Hargiss Stringed Instruments

Absolute wonderland if you play stringed instruments or even if you just want to look at an incredible variety of instruments - there are a lot of unique vintage pieces here as well as a great selection of more typical modern ones.So many one-of-a-kind things here. The most beautiful ones are made here by John, the luthier/owner. He's happy to talk to you about instruments and to show you around his shop and the rest of the building - part of it is a vintage theater, the kind that used to be found in all parts of Omaha. Fascinating!Not long ago I stopped in to look at guitars. Mind you, I don't actually PLAY guitar, but I have gotten to a somewhat competent level at ukulele and baritone ukulele, and therefore I am craving the novelty of something new, that I can be bad at.I mentioned this to the woman working there, and she said "well, why don't you just take a class with John and he can teach you to build one"? Wow, this woman GETS ME. A total level up from what I was considering doing.I'm still thinking about doing this.But on this visit, I was just here to get a string, as moments earlier I had purchased a uke at a thrift store and it had a broken string. John had his assistant put on the string. He offered to show me how to put on the string, but since I already know (but just didn't have a string) I looked around the store and stroked a lovely cat on the counter. Which she enjoyed until she abruptly didn't, we know how cats are.Anyway, John wouldn't accept any money for the string or for the putting-on of the string. That was nice. Great place!

Consider it made.Hargiss Stringed Instruments is home to one of the very few luthiers left in the world. A luthier is someone who makes guitars or stringed instruments by hand. The owner John Hargiss is one of the best at making guitars. John has created countless guitar styles and shapes some that are completely unique to him. Hargiss Stringed instruments used to be located in Benson and a few years ago moved to this much more grandiose location. Hargiss has a retail store as well as a guitar repair shop. I have found a couple used guitar beauties here at fairly cheap prices. This is also a great place to take your guitars to get repaired or set up. This store is defiantly worth checking out for any fan of musical instruments.

Coolest old guitar shop in Omaha. Eclectic mix of used instruments. Definitely not guitar center!

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 40th 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.

I am a music teacher. I play guitar, teach guitar to hundreds of students a year, and decided I wanted to learn the banjo. Since Hargiss had instruments in their window, and I had heard good things,I thought I'd give them my business. I came inside. The owner was in the back with an apprentice, showing him some kind of repair. The apprentice looked up and smiled. Mr. Hargiss kept on talking to him, then finally turned to me after about 2 long minutes and impatiently said "Yes?" I explained that I was in the market for a banjo and that I'd like to take lessons if he had any recommendations. He literally looked me up and down, head to toe, then said "Just go on YouTube." I wasn't sure where the rudeness was coming from, so I noted the many chairs in the lobby area and said "You must have picking sessions here." He said "Yes, we do." He waited for a moment, then asked "Was there something else you needed?" I stared at him for a moment--kind of at a loss for words--then said "I guess not." His apprentice was beet red and looking at the floor. He threw me an apologetic smile. It's hard to convey tone in these quotes, so let me assure you Mr. Hargiss was brusque and rude in what he said. He could have had a sale of a $400 instrument and literally hundreds of recommendations since I get a lot of questions from students about where to purchase and repair their guitars. Instead, I make sure my students know NOT to go here. I'm sure he is competent when it comes to instruments. But to be treated so rudely for no reason at all is appalling. I take my business elsewhere.

I know nothing about guitars. But - I had a dear non-English speaking friend that needed some help, so after consulting Google (and one trip to a very-much not friendly guitar shop!), we ended up at Hargiss.Whom I assume is the owner was very hard at work in his shop. The place is cool. Groovy, if I can use that word. My friend knows considerably a lot more about music than I do, and he was just in total awe.I would like to mention I also had my 12 year old and three year old in tow.After acknowledging our presence, the man finished up what he was doing and came to help us out. I explained in my basic guitar vocab what was going on, and he seemed genuinely sad that he probably couldn't help us out. Or rather, he could, but it would cost more than the guitar was worth.But he took the time out of his very busy day to talk to us and explain to us how to fix it on our own! After thanking him for his time and our newfound guitar repair knowledge, he gave my kiddos popsicles.Blown. Away. Best customer service experience ever - and we didn't even buy anything from the guy!

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.

Great store to find some guitars, stand up basses, amps, banjos, ukuleles, violins and usually a few instruments you have to ask to figure out what they are. I've had some work done on my guitars a few times over the years and have always been happy.Wide selection across the pricing spectrum. Friendly, knowledgeable service with fair pricing.Make sure you get a tour of the old theatre while you're there.

Outstanding craftsmanship! I took my old 1978 Giannini guitar for a bridge and crack repair and everything came back better than I expected! It is extremely hard to find where the crack was and the bridge looks like it never had come off. Everything sounds and look as it did before. Thank you again for a superb job.

John Hargiss is one of the best luthiers I have ever had the pleasure of doing business with.The quality of his work is extremely professional and concise. His prices are reasonable and he listens to the customer on what type of work you want done and adds input also on what might need to be done.I have been playing guitar for 45+ years now and usually take care of common set-ups, re-stringing and such, but for bigger jobs John Hargiss is the man to go to hands down.