MEET DARRELL GILBERT

Darrell Gilbert is one of the country's leading guitar repairmen, and has been an indispensable artisan and technician for countless leading pro players and devoted guitarists and bassists since 1975

Early in his Operating out of his workshop, Darrell is the "go-to" guy for difficult and challenging repairs, the most meticulous set-ups, and has a reputation for solving problems that have eluded even some of the best technicians in the industry.

Early in his career he had the good fortune to meet the legendary Les Paul who asked him if he knew how to "fix" someone else's repair, a repair gone horribly wrong. Darrell managed to provide the right experience and insight to correct someone else's mistakes and went on to set-up and repair many instruments for Les over the course of his later career.

In 1980, he moved to Switzerland to apply his knowledge and skills in the European market, working for guitar designer Gary Levinson, whose BLADE line was noted for incredible playability, tone and appearance. He eventually returned to New York where he continued to develop a growing reputation of being one of the best repairmen in the music biz.
Darrell has worked as a factory authorized master-technician for both Gibson and ESP, assisting the companies with their artist relations programs to ensure that instruments were playing perfectly for worldwide tours and shows.
Darrell's vast experience also includes tech work for the Acoustic YES mini tour and DVD.
For many years he was Matt Umanov's one and only electric guitar repairs and rebuilds.
His unique combination of instrument design, modification and how to get the absolute best out of each individual guitar or bass is why Darrell remains one of the most sought after repair technicians in in the entire country!

musicians

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF PLAYERS I'VE WORKED FOR OVER THE YEARS, AT GIBSON & ESP

STEVE HOWE / YES

JEFF BECK

DAVE DAVIES / KINKS

THE MISFITS

BB KING

DAVID BYRNE

TED NUGENT

RICHIE FURAY / BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD

GENE CORNISH / THE RASCALS

VINNIE BELL

ROGER WATERS

WILLIE WEEKS / GEORGE HARRISON

GEORGE BENSON

KIRK HAMMETT / METALLICA

JAMES HETFIELD / METALLICA

NIGEL TUFNEL / SPINAL TAP

LADY GAGA

MICK JONES / FOREIGNER

TAL FARLOW / JAZZ LEGEND

GEORGE LYNCH / DOKKEN

ELLIOT EASTON / THE CARS

RIC OCASEK / THE CARS

ANDY HESS / BLACK CROWS / GOV'T MULE

ZEV KATZ / HALL & OATES

CITIZEN COPE

STEVE EARLE

JIMMY VIVINO / CONAN O'BRIEN

DANGER DANGER

SAIGON KICK

SHERYL CROW

PAT BERGESON / CHET ATKINS

PAT BUCHANAN / CYNDI LAUPER

THE FAB FAUX

FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE

MY MORNING JACKET

PAGE HAMILTON / HELMET

GODFREY TOWNSEND / JOHN ENTWISTLE

WARREN HAINES

STEVE KHAN

THE PRETENDERS

WAYNE PEDZWATER

MARLON GRAVES

LARRY SALTZMAN

ALAN SCHWARTZ

CHARLEY DRAYTON

DAVID BOWIE

TREY GUNN / KING CRIMSON

JOAN JETT

AEROSMITH

GUNS 'N' ROSES

DENNIS COFFEY / MOTOWN

THE HEARTBREAKERS

THE STOOGES

AVERAGE WHITE BAND

RONNY DRAYTON

IVAN ELIAS / SCANDAL

JOHN CONTE

STEVE CONTE

CHRIS PALMARO

BUDDY GUY

SIMON & GARFUNKEL BAND

PAT MARTINO

BOB DYLAN'S BAND

KERRY KING / SLAYER

JAKE E. LEE / BADLANDS

GREG CHAISSON / BADLANDS

BRUCE KULICK / KISS

SEAN LENNON

MARK HUDSON / RINGO'S BAND

EARL SLICK / BOWIE

MORRIS DAY & the TIME

SPYRO GYRA

KEVIN QUINN

KIRK DOUGLAS / THE ROOTS

BOB QUINE

MARC RIBOT

KENNY BRESCIA

PAUL PESCO / MADONNA

CHRIS CAMOZZI / MICHAEL BOLTON

WARREN MCRAE / TINA TURNER

TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS

GLEN TILBROOK / SQUEEZE

VERNON REID / LIVING COLOUR

MUZZ SKILLINGS

KIEFER SUTHERLAND

DON CICCONE / THE FOUR SEASONS

AL DIMEOLA / RETURN TO FOREVER

KINGS OF LEON

THURSDAY

DAMON LA SCOTT / MEATLOAF

ARCTIC MONKEY

CHRIS SCIANNI

RICH FUSCO

MY MORNING JACKET

NETTO/UNCLE FLOYD SHOW

OZ NOY

JOE PISCOPO

JAMIE MCLEAN

MARK BOSCH / IAN HUNTER

Find out more

TESTIMONIALS

" DARRELL GILBERT'S SKILLS AS A

LUTHIER AND GUITAR TECHNICIAN

WERE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF ESP'S

SUCCESS AND CONTRIBUTED

TO OUR REPUTATION AS A

MANUFACTURER OF QUALITY

ELECTRIC GUITARS. DARRELL'S WORK

AS QUALITY CONTROL OF

INSTRUMENTSFOR ESP CUSTOMERS

AND ARTISTS, INCLUDING METALLICA

AND MANY OTHERS, IS HIGHLY

REGARDED AND GREATLY RESPECTED

IN AN INDUSTRY THAT DEMANDS

PRECISION AND EXCELLENCE"

MATT MASCIANDARO

PRESIDENT & CEO

THE ESP GUITAR CO

website

" DARRELL DOES THE BEST SETUPS "

STEVE HOWE

YES

" DARRELL, I CANNOT BEGIN TO TELL

YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE WHAT YOU

DID TO MY GUITAR. AS SOON AS I

OPENED THE CASE I SMELLED AN OLD

FAMILIAR SCENT.

WHEN I PLAYED IT, I HAD A RUSH OF

MEMORIES, ALTHOUGH , I HAVE TO SAY,

IT NEVER PLAYED AS EASY AS IT DOES NOW.

THIS WAS MY FIRST GUITAR, THE ONE

I LEARNED ON. I CANNOT TELL YOU

HOW GREAT IT IS TO HAVE IT BACK IN

THIS CONDITION. I WILL ALWAYS KEEP

IT LIKE IT IS NOW.

THANK YOU SO

MUCH "

JAMES DOLAN

PRESIDENT & CEO OF CABLEVISION

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

website

"IN NEW YORK CITY, DARRELL IS

GIBSON'S SECRET WEAPON "

MATT UMANOV

MATT UMANOV GUITARS

NYC, NEW YORK

"EQUAL PARTS HISTORIAN, SKILLED CRAFTSMAN, MAD

SCIENTIST, AND MUSIC LOVER, DARRELL BRINGS THE

RIGHT BALANCE OF PASSION, PERFECTIONISM, AND

PRACTICALITY TO HIS WORK. WHETHER IT'S FRET WORK,

NECK WORK, OR ELECTRONICS, HIS METICULOUS ATTENTION

TO DETAIL IS EXCEPTIONAL, AND HIS INTEGRITY AND HONESTY

ARE RARE AND REFRESHING."