I came in here with my daughter and Gary Vessel was very rude and creepy to her. I was asking about violins and trying to keep it normal but you can tell Gary does not have good customer service. Dont bring your kids here. I wish my daughter would have never met that man. Once we got in the car, my daughter said Daddy, I think that man Gary was so strange and he was so rude. Dont waste your time here and definitely dont bring your kids here to Gary.

It is so nice to have a local stringed instrument shop. Great knowledge, expertise and friendly service.

I discovered Thomas & Vessel based on a friends recommendation several years ago, and I have loved being their customer ever since! I travel two hours (from Oakhurst) for purchases, repairs and re-haired bows, because I appreciate the warmth, hospitality, values, and quality of Steve and the business!

Don’t go anywhere else to get your valued instrument worked on by someone else. Take your guitar, ukulele, banjo, violin, your mom, and grandma HERE. Gary is genuine and does honest and excellent work. You won’t find that anywhere near here in the valley. They won’t charge you an arm and a leg for their services and their turnaround time is on the spot. Gary also doesn’t mind you watch the work that’s being done to your beloved instrument. Pure confidence in honest work. Thanks again, Gary!

What a great guy Steve Thomas is! He really took his time and showed what true craftsmanship and excellent customer service look like...friendship. Steve not only made me happy with his work ethic, friendliness, and expertise, but he made me a friend. I will definitely be coming by whenever I need help with my daughters violin and also just to stop in and say hello. Thomas & Vessel know how to treat people right.

Very professional and fair with the prices on the repair my violin.

I had them install 2 pickups for me: One in a mandolin and one in an octave mandolin.The work was done professionally and quickly. I was treated very well, and enjoyed both my visits immensely. Gary took time to play the instruments and ask all pertinent questions. The cost was very reasonable for the work performed. I would highly recommend them to anyone.

Best place around for your violin, bass, cello, guitar, etc. We have had work done on violins and guitars here before and the workmanship is second to none. Also have purchased instruments here and can say they sell great quality. Highly recommend if you want to purchase an instrument, need to have one repaired, or just need some expert advice.

We are so lucky to have such expert luthiers in our little town. Great people and great service for our local musicians. Those in the valley who usually make the trek to the Bay Area will get the same quality repair and craftsmanship right here.

I brought our 100 plus year old family made violin here a few months ago. The person put the bridge back on, replaced a string and cleaned up the wood while I waited. I just wanted it to display and not to playing condition. He didnt charge me anything while treating this family heirloom with great care. I was very pleased with the service.

Excellent service...they take care of you. Great for school instruments, as I am a music teacher. Also they do private clients as well.

If you are looking for stringed instruments, accessories or advice - this is the place to go! Friendly service, very knowledgeable and excellent work. I wish I had found them sooner!

LOVE this place. Quality instruments. Quality customer service. Just very pleased with our interactions here. Great place! Thank you!

Friendly service and high quality products. Great to work with, both in renting an instrument and then later in purchasing one!

Gary Vessel is a recognized expert referred to me by my violin teacher! Violin repairs and setups can be expensive, but Gary wont charge you for what you dont need! That is why he is an in demand luthier. He may give you some disappointing news about your violin, that you believe is a rare treasure, but that is the only downside to visiting this business. Thomas and Vessel carriy a full line of accessories for string instruments and a full line violins, violas, and cellos. I dont believe you can go wrong with this shop.

Nice experience talking to Gary about working on my guitar.

I have an old (1960s) beginner violin that needed a new string. They helped me out with respect and interest. I have since bought a new bow and am eyeing a new violin. Service is excellet!

Very honest and trustworthy place they know what they are doing and offer the best advice regarding the instrument.

Great service, owner has a heart of gold and always willing to help.

Owner make you feel like a family, I love this place.

Fixed the saddle on my Martin d28 expertly fast and correctly. very qualified tech.

I love this place, very respectful, you can feel the love they have for the music

The second star is simply because this establishment has a reputation for making good violins. The three missing stars are more about character, integrity, and the love of music itself. If I throw honesty into the mix, I really ought rate this shop as one star.But such a harsh rating deserves clarity, so I will tell my tale. I entered this establishment with a violin in one hand and a ten year old girl hanging on the other hand. The girl, having never played violin, is in love with the instrument for all the beauty and happiness the instrument has inspired in her and she has determined to invest the thousands of hours required to master it. She is however, young and impulsive, so the violin in my other hand is a loaner, the best her school can provide, and it may not be a perfect instrument, but in the hands of a budding new violinist, it is the perfect tool to test the waters and determine how deep her dedication to the instrument goes. It does however need the care and attention of someone skilled enough to replace the bridge and put on a new string.So here I stand as one of the patrons of this little shop filled with stringed instruments. My daughter is even more deeply enthralled and excited as shes waited weeks to see this instrument come alive again. Four people stand in front of the shop, playing together. It sounds great. She squeezes my hand even tighter. Shes almost in tears of excitement as one of the players breaks away to help us.Thats where this sweet scenario goes wrong. What I assume is an artist, takes the violin to a cluttered work table, hmmm and hahs over it for a moment, then brings the violin back and states that the violin is unfixable and unplayable.The little hand Im holding gets a little limp. I begin to ask questions while he goes on showing me how the strings lay against the fingerboard and digging through a small box of different sized bridges. He makes measurements and attempts to demonstrate why this violin is of no value because he cant lift the strings far enough off of the fingerboard to make it play perfectly.I look down at my daughter and she is failing to hold back the tears. She buries her head in my shirt as she believes her school is out of violins and without a successful repair, she will not be able to take lessons.The shopkeeper notices, and puts on a display of making one more attempt at repair before shaking his head and saying theres no way to fix it...however, he does happen to rent violins. My instincts had already been firing off warnings, but the distinct stench of car salesmen hit my nostrils as his attempt at an upsell continued. Needless to say, I left. I took my daughter to the car and did my best to console her as she could no longer hold back her tears. Not being a violinist, I could not be sure if i had just been manipulated, or the violin truly was trash, so I took it out of the case. If it is unfixable, I thought, then something must be broken because even a cheap violin is designed to play, even if it is badly. Nothing was broken.I thought through the experience in the store. He was making measurements but not holding the ruler all the way against the surfaces he was measuring. He was being dishonest, manipulating me, and trying to play my daughters heartbreak against me.So, still not wishing to think badly of a person without knowing, I asked around. Come to find out, this guy isnt the only violin expert in Modesto. How could he know that I know violinists? The violin is fixable. The bridges and fake measurements he was showing me were just that, fake.His reputation for these kind of antics is well known in the community for exactly the type of experience I have just described.In the end, the school had found funding for a couple of new violins, and one was offered to my daughter, along with a sweet promise to help her get caught up with the rest of the class when the new one arrives.Id drive a long way to go somewhere else. Dishonesty is dishonesty. Play straight if you want my business.

Helpful and highly knowledgeable