Sims Custom Shop has a rating of 4.72 stars from 136 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. Reviewers satisfied with Sims Custom Shop most frequently mention paint job, guitar body, and customer service. Sims Custom Shop ranks 2nd among Guitars sites.
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This is my 2nd guitar that Pat painted for me and the finished work is just as incredible as the first one he did 9 months ago which was for my ESP LTD EC 1000. The gold paint Pat uses is way more gorgeous than the gold paint most manufacturers use on their guitars! I also had this ceramic coated which I highly recommend if you want a more scratch resistant guitar. I'll be posting a 2nd review once I get the hardware and new pickups installed. Even though this did take more time than the ESP, this was totally worth the wait! The fact that this looks way more perfect than most guitar finishes that I've seen that come straight from the factory, you can tell Pat poured his heart and soul into this perfect masterpiece he made for me and I couldn't be more grateful to work with an awesome guy like Pat and I plan to continue to work with him on future projects to come!
As many have stated, the quality of work is not an issue, but as many have stated, the customer service, communication, misdirection, lies, and turnaround time is absolutely an issue. I had to open a formal complaint with PayPal to reverse payment which is the only thing that motivated him to contact me - and when he did reach out, he was ridiculously contentious, and unprofessional. I will NEVER work with this shop again. Buyer beware, you've been warned! The BBB should shut this shop down.
This is my 2nd guitar that Pat painted for me and the finished work is just as incredible as the first one he did 9 months ago which was for my ESP LTD EC 1000. The gold paint Pat uses is way more gorgeous than the gold paint most manufacturers use on their guitars! I also had this ceramic coated which I highly recommend if you want a more scratch resistant guitar. I'll be posting a 2nd review once I get the hardware and new pickups installed. Even though this did take more time than the ESP, this was totally worth the wait! The fact that this looks way more perfect than most guitar finishes that I've seen that come straight from the factory, you can tell Pat poured his heart and soul into this perfect masterpiece he made for me and I couldn't be more grateful to work with an awesome guy like Pat and I plan to continue to work with him on future projects to come!
I've been wanting an ESP LTD EC 1000 Deluxe in a gold metallic finish for quite some time but sadly ESP never came out with this model in that particular color. Sims Custom Shop made my dream guitar become reality! The EC 1000 Deluxe I owned was in a purple flamed maple finish. Pat from Sims Custom Shop was able to refinish my whole guitar in a beautiful gold metallic finish and repaint the entire body and headstock front to back and also painted the back of the neck as well! The phenomenal hardwork he put into this masterpiece made this guitar look like it came straight from the factory! I'm in love with this beautiful guitar and I honestly have nothing but great things to say about Pat. He's very understanding, he's as friendly as can be, he's easy to work with, and will go the extra mile to make sure any guitar that gets sent to his shop gets sent out a masterpiece. If you're wondering if I would use Sims Custom Shop services again, I already have another guitar lined up for another paint job service pretty soon! You Rock Pat!
Fantastic work = I had a Stratocaster painted a Fender custom shop color that is extremely hard to find the paint for: Pat was extremely knowledgeable and answered all my questions, & matched paint to my pictures. When I received the Guitar back, I was blown away at how exactingly perfect the paint was, it was exactly what I wanted! And clearly the nicest paint job on any guitar I've ever owned. Already planning my next project paint job for Sims! Highly recommended if you want the very best!
Products used:
Guitar
I had Sims paint a guitar gold for me, and I'm astonished at the finish. I've owned so many guitars and I can honestly say this paint job is better than any factory paint job I've ever seen. It's a time consuming process but the end result is well worth the wait. I plan on having my Les Paul painted next. Patrick is a very talented man, and if they gave a grammy for painting guitars he deserves one.
Tip for consumers:
Be patient. Good work takes time.
Products used:
Paint services.
As a customer that has done business with Pat, I'd like to review Pat's business from two dimensions... Quality of work, and customer responsiveness. Had this review been solely about one or the other, the ratings would be drastically different. But as for quality of work? Pat's work on my instrument was absolutely flawless. I could see the outcome of an artisan that fusses over every aspect of a project in order to turn out a guitar that surpasses his customer's expectation... But that may account for the other dimension of Pat's business: The customer responsiveness. My Music Man Sting Ray bass repaint project was quoted as taking an estimated 14 weeks to finish, when in reality I waited nine months to receive it. What I found most objectionable about this was either non-responsiveness to my follow-ups on progress, or what seemed to be more than one make-believe commitment that it would be going out but never did. Pat ultimately did ship it back to me when it met his quality standard. My take on Pat is that he is a very talented guy who doesn't charge enough for his excellent work, so he takes in as much business as he can, and most likely aware that he is unable to ship work out as fast as work comes in. I'd love to see him do something about this, and for him to understand that a guitar is a precious, personal thing, and people soon develop anxiety that they are never going to see their instrument again, and that they have been ripped off. I do not believe Pat is a dishonest man. I believe he is a superb craftsman that cannot keep up with the demand his business model requires. So... My separate rating for Pat is as follows... Quality - 5 Stars. Customer responsiveness - 1 Star. I would recommend Pat to a potential customer only after making sure they were aware that the project could take months longer than expected.
Tip for consumers:
Expect a very long turnaround time. The estimates are arbitrary.
Products used:
Guitar repainting service
Patrick did a remarkable job. I had originally wanted a "relic" look and sent him a reference photo. He called me to give his honest opinion about how it might look compared to the photo of a heavy relic. I was compelled to change to a different plan. I found a photo online and sent it to him. Wishing minutes, he identified the color & we were off. Patrick told me it would take 1-3 months to get it done -- he had it done in a matter of days! It looks incredible, I am very happy with my decision. Patrick was great to work with, a real pro.
Today I received from Sims Custom Shop my newly painted Jazz Master guitar body. The Root Beer Kandie Paint is beautiful, the paint has great depth, and more than I could have ever expected. I was even sent photos after it was painted which is great. The timeline estimate provided when I sent my guitar in was met and it was packaged to ensure it arrived un-damaged. The guitar will make an awesome addition and the first with custom paint. I've include a couple of photos below.
Knew I wanted a custom finish by Pat based on the quality of his previous work shown on his website and instagram but was unsure of what to choose. Pat spent a lot of time with me over the phone figuring out the bands and guitarists that I was into and from those conversations we decided to go with a Edward Van Halen famous photo that really looks sensational! Above and beyond customer service along with state of the art craftsmanship, I'll definitely be back for more!
I reached out to Pat for a very specific color, and he talked me through what is needed to obtain it. I learned a lot in the process, especially how colors can be perceived given the light and white balance of lighting, The body came in yesterday and its pretty spectacular. The Flamed maple top has many different shades of darkness which compliments the lighter Turquoise finish that was intended.
Pat did an amazing job on my warmouth strat body. Very knowledgeable and professional! He finished faster than anticipated, and did great work. Thank you!
Products used:
Guitar painting
Sims is hands down the best I have seen in the business, top quality work on my custom Twin Tower Les Paul
Thanks Pat
As many have stated, the quality of work is not an issue, but as many have stated, the customer service, communication, misdirection, lies, and turnaround time is absolutely an issue. I had to open a formal complaint with PayPal to reverse payment which is the only thing that motivated him to contact me - and when he did reach out, he was ridiculously contentious, and unprofessional.
I will NEVER work with this shop again. Buyer beware, you've been warned! The BBB should shut this shop down.
Pat recently painted a guitar for me and it's absolutely beautiful. Would recommend 10 out of 10 tens.
Well, it took around nine months (was quoted eight weeks) and the body was finally completed and shipped back. The end result is fantastic — I couldn't be happier with the quality, color and craftsmanship. But, I just can't get over the fact that it took so dang long. I could have understood an extra three or four weeks given everything that's going on, but after month four I assumed it was a loss. An honest estimate could have spared a lot of frustration. The problem is most people will not accept waiting almost a year to have a guitar painted. I really hope Sims can figure this out because the guitar looks incredible.
I sent my one-of-a-kind prototype body to Sims based on the quality of work I was seeing on Instagram. I prepaid $350 based on his requirement and shipped the body to him. He promised a six to eight week turnaround. It's been over eight months now and he's no longer responding to my emails or correspondence. At the end of the day, I'll be out almost a grand on this project. I wish I'd read these reviews first.
A Kubicki Ex Factor electric bass customer came to us, Philip Kubicki, LLC, requesting one of Sims Custom Shop's shifting pearl finishes. We sent Patrick an unpainted body and what came back is exactly what the customer wanted - and it is gorgeous! Beautiful job, professionally done and completed when promised.
Sims does absolutely beautiful work! After finding him online and a quick email, i was promptly called. Patrick answered all my questions and before taking any payment, he made sure he knew exactly what I wanted.
Beautiful work, great service, and awesome communication through the whole process!
Pat's work is nothing short of incredible. The results stand for themselves and cannot be denied. What I think leads to his work being so good is that he truly cares about the process and the results. He worked with me on what I wanted and discussed many details before committing to a plan. My guitar came out BETTER than I expected. You can tell he has passion for seeing your dream realized by his hands. Don't hesitate to entrust your axe with him, you cannot be disappointed.
I sent Pat this 1990 Horrible Pink American Standard Telecaster Body I purchased on E-Bay to Pat for restoration. Pat did a fantastic Job. The Body was very ruff. I think someone had attempted to Relic It but all they did was mess it up. I am very pleased with the awesome job Pat and his staff did to bring this American Classic back to life. I highly Recommend them for all of your guitar refinish needs!
Pat found me a ridiculously specific Rolls Royce color at my request and did a spectacular satin paint job.
Cannot recommend highly enough for anyone looking to get something unique done at a professional level.
Products used:
Painting Service
I can not say enough good things about Sims Custom Shop. The quality is top notch and the attention to detail is second to none.
The guitar I sent Patrick was not in the best of condition. It had a previous paint job on it which was very thick, wavy, and rough. He did a phenomenal job working through all these difficulties and kept me in the loop during the whole process taking the time to explain to me his approach as well as get my feedback.
The job took a bit longer than initially quoted but I'm sure this is due to the high volume of work Patrick has. For quality this good, it was well worth the wait.
Its getting way past the expected time on a body I sent to be painted. Communication was great before I sent the body... and payment... not so great since. I've been dread to attempt to bother Pat with questions but this is getting ridiculous. If it wasn't a carefully chosen 30 year old piece of wood I'd cut my losses and move on. I will gladly update this review if I ever get the body back. At this point I don't even care if its painted.
I commissioned Patrick Sims to refinish a 1989 Ibanez RG 760 in a very unique color. Ibanez used a finish in 1989 that they called "dark gray." In all actuality it's really a cross between copper and gray. Mr. Sims was able to match the color to perfection bringing the guitar back to its former glory. I am incredibly impressed with the quality of the work and I would recommend Mr. Sims to anyone who is looking for next level custom work!
After almost 3 yrs I finally got my guitar back. Pat gave me a call and explained everything to me and also his solution to his problem. After being on the phone for a while I was satisfied with his explanation. I can never fault him with his work as he does amazing work. His Isaura was time management and customer service which he both addressed and gave solutions. I am satisfied with the work
Products used:
Guitar painted
Someone contacted me when I sent another follow up and said they just started working with sims and is replying to e-mails, this is the follow up e-mail I got.
I checked on it for you today. They have the body painted & clear coated, but needs to be sanded, buffed and polished. The headstock has been painted and the logo applied, but needs to be clear coated.
That was a month ago, been following up since then and still no news. Really bad customer service and still no guitar.
Products used:
Custom guitar work
I have been trying to contact Pat Sims for the past month without any reply. I sent my guitar back in April 2019. I have been patient for waiting for it since I was told it would take 6-8 months. Well it's almost 2yrs and haven't received it yet. Last I heard from him he said that it was done and would be shipping out. This was last month, I asked if he had pictures and said he hasn't taken any. Since then I've been e-mailing and texting him. It looks like he blocked my number too. I have already prepaid for the work so he can't say I haven't paid. I have been understanding for the past year and a half but now it's getting ridiculous, I don't mind the wait as long as I am being updated to the status of my guitar.
If you want quality work,using only quality materials on your project Patrick Sims is the guy! From start to finish, I can't brag enough about how I was treated.
Products used:
Paint and custom refinish services
Pat is a pleasure to work with and his work is flawless. He's honest with his lead times and communicates when there are issues. His prices are fair and he is clear with expectations. If you need a professional finish and a professional experience, Sims Custom Shop is your choice.
The work the Pat does is incredible! The effort and care he puts into his work is apparent when your guitar arrives back in your hands. The worst part was the wait since he has so much work... but it was well worth it. If you're not in a big rush and you want top quality work, go with Sims Custom Shop to have your guitar refinished.
Tip for consumers:
N/a
Products used:
N/a
The Guitar Refinishing and Painting Custom Shop. Specializing in factory quality guitar finishes and restorations.
This was completed & sent back within days of this review, but he never came back to update his review... this is also 1 of 2 bodies he sent, the second of which he received about a month prior to this review which he didn’t mention.
The wood was old reclaimed wood from a pier, so it was a bit time consuming of a job due to the roughness of the wood and him wanting a smooth & slick final finish.