Meet Eli GuitarTech Gabrieloff

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eli GuitarTech Gabrieloff.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Eli. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve been repairing and building guitars professionally for more than 17 years. I specialize in stringed instruments: Vintage, modern and everything in between.

I started repairing my own guitars in my teen years, because I didn’t know any guitar repairman while growing up in Tel-aviv, Israel. Soon, I began repairing all my friend’s guitars and getting better at it.

When I moved to L.A in 2001, I started buying and selling used and vintage guitars on-line. I had to make sure that every guitar I sold and shipped world-wide was in top notch condition, so I wouldn’t have to deal with returns or bad feedback from customers. That made me be very detailed and accurate with my repairs, especially with delicate and Vintage guitars.

Several years later, I started working for a large musical instruments company, in the repair department, and eventually on their huge inventory of vintage guitars, while gaining deep knowledge and experience.

Through the years I’ve worked on more than 18,000 guitars (I have photos of most of them!). Some were easy repairs like set-ups, broken headstocks or faulty electronics, but some were very challenging like vintage guitars from the 30’s and 40’s that were in such bad shape, that I had to literally rebuild them, working around rotting wood, gluing it piece by piece.

Working in L.A, I’ve had the opportunity to meet world-class musicians, even most of my music heroes, repair their prized instruments, customize and build guitars for them. I’ve done some tours as a guitar tech, and also designed touring rigs for huge rock bands.

Since 2016, I own and operate a guitar repair shop right where most of my clients rehearse, record and perform their music, the heart of Hollywood, CA. It’s a full shop where I build, repair and customize guitars, amplifiers and pedal-boards

It’s open for everybody, professionals and beginners alike, by appointment only.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Every instrument has its own challenges, but I’ve yet to encounter a guitar that I haven’t been able to repair. I enjoy the process of making every instrument play or sound as best as it can. Or maybe I’ve just been lucky…

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I think I’ve been very fortunate to work on so many instruments and with so many musicians and the experience that I’ve gained through the years is priceless. I implement my knowledge on every repair and I treat every client with as much patience and attention as I can, that might be one of the reasons most of my clients have become good friends of mine.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I should’ve opened my own shop long before I did. “If you build it, they will come”.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1637 N. Gardner St. Hollywood, CA 90046
• Website: www.eliguitartech.com
• Phone: 323-487-1727
• Email: eliguitartech@gmail.com
• Instagram: @eliguitartech
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/guitartechnician
• Yelp: eliguitartech
• Other: expertguitarrepair.com

Image Credit:
Erin Kaufman Gabrieloff

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.