Dana first worked on my Takamine 12-String and did an amazing job bringing it back from the dead. It now sounds and plays better than it ever has in the 20+years I've had it! When I recently purchased a Rickenbacker 4003 bass I took it directly to Dana. It now plays better than any bass I've ever had! Unbelievable what a difference he made. I would definitely recommend Dana to anyone near and far. Would certainly be worth a trip to get this high quality of work!

Quality will tell. As soon as I walked into his workshop, the professional layout, the welcoming smile and the general vibe of craftsmen at the very top of their game was palpable. This was in magnified contrast to some guitar techs I had spoken to on the phone (and one supposedly good guitar tech in philly who had tried setting up my guitar prior). Dana was ultra responsive, both on the phone and in person. He spent time explaining and talking about various issues without any feeling of hurry/pressure, responded to my texts about status updates instantly and on the whole, it felt like I was interacting with someone far above the level of most other people, both personally and professionally/technically. Which...it turns out is actually the case, since Dana is a master luthier, with (apparently) thousands of guitars constructed from scratch, and thousands others repaired. I was able to ship parts to his workshop directly and he came in under budget, with a setup/work charge that was 150-200 dollars less than I was expecting to be charged. He also gave me an intemized, descriptive charge sheet, did fret work as necessary (and these are stainless steel frets, very time consuming) and had all previous parts nicely packaged and sitting in the guitar case, along with the fixed guitar. He also fixed a subtle problem with tuning heads (which I had not talked to him about at all), replaced pickups and got the intonation as right as possible on this strat. I'm in Philly and the 30 min drive down is 100% worth it. It is probably worth it from NYC or even Baltimore. Very highly recommended...I'm very happy!

I have had my 1997 jazz bass since new. I played in a southern rock band I played it hard for quite a few years 2001. Stopped playing until 2012 untouched the action was always high. Took it to Dana picked it up a few days later. Honestly, I do not know how I played it before, smooth as silk. That was 4 months ago. Going back tomorrow for a quick tune up. I tell all of my friends who play guitar. #1 in my book

I have a '74 hardtail Stratocaster that had never needed much work until it hit the wall. No longer a joy to play, I considered retiring the guitar. I had heard of Dana but over my 50 years of playing never thought of using his services. What a mistake in thinking that was. He took the time to understand how I played and what other guitars I have before restoring my Strat. This listening of his, colored the direction he took on the guitar from removing the dip in the neck to the fret wire he used in re-fretting to the incredilbe action he set up. This Fender is better than the day I bought it in '74. Bravo!!! Incredible !!! I have since this wonderful restoration placed my whole collection (over 10 guitars of Fender, Gibson and PRS) in his hands for set ups and maintenance. He took a PRS model and improved upon it greatly - not many people on the planet could ever claim that. This guy is a national treasure!!!

Dana while working at his own repair shop in Christiana De, always re-dressed frets set intination,no one was better.He also created his own pick-up called the Detenator. The best by far in guitar repair in the region.

My guitar was snapped in half. Crushed. I was in a car accident back in 2006 and I was put in the hospital for several days. My guitar that i had since 1989 was destroyed. I went to Dana and asked him if there was anything that could be done. He looked at it briefly and said...'I can fix this no problem.' I have to admit I teared up a bit when he said that. I recently saw the pic of my guitar on his website & I am amazed and absolutely blown away. She looks fantastic. She ('LIZ') is back!!! After a tear or two I sent him an email thanking him. Thank you Dana from the bottom of my heart. You are in a league all by yourself. Your work is unsurpassed.

Dana is one of the few people in the universe that I'll let work on any of my many guitars and stringed instruments I have. I have had the good fortune of having some top repairmen work on my guitars in the past, and Dana is on par with those repair and set ups. Since I play different styles, I can ask Dana to setup, for example, my tele in a country style like (name player) and he DOES IT. That's dependable...

Dana took my '62 Hofner 500/1 "Beatle Bass" and pretty much brought it back from the dead. It was playing pretty badly, and was dirty and the neck was not feeling good. The bass was in such bad shape that I had put it away as unusable. Dana cleaned it up, dressed the frets, and brought the bass back to life. I'm now using it at all our shows, and it's my favorite bass once again. He also worked on my Rickenbacker 4001v63 and it's playing better than ever. I plan on making at least annual trips to see Dana, and possible more often, as our show schedule permits.

Dana's work is the best I've ever encountered - not only his abilities as a luthier, but his impeccable amplifier work. He recently gave a full overhaul to my Marshall JCM900 head, an amp which had long sat neglected in my practice space due to its flat tone. Dana was able to bring out the warmth, and now, it's my number one choice for my backline.

Dana is the Man! He has worked on two of my guitars and breathed new life into each of them. Recently Dana was given my '87 Santa Cruz. I wanted some new tuners put on and some help with the effects of some pretty severe drying out that had gone on over the years from the previous owner. Dana took the guitar and spent some time working up his recommendations. Re-humidify the guitar, heat and free up the truss bar to make it adjustable again, make a new saddle, brass bridge plate support, and a fresh set up. This guitar had good tone and volume before Dana got it. Now it really does play like silk, it is set up light and low and no buzzing. Dana is a true gentleman and I can't imagine a reason that I would ever send a guitar of mine to anyone else.

Dana continues to astound me with the quality of his work! He's worked on quite a few of my guitars, new and old, and each one sounds much better when he is through. The most recent work he performed was on an old Martin guitar that I purchased with the intent of having him restore it. The guitar had been abused by prior owners. He looked it over and gave me an estimate that I considered reasonable given the condition of the guitar. He gave me weekly updated on progress. Along the way he called me with choices, explaining each one very patiently. The work he did on the bridge and neck worked so well, that he was able to avoid some of the more costly repairs the we had anticipated might be needed and the project came in under budget. After a few weeks he delivered the guitar to me in excellent condition. I’ve been playing it every day since and want to thank him every time I pull it out of the case. Dana has done other fine work for me including straightening the neck on a carbon fiber guitar, and cleaning up some relatively new guitars. I was surprised that the relatively new guitars could sound and play better than before. He adjusted the action on each one to the right height for the playing style and use of that guitar, and got each one to sound its best. Because of his incredible knowledge of instruments he is able to discuss each instrument with you, understand your needs, and then put the instrument in the condition you desire. Dana has also restored the fingerboard and neck of a used mandolin I purchased. Before he touched it, it was unplayable. Now it is a dream. He also helped me sell another mandolin, cleaning it up so that it was in good condition for sale and then bringing it to the attention of other customers. He went way beyond the call of duty.

My Aunt had recently given me my grandfather's mandolin. It was a Martin Mandolin from about 1923. It had big cracks along the length of the bowl and several other issues. I thought nothing could be done for it. I met with Dana who was friendly and very knowledgeable. I felt very confident that I found the right man. Dana was able to clean up an earlier home attempt at gluing up some damage, re-hydrated it. and put a thin rosewood insert to finish the bowl. I know this is just a portion of what Dana did, but the result is a wonderful sounding Mandolin. I played a few strums for my Aunt over the phone and she was completely delighted. I can't believe I was so blessed to have such a skilled Luthier living in my area. I can't recommend Dana enough! :)

I was plagued looking for a shop in Cleveland. There are people here who call themselves "Master Luthiers". I do not doubt they have good skills but I had an issue with a vintage instrument some weeks ago and all the local people either threw their hands up or wanted to hack into my instrument and explained the repair would only be a little noticeable. After much research on Google I found Dana Sutcliffe. Admittedly he is in Delalware but the turn around with shipping involved was still under two weeks each time. The cost of shipping is negligible when you consider the peace of mind that comes with knowing the work will be done right the first time. It was a leap of faith to send the first guitar there as there so many web sites are filled with hype. When it returned home the repair had been made and Dana had addressed a few other issues (with my approval beforehand) that took the instrument to the highest level of playability. The level of communication is unparallelled and the work is nothing short of artistic. He truly is a master luthier. Find Dana here. http://danamusic.com/ I'd say good luck but when a craftsman with this much consummate skill and ability is entrusted luck has nothing to do with it. Bob Kessler 216-990-9061

I've used Dana, for maintenance and repair. Always a quick turnaround, which is important when you need your guitar, every weekend. Simply the best.

Sounds like you have the reputation and experience. That is one thing that I dont have, entirely self taught and know nothing about other guitars etc. I admire those who have taken the time and effort to acquire this kind of skill. Kudos Brian

Here's another voice in the choir of voices happy with Dana's work. My Gibson J100 was un-tunable due to neck warp. Dana replaced the frets, straightened the neck, and otherwise fixed the guitar so that it sounds great (at least when played by others). Thanks Dana.