Let us set your guitar up and get it playing better than it ever has. We can dial in your Floyd Rose or other floating vibrato/tremolo systems. Alternate or Drop tunings, etc...

We do custom modifications, frets, routing, electronics, hardware installations

We're famous for our precision fret work and setups. We added a Plek Station in 2015 and have Plek'd over 3000 guitars. Let us show you what we can do for you! We have several demo guitars on hand you're welcome to play any time.

We stock a wide selection of D'addario and Ernie Ball Electric guitar strings. We have lots of various heavy gauges for drop tunings, jazz strings, flat wounds, and coated EXP's. Typical electric strings are just $6.

Setups are $100 for Electric Guitars - 6-string, 7-string, or 8-string. Add $25 for 12-string guitars. We'll get the action how you like it - nice and low if that's your thing, or slightly higher so you can "dig in" more on those bends. We work with each player to attain the best possible setup for their needs.

Our Complete Setup includes: Cleanup/polish, Restring (strings extra), Cleaning/polishing of frets and fingerboard, oiling unfinished boards (such as rosewood), Adjustment of the truss rod for proper neck relief, adjusting/leveling the bridge and saddles for action and radius, slotting the nut to attain proper string height and eliminate binding, improve intonation & tuning stability, accurate saddle intonation (to make it play in tune all over the neck), adjust pickups, tighten and clean hardware

A good setup usually means the difference between a guitar that plays well and one that doesn't. Often times people will not buy a guitar because it is setup poorly. Even most inexpensive guitars can be setup to play right. We will make your guitar play better than it ever has.

We use Petersen Strobe Tuners to ensure the best possible intonation. Strobe Tuners are highly accurate devices that can fine tune far better than your everyday tuner. You can hunt and peck and find somewhat decent intonation points. We will set yours to the optimum point, making it play in tune all over the neck. Chords up high will ring out beautifully. Harmonics will hit right where you expect them.

The second most common problem we encounter with guitars beyond the setup is the frets. Most manufacturers do not put a lot of effort into ensuring their frets are perfectly level before the guitar leaves the factory. This applies not only to cheap imports, but also to expensive American made instruments. You may not understand why your guitar buzzes in certain areas or has a dead note or two. It could very well need the frets dressed. If it has several years of play on it, then it likely has wear on the frets that can be eliminated. The fretboard and neck is made of wood. Wood can expand, contract, and twist. This can cause detrimental effects to the frets. We can identify and repair these issues.

We are now using Plek Technology to perform fret dressing. Plek is a computer controlled robotic fret working machine. It allows us to set the action very low without getting fret buzz all over the neck. The level of precision we are now working at was never before possible by hand. All fret dressing and refrets will be Plek'd. Plek jobs include a setup in the process, as the strings will be adjusted to work perfectly with the frets.

If your frets are so worn they need replacing, we've got you covered there, too. If you just want to put in different sized frets to change the feel of your guitar, we can do that. Refrets start at $430 and include Plek'ing the fretboard (where applicable), Plek fret dress and setup. The price varies depending on the type of neck, finish, and binding. When we do a complete refret and use Plek to plane the fretboard, we get the best possible results after the new frets go in. We give you the option of a compound radius, perfect relief and fall-away built right into the wood. We carry Dunlop and Jescar fret wire in several sizes. We can also special order any size you like if we don't have it on hand. Stainless steel is a $200 up-charge. (due to wear on tools, and wear on our hands)

We can make a custom nut to fit your guitar. Most guitars come with plastic nuts which rob the guitar of some tone, sustain and in some cases, tuning stability. The plastic of many nuts acts as a damper to the transmission of string vibration into the neck. We install Bone, Graph Tech Tusq or Black Tusq/Tusq XL. We use the Plek machine to craft most nuts. It gives us precise control over string spacing, splay angle, slot angle, and depth, as well as shaping the top of the nut to match the radius of the first fret perfectly.

Sometimes we're asked why we can't just put on a $10 or $15 premade nut and be done with it. The reality is even those pre-made nuts that are made to drop-in do not drop right in. You'll notice the instructions for all of them state that there will be some sanding required to make it fit properly. You also end up with varying string heights because the slots haven't been cut to perfectly match the radius of the first fret.

We can replace your guitar's pickups to tailor your tone to your style of playing. Sometimes the right guitar just doesn't make the right sound you're looking for. We can help you with that.

We stock some Seymour Duncan and Dimarzio Pickups. We can special order anything we don't have in stock.

We do custom electronic installs and repairs all the time here at 13th Street Guitars. From simple output jack replacement to highly customized preamps and effects systems, we've got you covered. Prices vary greatly depending on what we're getting into. Feel free to call or email us with your ideas. (or just come on down and we'll talk) Basic pickup installation is $50. Most electronics projects or repairs start at $50 but can go up depending on parts needed and number of complications involved.

We do custom woodworking, routing, and other modifications. Routing a pickup cavity into a guitar would be about $50. (for example) We install battery boxes, extra pots/switches, or just about anything else you can come up with.

We repair broken necks and headstocks all the time. Filling or drilling holes, custom tuners, fixing torn out strap buttons and strap locks (so they never come out again!), etc...

Any Questions? Give us a call at 714-596-5050 and we'll help you out.
Don't feel overwhelmed if you don't know the proper terms, etc...
We're here to help.

All work is performed in-house at our Huntington Beach, Orange County, California location. We're just south of Long Beach off the 405.