Hargiss Stringed Instruments

We’re lucky to have a business like Hargiss Stringed Instruments in Omaha. Not only do they offer expert guitar repair service, guitar building classes, an ever-​evolving showroom of eclectic instruments and gear for novices and pros alike, proprietor John Hargiss is committed to restoring an historic group of Omaha buildings.
Now, the intersection at 40^th and Hamilton might not seem very significant to most. Heck, it has a downright sketchy vibe to it. But Hargiss purchased what was most recently a carpet store and converted it into a beautiful showroom for gear and guitars (a few of which were built by hand by Hargiss himself).
Adjacent to the showroom is a giant and open workshop, complete with plenty of space for the luthier classes Hargiss offers. And adjacent to that is a showroom for antiques and, get this, a beautiful vaudeville theater from circa 1900 that is still in surprisingly great condition (a renovation is well underway; expect to attend many fabulous events in this space in the near future).
Of all the guitar shops in town, I take my acoustic instruments here for repairs and setups. Prices are on par with a mom-​and-​pop instrument shop — plenty of wiggle room if you know what you’re talking about or are willing to barter. Not only that, it’s worth a visit just to talk with John for a while. He’s very friendly and very talkative. There is no other place like Hargiss in the city. Simply stop by and enjoy the experience.

During the summer I brought my travel guitar, a Voyage-​Air VAOM-​04, here for a setup. It was the first a Voyage-​Air they had ever seen so we had an interesting conversation while I showed them how the folding hinge worked. John did a very good job with the setup and it plays and sounds better after he worked on it.
Based on this initial experience, I recently gave him my prized Martin OM-​21 for a setup. It actually had a decent setup right from the factory, but it is my main guitar so decent isn’t good enough.
When I got it back John told me me it didn’t need major changes and detailed what he did. So when I played it at home later that day I was expecting some improvement in playability. I wasn’t expecting the major improvement in playability. And definitely wasn’t expecting the improved volume and responsiveness from a guitar that had great sound going in. John really exceeded my expectations with this setup!
I also enjoy the shop environment. Funky old building, lots of vintage guitars out for sale (and was encouraged to try them out), and friendly service. Definitely worth the trip from suburbia.

I got a 12-​string set-​up done there. Very engaging and knowledgeable proprietor. They did good work for a very reasonable price.