loving the setup, bridge humbucker sounds great and the balance across the strings is really nice, much less interference too.
I'll be coming back next time I need some work done.
- Will Morris, Fender Jaguar Special Baritone
Hi Jack,
Just a quick word about the work you did on my Norman st40. I was pretty much convinced that it wouldn't be salvageable when I brought it to you. A week or so on and I have to say I'm delighted with it.
The tuning problems are completely cured and I'm no longer constantly tweaking and retuning mid-flow. It's old and battered but I've always loved the way it sounded and thought it was worth a go at getting it looked at before I bit the bullet and bought a new guitar.
So glad I did. I'm using it to do some long overdue recording now. With any luck it'll keep going for another 20 years!
Thanks, and see you again soon!
- John Stanton Canadian Made Norman ST40 Acoustic, General restoration, advanced setup and pickup installation
Thanks so much for the lovely repair you did on my Martin. Quote for your website...
"Seamless repair to a dreadful crack in the neck. The guitar sounds better than ever...
Simon Myhill
“I used jack to set up my newly acquired prs custom 24 25th anniversary guitar and to change the tuners to a set of locking ones.I was more than happy with the job done (and the reasonable price) and would use jack again without any hesitation. thanks alot jack, see you soon”-Mark Franks
“Jack pointed out a major problem on my guitar that I hadn’t noticed and did all he could to help. It plays beautifully now, ta! The new neck really adds more character to it!”
-Chris Owens - Telecaster with broken truss rod
“Jack has set up and repaired all of my guitars and has provided me with an excellent professional service. Some of my 'Strato-hater' friends have been converted upon discovering the action and set up of my Fender Stratocaster once Jack had finished with it. Ace! Now I always recommend Jack to all of my guitar friends. Cheers!”
-Tom Sullivan – www.myspace.com/lastofthekiskadees
Gretch Electromatic wraparound bridge upgraded, tuning problems sorted and new nut cut. Stratocaster and Takamine both set up too.
“Jack has done work for two of my guitars, the first he replaced a plastic nut with a bone nut on my electric. The bone upgrade gave my guitar a much richer and classier sound and since has made it even more of a delight to play.
The second was a replacement of a nut and saddle on my Stonebridge acoustic. The Stonebridge originally came with a crappy Tusq nut and saddle and although it was setup at the factory, it always felt like it had something missing. Jack’s managed to beat the setup on Stonebridge’s factory setup and make the guitar even more fantastic than it already was; again making the tone much warmer, the sustain much better.
To summarise, Jack’s Instrument Services are very professional and afford able. 5 Stars!” -Max Hing
“Sweet Job on the bass dude, it’s so good I’m still grinning after rehearsal! :-D”
-Al Sanderson of Shoshin - www.myspace.com/weareshoshin
I needed to get a bolt put on my guitar and fast because I had a gig coming up. Jack was easy to get in contact with, really fast and reasonably priced! He even came to meet me to pick up and drop off my guitar off which was a massive help! He's really reliable and does great work!
-Jess Kangalee
Hi Jack,
How’s it going mate? Ye olde strat is playing like a dream. The new pots haven’t half made a difference. Sounds much brighter. Still getting used to it!!
The 10–52s feel mega chronic too.
Many Thanks,
Mike Jones.
“I used to have a buzzing low B string and sharp fret ends! So I whipped it off to Jacks Instrument Services – now I have smoother access all over the neck and the low B growls as sweet as the devil dying”
"Jack's taken one of my old guitars (an 80's Westone) and absolutely transformed it with a full set up and sorting out the electrics. It now sounds and plays amazingly well - I haven't been tempted to pick up my Gibson or Strat at all yet! He listened carefully to what sound I was looking for and then rewired the complete electrics to give me exactly the right sound. And the action is the best it's ever been with zero fret buzz - a stunning job. Thanks I'll definitely be back. Steve
- Steve Ellis
Received ok and fits perfectly!! Thanks for a great job - will definitely get in touch if I ever need any other bespoke part making, or general work doing on my guitars...very much appreciated!!
Ta very much, Neil"
Neil Summers - Custom pickguard cut from mail order specifications
"Thanks again Jack for the wonderful job you did on my Gibson J45.
As you know I have wanted one of these for a very long time and the excitement of getting one at last was dampened by the high action it had. A couple of days with you and the guitar has come back a joy to play and the sound it produces now is startling. I love playing my Gibson now much more than I ever did, and I am much more willing to put time into practising than before.
Thanks for a wonderful job.
Rob Stroud - £1700 Gibson J-45 Acoustic
"Hi Jack, just to say big thanks for the setup of my Strat- been very busy work wise but have played it off and on over the past couple of weeks and everything is still sitting true, vast improvement from before playability wise and tone wise- very happy.
Hope works steady for you.
Cheers again
-Craig Marsden" - USA Strat - Tobacco Burst
"Jack Ellis is the man. The bass i've tried to throw out so many time kept on making it's way back into my house. It'd never played right until jack did a full restoration job on it. It plays like a dream now!!! Can't put it down! It's the only bass that gets used now out of the hundreds I have! Thanks man"
Ben Wiltshire - Hohner P Bass restoration
5 stars
Jack fixed some tuning and action issues on my Yamaha Pacifica and replaced the output on my Fender Telecaster. Both were completed promptly to an excellent standard and Jack even went above and beyond what I'd asked to be done. Excellent service.
- Neil WIlliams, Fender Tele, Yamaha Pacifica
Very happy with the work you did – it really transformed the playability of the guitar – The Farida always sounded pretty good, but with an adjusted action it’s meant I’m much more able to move easily up the fretboard. Good luck for the future.
Ant
-Anthony Perrett Farida Acoustic Guitar
Cheers dude, my bass is finally behaving itself and its an absolute joy to gig with!
Cheers!
-Adam Birch - Warwick Streamer
Its a good 8 months on and the Yamaha still plays super. Thanks!
-John Simpson
"Jack is a very honest and efficient business man. Works extremely quick and produces outstanding quality of work. Highly recommend to anyone seeking professional, and a high quality of service."
-Nicole Cox
Highly satisfied! Thanks alot with your work, I can see that you've put careful attention to detail when making my new nut. It doesn't let me down on stage now, thank you very much :)
Hubert Rogers - new bone nut and general setup
Been playing the franken-tele a lot recently, plays beautifully. Thanks man, great job!!!Joe Reiser
***** 335 Dot Setup
I bought an Epiphone 335 Dot from a fairly major reputable shop, finding that the guitar had a right handed nut instead of a lefty. I took it to Jacks Instrument Services, and after only a couple of days Jack had made me a new bone nut and had given the dot the setup and TLC it sorely needed. Once I got the guitar back, it played like a beast and sounded it too, all for a very competitive price. Ever since I've had any problems with my Dot, Mr Ellis sorted it no problem in quick time.
good lad!
Hi Jack, just thought I'd say thanks for the excellent repair you made on my classical guitar and if you would like the endorsement for your website an additional few words:
"Jack repaired my guitar 2 weeks ago, time enough to assess the guitar as it is now. It met with an unfortunate accident when a careless friend dropped his suit case on it resulting in a split solid cedar top and splitting at the bottom where the sides meet.
Both surfaces are now indistinguishable to the touch but are obviously evident to the eye due to the clear lacquer finish and the split in the top went diagonally across the grain.
In my first guitar lesson since getting it back last night my teacher considered it an excellent repair also and comment that I should play it a little louder to "Bring out it's lovely tone" (not bad from someone who owns a Ramirez). I should say that Jack also replace the plastic nut and saddle with bone which gives it noticeably better sustain and I think, more volume.
The repair was great value for money and Jack is a pleasure to talk to. I keep the repair card handy on my guitar stand should I need repairs or modifications to this or my other guitars.
Best regards,"
-Vinny Doyle
"The Guild is amazing now, buzzing off the feel and sound of 11s, the whole setup has come alive now and the tone is better than I realised!
Couldn't be more happy man!"Jack gives you the best guitar set up service in Greater Manchester! I wouldn't go ANYWHERE else!"
- Mike Derbyshire
"This is the second time I've been to Jack to repair my guitar. After the first time he fixed my acoustic to the standard he did I knew I would be using him again with any future problems.
When i took my electric in last week I wasn't disapointed. Once again he did an awesome job in regards to the quality of finish, time it took and the amount it cost me! I'm very grateful that i can now play my electric again. I highly recommend Jack to everyone."
-Mike Wild - Tulsi Solidbody electric guitar in for a quick De-floyd rose-ing.
