Central Jersey Music Service

I recently got a Fender Squire Strat for christmas this past year but since I’m just beginning to learn how to play guitar I really did not know anything about maintaining my guitar. I had difficulty setting the intonation that was off and was reading the manuals online on all initial setup that needs to be done but I was unable to perform it adequately. After much frustration I found them through the Fender website as an authorized service center and brought my guitar in.
Right upon inspecting my guitar they told me exactly what costs to expect and showed me exactly what was wrong with my guitar and what they were going to fix it and made sure I understood the problems. Within a day they had contacted me and told me about a problem they had adjusting the neck bend and that they needed send for a replacement from fender. Since it was only a couple months old, it was still covered under warranty and I just needed to send them the proof of purchase for the guitar.
Throughout the whole process they kept me in close contact each step of the way and let me know what they were doing and what I wanted from them. After receiving the replacement guitar they even helped tweak it for me at no charge at all.
My guitar is now in perfect condition and substantially better than the original.

The folks at CJMS just recently cleaned up my neglected Marshall JCM900 that started acting up. The repair and maintenance work was performed expertly and in less time than I was originally told. They also didn’t try to up-​sell me any more work that was necessary (turns out only 1 tube had gone out, and some other basic maintenance). Just another positive experience I’ve had with these guys.
To address another user’s experience with the $ 70 bench fee. I too, as I’m sure all customers do, paid the bench fee to begin work on my equipment. However, once the scope of the issue was discovered, I was immediately contacted by CJMS to determine what my course of action would be. Obviously I chose to have the amp repaired, which was priced very reasonably. All I had to pay was the balance upon picking it up.
The bottom line is that musical equipment (guitars, basses, amp, etc.) are prone to wear and will require maintenance with use. Sometimes you just need to suck it up and pay to continue to use quality equipment. No different than owning a car or a house. These guys are as good as any at keeping it all working the way it should,

I have been going to this location for amp repair as early as 2001. I have exclusively brought my Peavy 5150 Amp head here on many occasions for «tune ups» and minor repairs.
Their bench fee has since went up to $ 70, which covers the first hour. Cash only.
No one wants to have to bring a tube amp in for repair. It is very pricey to get these fixed, but if you want to continue to gig with your favorite amp, sometimes you have to bite the bullet and do what it takes. Tube amps especially are not invincible as good as you may take care of them.
Anytime I go here, they are literally packed up with amps. They are definitely a busy location, and the staff is friendly in their little workshop.
Turn around time is 5 business days to a few weeks, depending if they have to order a part for you or not.
Overall, I have been to other places, but I seem to keep coming back to these guys.

I needed to have my bass set up, and ended up going here after a lot of looking around in the area. John was great and very knowledgable, and did an excellent job of tweaking everything. He only charged me $ 78, which included a new set of strings. The bass sounds great, like it was new all over. I also liked the feel of this place. It definitely had a repair shop vibe, but in a good way.

I brought a Line 6 Pod XT Live here to be fixed. It took 8 months to get fixed. I just sold it after that. I dropped my Mesa Triple Rectifier Head off there today. They told me it should take a week. Hopefully that’s true. They charge $ 60 just to look at it, not even to fix it. I understand they need to get paid, but $ 60 is a little unreasonable. Other guitarist in my band had similar problems with this place. Wish there was somewhere closer. I suggest finding somewhere else.
Edit: I may have posted this with bias because of some poor experiences beyond the control of the service center. I do bring my gear here when it breaks and they always get it back in working condition.