Dennis really knows what he`s doing ! Both the guitars he`s done for me sound better now. His craftsmanship is wonderful and the product really made a positive difference in the sound. Both electric and acoustic guitars sound GREAT ! Eric Christiansen, Dixon,California
"When Dennis installed a compensated nut on my Taylor, and adjusted the setup, I noticed the difference immediately.
The guitar plays better, sounds better along the entire neck, and stays in tune longer." Mark Andrews, Sacramento,Ca
To all Sacramento Guitarists,
Do yourself and your guitar a favor and go see this guy. Unlike other bobbleheaded techs who polish your axe and hand it back to you for 60.00 and say {"You're all set up now!"} , Dennis is an accomplished technician, A master at guitar set up to your own specs. I've always liked the tone of my guitars, they just had playability issues. Always out of tune, Strings way to high. Not anymore!! Dennis took three of my guitars and installed compensated nuts, 2 electric & 1 acoustic. Leveled frets where needed, sanded down my acoustic saddle for some much needed lower action, and set each guitar up. My God!! What a difference!
Dennis touts his compensated nut system and now i know why. He doesn't just slap the thing in there and hope for the best. He runs the specs, making sure everything is as perfect as it can be. Supplying you with those specs @ the end of the project. You won't be disappointed. An undeniable Guitar Dr.
Thank you Dennis!!! William LandonJones
" I have an Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster which I thought was perfectly set up from the factory, I was wrong. After having my guitars intonation set by a local Music Store, I was still experiencing fret buzzing and my G string always was out of tune. I took my guitar to Dennis Hook and after a thorough evaluation I decided to give my Strat a makeover. Dennis Hook was extremely professional, knowledgeable and took the time explain the problems with my particular guitar. I had Dennis perform a compensation nut upgrade, intonation, and some fret work. The price for all the services was reasonable and the turnaround was minimal. After giving my strat a face lift I feel as though I bought a brand new instrument. If you are a discerning musician who seeks perfection from your instrument I highly recommend Dennis Hook to have your Axe set up correctly. " James Mikhaylevski, Citrus Heights, Ca
I responded to Dennis' ad on Craigslist. I had just gotten my les paul back from a local guitar shop that did a "set-up". I wasn't happy with the intonation past the 5th fret. I was totally happy once I got my les paul back from Dennis. The action was set up perfectly and the intonation was great everywhere on the neck. Dennis really listened to what I wanted and made it happen. He also provides great customer service. Keep up the great work Dennis! Lee Hurst, Rocklin,ca
I am writing this in regards to my guitar technician Dennis Hook. I just received my Ax back from Dennis after his completion of the nut compensation. My guitar has never played better! I’m a Jazz Musician and play a lot of chord melodies. If the intonation is not correct it sounds terrible. After Dennis did what he did it sounds great. When I play in an ensemble I use a lot of octaves. If the intonation is not perfect, bad news. Wes would be proud! (Wes Montgomery). I am very passionate about my music. I have learned, taught and played music for 35 years. Dennis feels the way I do about what he does. If you don’t believe me give him a call. It will be very clear in a short period of time his commitment to what he does. Thank You Dennis for making my music more beautiful! Tom Bagley ,Music Director, St John Vianney School, Rancho Murieta, Ca
Hi Dennis,
Just wanted to let you know that I love my guitar now! It was so hard to play before that my hands would hurt after about 10 min. of playing it. Last night I played at church and I didn't want to stop playing. It was effortless and I never had to tune once all night. My worship leaders want to get there guitars done with the compensation nut. I can't thank you enough for your expertise
and knowledge. I will be bringing my Tele within the next couple of weeks and will call you about my worship leaders guitar next week. Thank you so much again, Michael Cotruvo
Dennis, Thank you for your detailed attention and meticulous service. As you are aware my guitar needed a lot of extra work… some of which I had not discovered prior to your service. What I did know is that I was not getting the playability I wanted. I tried to set the action where I wanted it and even took some of the bow out of the neck. As I evaluated my own instrument I began to realize that fret wear and uneven fret height were the primary reason for this. To compensate for this I could only raise the action and use lighter strings. Ultimately, this left me unsatisfied. I saw your advertisement and was intrigued by your compensated nut idea. I saw one on an instrument before and made a mental note of it, but never had the opportunity to try it for myself. At this point I was really only interested in setting the neck, leveling the frets, and fixing the guitar’s action for playability. As we discussed the guitar and mechanics behind nut compensation I became more intrigued by the idea. I decided to go ahead with the compensation along with the work to the neck. Knowing that this particular guitar was in need of some doctoring to make it good again I was relatively comfortable handing it over to try out your services. Even though I really liked this guitar because it showed signs of use and exhibited character, it was simply an Epiphone Les Paul copy from the late 1990’s. This meant that it was not an investment quality instrument, but with nice looking grain, a Les Paul shape, fixed neck, and the relatively good Epiphone electronics it could be played hard and taken on the road. I acquired this guitar from another musician who sort of gave up on it… he said that it went out of tune too easily. He tried a number of things unsuccessfully to lock down the tuning – much of this actually detracting from the guitars playability (too bad he hadn’t discovered your service).
Once I met with you I felt confident that you would be fair and honest regarding the pricing and the work. I explained up front that I had concerns over how much I was willing to put into a guitar like this. You assured me that we would stick to the agreed figure, which you absolutely did – even after I was stated I was willing to offer a bit more because of the extra work needed. I was truly in awe when I played the guitar after it was finished. I toured the guitar around with different friends that also play guitar and everyone had the same comments… “remarkable”, “amazing”, “plays like a dream”. You reset the nut, rebuilt the bridge, adjusted the neck, filed and leveled the frets, changed the strings, compensated the nut, adjusted the intonation along with complete set-up (and the lowest action I’ve seen), and then cleaned and polished the instrument. You truly reworked the entire essence of this guitar. You also took the time to give me a detailed explanation of what you fixed and or adjusted. In short the guitar I got back played better than any guitar I’ve had. I’m not a collector of ultra fine instruments, but I do have a few guitars (more than 10) of varying value. The action was low and smooth. New medium strings gave a nice full bodied warm sound without sacrificing playability. Most notably was the way in which
chords rang clear up and down the neck. I remembered reading about this on the website and intended to check for myself. You know it does something to ones’ ear… now I crave that sound of cords struck clean and clear. They truly do ring and harmonize better than any of my other guitars.You are currently working on my second LP and I plan on cycling each of my guitars in for compensation and adjustment. This was undeniably worth the service. Sincerely, Dana Wilber
Hey Dennis
Just wanted to say thank you for installing the compensated nut on my Les Paul! For years I’ve had to be extremely careful fretting and do some creative tuning to get my chording in the first 3 frets to “seem” in tune. Cannot wait to use it for recording again and you’ve helped my favorite Rock guitar become my FAVORITE guitar again. Cannot wait to see what you can do with my acoustic guitar. Thanks . Brian Roach, Auburn, CA
Dennis, I just now got my guitar back and I can't believe the difference. The action and the tuning are superb. It's not even the same instrument. Thanks so much for your help and great work. I will let everyone I know who plays guitar hear the difference and have them send you their guitars. I will also take it over to Kenny's store to show him. thanks again,
Larry Snyder, Dana Point,Ca
I found Dennis through a mutual friend. Skeptical at first, but when I saw his work I had to try it. I was not disappointed. Now I recommend this work for ALL guitars. I have personally taken 4 of my guitars and 3 of my friends guitars to him from as far away as Vancouver Washington.
One Squire I gave him to fix was in such bad shape virtually everything needed some kind of adjustment or replacement. So even the worst guitar can be fixed to play the way it was meant to play. Smooth, even, crisp and in tune all the way. I love my guitars after the "treatment" by
Mr. Hook. He's a great tech and a good friend. If you have bought a new guitar, no matter what the brand, it needs this set up. You won't be disappointed. Very affordable and great service. Rob Reynolds, Jackson California.
Hey Dennis-
Just wanted to drop you a quick note. I've had a chance to really sit down and play the guitar you worked on, and WOW, what a difference! I know it is only an inexpensive Squier, but you have made this a new instrument. The tuning, intonation via the compensated nut, the action, cleaning the electronics, the new tuners….. all have made this just a great guitar for me! The playability, tone, and overall enjoyment of this instrument has just gone up like 1,000%. I can't wait to bring the Alvarez and the Taylor to you. Your knowledge, attention to detail, and craftsmanship are truly awesome, and I will recommend you to ANYONE who enjoys guitar. Every instrument can benefit from your service!
Regards, Chris Larson
Hi Dennis--
I've been playing my Martin since we got it back from you on Saturday and am really enjoying it--the tuning is much better now, thanks to the fine work you did on it, and it's staying right in pitch when I capo up to the 2nd, 3rd, 5th or even 7th frets. Anyway, just wanted to express my sincere thanks for the great work. (If you ever need a reference, just let me know!)
best, Charles Oriel
Hi Dennis,
I'm attaching my responses to the improvements you made to my Martin. The bottom line? I am VERY happy! The guitar sounds and plays about $ 2000 better, I'd say. It's as if it was wearing a stright-jacket and you pried it off. It's a considerably better guitar than I thought it was. I don't know what else to say, except that you've clearly got something extremely valuable to offer and I'm grateful that I've been one of those lucky enough to have discovered you. Stuart Kirsh, Forsethill, Ca
Dennis,
When I got home this afternoon and sat down to play my Martin, I immediately realized that the fact that it now played in tune was only one aspect (although a very welcome one) of the overall enhancement wrought by your wizardry. The action and playability are so much better; it’s as if I dropped off a moving van and picked up a Porsche. The instrument now responds where it used to resist me, and because I no longer have to wrestle a sound out of it, its expressive potential has been exponentially enhanced. It can whisper as well as bark. Regarding the intonation; as I expressed to you, the fact that I could not get the guitar in tune was driving me crazy. And while I will admit that there are some aspects of my particular craziness that you and perhaps no-one else can remedy, the craziness associated with a seemingly un-tune-able guitar was, thankfully, something within your power to address. All I can say is that the difference is staggering; wow!
To be honest, I used to think I’d paid too much for the instrument. Now that you’ve unlocked its true potential, I’m thinking just the opposite—that I got one heckuva deal. I could say I’ve fallen in love again with my guitar, but that would be a lie. Why? Because, quite simply, this is not the instrument I bought-- this guitar is so much better!
I couldn’t be happier. The results have far exceeded my expectations and the price is a bargain. I’d recommend that any guitarist interested in maximizing the potential of their instrument and of their artistic expression take advantage of what you have to offer. From the start, your utter dedication (your passion, as you said) to dialing in the highest level of performance from my instrument was unmistakable and it goes without saying that your technical skills are up to the challenge. Finally, you are a true gentleman, a pleasure to work with. I predict I will be putting in a lot more time with the guitar— getting into that magical zone where everything else just fades away and all that’s left is the music… that is, after all, why we play, right? Stuart
Hi Dennis,
My Taylor 410 ce sounds amazing. Thanks for a great service! Matt
I contacted Dennis because I was not pleased with the intonation of my '89 Gibson Les Paul, especially when playing open chords. He told me that his compensated nut would fix my problem. It not only now plays perfectly in tune, but also has a noticeable improvement in tone and timbre. Dennis also leveled the frets so that it plays true all the way up and down the neck. Take a look at the video on this website to see how Dennis goes about making these improvements, my Les Paul is the one in the video! I am very pleased with the improvement in my guitar, I went from hardly playing the Les Paul to playing it even more than my Custom Shop Strat! Thanks again Dennis. Thomas Dillian, Plymouth, Ca
Hey Dennis!
It's funny, I was online this morning looking at Craig's list, and someone was writing a glowing review for you. First of all, I agree, but secondly, I was reminded to thank you for the work you did. I've had a chance to really play it these last few days, and it really is sooo much better. The intonation is correct all the way up the fretboard, and the adjustments you did have made the overall playability very comfortable. It's funny, when I bring guitars home from you, I am always appreciative of what you do, but then as I play them for a few days (and years) after, it sinks in that the they really do play and sound a TON better than before!
Thanks again, Chris Larson
The appropriate steps to get a better playing guitar are really very simple ,you can either take your guitar to the wanna-be willie willie lump lump techs at GC who don’t even do fret jobs ,or you could pay way way waaay too much, some where else ,and maybe get a return phone call ,if u have a problem . OR you can take your guitar to Dennis Hook. I’ve had ALL of my guitars stringed and setup by dennis,and I have a cheap mim strat he did a comp nut/setup on that plays better than any off the shelf custom guitars,’no kidding. Well worth the drive from sacramento. He’s on top of it ,always promptly returns phone calls, can do just about everything, is extremely professional and polite and fair, extremely easy to deal with. Im pretty nit picky with my guitars,and every time i’ve handed him any of my guitars they come back playing better than my expectations.The work is good EVERY time too. I simply don’t trust anyone else with my guitars, so when I need any work done, its a no brainer, call Dennis . Jacob
Oct 21, 2012
Dennis I've been in the backyard playing this afternoon as a wind down as I went into work this morning and needed "GRT - Guitar Relaxation Time".
I want to reiterate that I think you did a superlative job. The J-200 plays so incredibly well and when I am switching between playing open chords and chords around the 5th-7th frets it is so perfectly in tune. I have never in my 40 years of playing seen this kind of attention to detail and just plain craftsmanship in the set up and compensation that you did. I am truly blown away. You have created a bone fide "Raving Fan".
I hope to get all of my guitars to you at some point! Phillip Tirman , Westlake Village ,Ca
Dennis, I can’t believe how much easier my Fender plays since you worked on it. You made an inexpensive guitar sound and play as good as my friends Goodall guitar. Thanks again. John Folk, Rancho Murieta, Ca
I found out about Dennis's services through the web. I live in North Carolina so I had to ship my guitar coast to coast but it was worth EVERY penny!! By the way, the guitar he worked on for me is an Ibanez ART500. Even after shipping from California back to North Carolina it was in perfect tune right out of the box. Don't even consider a "Buzz Nut" or some of the other nut compensation products out there. What Dennis does is the real deal. Custom compensation for each individual string is a must!! Great service is important but I think it is also a plus to do business with someone that is very nice and honest. I spoke with Dennis via phone several times before I sent him my guitar and have spoken to him once after I received it back. From speaking with Dennis via phone, he definitely fits the description of nice and honest. He is willing to talk to you, answer any questions you have, and is never in a hurry to get off the phone with you. Although my Martin OMCPA4 seems to be pretty closely intonated as is, I am seriously considering sending it to Dennis to have the nut compensated on it as well. I will probably also have him replace the nut and bridge saddle with ones made out of bone. I highly recommend Dennis for any work you need done to your guitar!! I am not a very trusting person when it comes to having someone do work for me I can't do myself. Believe me, you can trust Dennis with your axe and will be well pleased with his workmanship. Steve Smart, Winterville, NC
Dennis,
I just wanted to say thanks again for the fantastic work you did on my Fender Highway 1 Telecaster. After installing a compensated nut, leveling the frets, adjusting the bridge and neck, the action on my guitar is perfect! Since I use my guitars for studio work tuning is very important. After your your miraculous surgery my Tele now plays in tune no matter where I play on the neck. I've previously had "so called guitar techs" set-up my guitars, but, I was never happy with the results. Your knowledge, attention to detail and workmanship is top-notch! I just bought two new Taylor guitars and will be bringing them to you soon. Thanks again for a fantastic job. Jay Glen, Arnold, Ca.
Dennis,
I just wanted to thank you for the excellent work you did on my Taylor GS7 acoustic guitar. When I bought it new a few weeks ago the action was terrible. After your work leveling the frets, adjusting the neck and intonation this guitar just plays beautifully. The action is perfect. and the intonation perfect up and down the fretboard. This was the third guitar I brought to you, and I could not be happier. I will be bringing you my new Taylor 354ce 12 string very soon.
If any guitar player is looking for a REAL expert on setting-up, and getting your guitar to play in-tune in every position, Dennis is the man to see. Do not be fooled by taking your guitar to just anyone who claims to be a Pro at setting-up your guitar. Dennis is the real deal, and if your guitar needs the nut or bridge compensated Dennis knows how to do it correctly and accurately.
Jay Glen
Arnold, Ca.
Dennis
Thanks Man for all your great work , you are right on. I'm very satisfied with the great work you’ve done on my Valley Arts , Ribbecke and my Fender Tele. I'll bring you more . God Bless Peace Tyrone Rivera
Hey dennis thanks so much for your compensated nut. It’s made a huge difference to my PRS 10 top, I am really happy with it-great job! James Schmidt, Eureka, Ca.
First of all, Dennis Hook is just a wonderful human being; friendly, soft spoken, articulate and very intelligent. He will spend time with you explaining his ideas and craft. Then he will do an initial examination of your instrument describing what he is seeing.
He clearly cares about each individual instrument and player.
I brought in a OOO 12 fret acoustic and a Gibson 335. The acoustic was new and needed to be set up properly. When I picked it up I was amazed at how it played. Nice lowered action without losing power and punch. And the intonation was unbelievable.One of the tests of intonation is slapping a capo up the neck, either fully or partially capoed. You all know that when you capo you have to readjust the tuning. NOT SO with Dennis' set up; intonation perfect!
His method is not just compensation at the nut, but also at the bridge. He also meticulously measures fret height AND distance tolerances between frets. He then levels out any frets that are in need of such work. The result is a fabulous playing and sounding instrument. He also gave me his "spec" sheet; all the incredible measurements for each string/fret, and showed me computer photos of the high spots on the frets. In two words...meticulous craftsmanship!
You could take your guitar to the local shop, have some guy grumble at you, not really look too closely at the thing, mess with the bridge a bit, pay him $60-$100, take it home and it may (or may not) feel, play, and sound better. With Dennis you are absolutely going to get an instrument that feels, plays and sounds fabulous. Again, because he cares and looks at EVERYTHING...nut, bridge, neck, frets, string mass, playing style...everything.
I will be picking up my 335 in a few days and I have no doubt that it will play and sound great. I will also be taking my Eric Johnson Strat and '73 Les Paul Deluxe to Dennis for his magic.
Believe me, I had a healthy dose of skepticism when I first questioned him about his method. But, as I said, he spent time explaining the physics of his set up. I didn't understand all of the science, BUT the proof is in the pudding, as they say.
His work sounds, feels, and plays so wonderful you don't want to put the instrument down. Dan, Elk Grove, Ca
I met Dennis Hook around a year ago and learned that his method of keeping the guitar in tune from open string tuning to every note down to the very last fret on the neck of the guitar works.I have many guitars and only played a chosen few. After Dennis worked his wonders on each and almost all my guitars, now I can pick any one of them up and trust they will stay in tune which makes my ability to perform and create easier.
I'm also a Sax player and I know what it takes to intonate my notes physically, but on a guitar it is what it is. THE THING IN BETWEEN A GREAT GUITAR AND A BAD OUT OF TUNE GUITAR IS DENNIS HOOK. He has made playing guitar guitar a pleasure . I thank Dennis every time we meet, and I must say He is one of the nicest most honest men I have ever met.
I own many guitars from high end Ribbecke , Cerlette, Anderson, Gibson, Zion, Fender, Yamaha, Taylor , Stars Guitars and the list goes on . After Dennis worked his wonders on them now I can say they are all in tune. I brought my Taylor 8 string to Dennis and told him if this guitar don't play right I was going to dump it , he told me to leave it and he would see what he could do to make it a great guitar , he did wonders to it from spacing the strings out the way Taylor should have in the first place and also installed a K&K pick-up system which now makes my Taylor a stereo guitar.. It is AWESOME now thanks to Dennis.
Thank God for Dennis Hook he has made playing my guitars a true pleasure. He is my friend and my life time guitar technician. Tyrone J. Rivera
Sent my 80's Kramer to Dennis to have some fretwork done and to upgrade to a compensated nut system. All I can say is, "Wow"! What a difference in sound across the entire fretboard, especially in the open and first positions.
I spent years trying to tweak the intonation and could never get it right. Well, the compensated nut fixed that. No more "sour" chords or notes. Everything is in tune or awfully close. The best part of all? No permanent modifications to the guitar. Dennis did a fantastic job and the entire process took 21 days. Pretty darn good considering the postal service had the guitar for 15 or 16 days.
I have strat that will be making the trip to California soon! Rich Neville, Pennsylvania
I've never met Dennis in person - I look forward to doing so, someday - but the chance I took on an internet stranger rewarded me with that rarest of guitar technicians: a man who does what he says he's going to do, when he says he's going to do it, for a fair price. The intonation on the instrument I sent to Dennis is night and day different. And it got that way in three days. Many thanks to you Dennis!
K. Lyon , Los Angeles, Ca
Dennis,
I received the guitar yesterday. It survived the trip just fine. I played it right out of the box and noticed immediately something about the sound was different. I realized this is what a properly tuned guitar is SUPPOSED to sound like. Bridge intonation works up to a point but when playing in the "forbidden" zone above the 12th fret, it still sounded in tune with itself. Whatever magic you work on the nut seems to act in concert with the bridge to clean up the unbalanced nature of strings going sharp particularly above the 12th fret. I suppose it is your inquisitive nature as an engineer that led you to study the physics of sound and led to the understanding that the bridge AND nut have to be in tune with each other from top to bottom. So to all of your clients and potential clients out there, this is the guy with the knowledge and skill who can make your guitar sing. Give him a try.
Best wishes,
Pat Loonan, Corning IA
I've always been bothered by open chords not sounding in tune and constantly frustrated by it, spending half my time tuning instead of practicing. I've always had a good ear for pitch, I guess it's kind of a blessing and a curse. I tried the Earvana compensated nut, but even with that the tuning still sounded off. I constantly searched the internet for a solution and finally stumbled across Dennis Hook and after reading all the customer comments, I thought he might just be the answer I'm looking for. Well he replaced the Earvana nut with his on my PRS and it's made a world of difference, open chords sound finally in tune, I mean they all do, not just a couple of them, he also got all the frets level. So now I'm sending him my Taylor Acoustic also to get that done. Michael Rayner, UT