Ballona Creek Lutherie

Summary: Doug saved a guitar I thought was beyond salvaging and set up my bass. Both play better than ever. He did all of this in about 2 days (!) and for a very reasonable price (!!). I will recommend everyone I meet to Doug.
I brought Doug my bass and a guitar I wasn’t sure would ever really play well. The bass would be no problem, the guitar was questionable in more ways than one. We talked for a bit and he said he’d give me a call when he reached a consensus on the guitar. Doug called me later that night and told me what he wanted to do. He quoted me a very good price on the work. I asked him if he thought it was really worth it, we discussed it and I agreed to go for it. Two days later they were ready.
My bass was exactly how I wanted it. Action was low with minimal buzz, everything felt perfect, couldn’t be better. I was blown away by the guitar. I knew it would never be anything special but I had no idea it could sound and feel so much better. It’s definitely a new instrument. Doug really went above and beyond.
The quality of Doug’s workmanship is obvious in the feel and sound of the two guitars I was given back. He squeezed everything he could out of these guitars, I am blown away. This is a guy who doesn’t settle for «good enough», there’s nothing half assed going on in that shop. I’ve brought a lot of gear in to be repaired and I’ve never been quite that impressed with it when it came back so this was a breath of fresh air.
The last thing I want to say is that when you’re talking to Doug about guitars he is 100% present and excited. It is infectious. Doug is obviously doing what he was put on this earth to do and I am very grateful to have found him. I won’t go anywhere else.

For a quick background, I’ve been playing guitar for 25 years and bass for 20 and I’ve been performing for just as long throughout Los Angeles. I needed to find a luthier who lived less than 6 – 7 miles from my house, did GREAT work and who fit within my musician’s budget.
I took in my precious custom tele-​style guitar as well as my Masterbuilt acoustic guitar for a tuneup to Doug. The intonation and leveling was fairly off for my tele, which he fixed with precision and polished my frets as well. I play slide on this guitar too, so he left the action a little high, which he adjusted after I got home and realized it needed a little tweaking. It feels great now. I get hesitant letting just anybody work on this guitar. It’s a prized instrument of mine. I trust it with him.
My Masterbuilt Epiphone acoustic electric guitar also needed a setup. It had arrived new and hadn’t been touched (FYI, the Masterbuilt Epiphone series are very well built guitars. The only replacement needed are the bridge pins. Read their reviews — all solid wood guitars with bone nut and bridge.). He did a once over on it and made all the needed adjustments to bring out its full potential. He also custom adjusted all of my custom bridge pins according to each string. Now they’re all even and look great. I was really, really impressed at the difference of its playability. It came to me fine but like most new guitars, they really do need to be set up. Now it plays like butter and the intonation is spot on, dead good perfect.
Doug’s a great guy, quite meticulous about his work (check out his ukeleles — amazing work. Amazing!) and his prices are incredibly reasonable. For me, it’s a no-​brainer. After all, I’m on a musician’s budget and his prices are great. Top it off with a keen sense of knowing his craft and being only 5 – 6 miles away from my home, he’s my go to luthier now.
Thanks Doug. Great work, man. I’ll be back with a few more guitars for you to work on :-)

If you are looking for knowledgable, professional work in a comfortable environment, THIS is the place to go.
My guitars are my livelihood. They are also expensive. Due to these two factors, I am VERY cautious as to who works on them. Doug Graham is one I trust. I found him here on Unilocal and took a chance. He was quick and thorough on my set up. His prices are fair as well. Check him out!!!

I’ve been bringing Doug my busted sound equipment for years. The thing I appreciate most — besides his vast knowledge — is how honest he is. If all he had to do was open the thing and blow some air through it, he’ll tell me and charge accordingly. If the object would cost more to repair than it would to buy a new one, he’ll tell me. If the thing wasn’t working because I didn’t know how to use it, he’ll teach me how to use it. Yay Doug!