First off, I have to admit I'm quite the pansy and I am terrified of needles & pain. This was my first tattoo I have ever gotten and before we showed up at Classic, we tried some others that were just horrible & the staff was very rude. Then we came over and met John and he was so nice from the start. All we did was walk in and he did our tattoos soon after.
We both got blink-182 tattoos and they turned out to be so awesome. John even played blink-182 music for me to calm my nerves. Every single person there was so friendly. I highly recommend this place and if I ever decide to get another tattoo I will definitely be back!
I got my first tattoo many MANY years ago at Classic, since then I've been back a few times either for myself or with others. Â Quality and friendliness/respect is always top notch no matter who is there and/or who does your piece.
Was back again the other day to get my 11th(?) and saw Matt. Â I brought a drawing I'd done and told him to tweak it to fit best with my other pieces and his style... turned out AMAZING!!! Â
High quality, very clean, nostalgic... you're treated honestly and like a friend and also with respect there. Â I've gone looking at other places and they just seem too trendy. Â Classic is just that, CLASSIC.
I could go on and on, but each tattoo experience is unique and what I find is that your own experience will be the judge. Â Trust all these great reviews and give Classic a try.
CHEERS!!!!
I got my tattoo done a while ago by Mikey. (forgive how late I am with this review) I am in love with it! The guy at the counter helped me out and the whole place was a great atmosphere. They all like to joke around and keep it fun which is always good. I am extremely satisfied with my tattoo and will be going back. :)
Review Source:This is my spot!! :) Joe is my artist, and I am very happy with his work, and the professionalism at this shop. I have had work done at other shops in OC, and this is the one i keep returning to. Its super clean, looks awesome inside, like a step back in time. There is original artwork from the old owner Eric Maaske R.I.P. and pictures to honor him. All of the guys here are top notch, very respectful, and kind. The one thing that really grinds my gears about a lot of "tattoo artists" i've met is that they have some kind of stick up their ass, and are too busy to talk to you. Thats not the case here, there is usually an apprentace or shopkeep, to greet you and answer any questions if an artist is busy working on a client.
My artist Joe, does quality, clean work, and is really quick. He outlined my whole back in about an hour, and it came out PERFECT. no crappy lines, all good, quality art. He's very courteous, and seems to genuinely care about what hes doing. That means a lot to me. and thats why I keep coming back. He's also quite funny and very amiable, which makes you just feel comfortable, even if he is inflicting pain :) I highly recommend him to my friends and family. He has done new work on my husband, and also fixed some really crappy work he has collected over the last 18 years. (dont start tattooing yourself at 15 kids)
Although, I havent been tattooed by any of the other artists in this shop, i have seen their work and it is all quality ink.
 IF YOU WANNA GET A TATTOO, COME HERE! :)
This was our first tattoo experience, We arrived like at 430pm on a Friday afternoon and were immediately greeted after we told the guy what we were looking to get he set us each up with an artist we went over the designs and the estimated cost our artists Mike and John were very professional about making sure our designs were perfect and sized right they set up their stations. We were very happy with the timeframe the overall experience and especially our designs they were very clean and friendly definitely can't wait to come back for the next one.
Review Source:First of all, I read some comments about John T. and how he was rude and blah blah blah... Obviously this shop is doing something right, because the majority of the ratings are 5 stars. I cannot imagine John doing this AT ALL and IF it did happen, I know he was not being serious. Second, if you have ever been in any tattoo shop, you can kinda get a vibe that things fly a little more freely than your "normal" conservative corporate office where some middle aged woman will sue you just for making eye contact. I know John because he has done a few tattoos on me that have come out AMAZING, not because I'm bias, but because random strangers young and old will grab my arm and compliment his work. His customer service, just like it was mentioned in the yelp comment, "Let me start by saying my experience with John was wonderful and he's a great talent..." (along with the rest of the guys there) has been awesome! They aren't your average cocky tattoo artists and you won't go in feeling intimidated. They're funny and will joke around because they're funny guys, but never insulting or offensive. Everyone I recommend to Classic has been 100% satisfied, and even they recommend them to other people. Don't let those negative comments change your mind about coming here. Go in, get a consultation and get a tattoo! :)
Review Source:Came on here with an appointment had to wait for the guy to set up but it was worth it. Bill did my tattoo and it came out better then I thought it could. He added his own touch to it and i love it. He was helpful and talked me out of getting the inside of my fingers tattooed cuz the tattoo fades away. To me this is a good place to get your first tattoo. Prices are fair and the dudes are super helpful! I'll be going back.
Review Source:generally very nice guys, very helpful and willing to answer my questions.
I came in a few weeks before hand to check out the store and general atmosphere (and make sure it was clean). Â I wanted to come here because I knew someone that went here for their own tattoos and loved the work. Anyways, I actually went in to set up the appointment/make a deposit and by chance, the guy I was recommended had time, so I just went for it
I had Joe and he was just wonderful. I gave him a sketch I had planned out as well as prints/examples of my "inspiration" (my tattoo was based off one of my favorite designers/illustrators) as reference. Since I had the basic outline done, I think it helped him work a little faster because it only took him maybe 10-15 minutes to draw out. (of course, his sketch was much better than mine) He asked me how I liked it, about the size (bigger or smaller), etc. which is pretty standard (or I would hope so), but was very nice and genuinely seemed like he wanted to make sure every thing was perfect
Anyways, when he actually started, Joe made sure I was comfortable and made sure to ask (again) that the tattoo was in the right place and that everything was good. He also mentioned that if I needed any breaks to let him know and that it would not be a problem. I didn't take any breaks and considering that my tattoo had a good amount of details, he finished it in about 45-60 minutes... which was impressive because the last place I went to took about 2 hours and took about 3-4 smoke breaks (and my last one wasn't even that detailed.. but was a lot of shading, I'll give them that). Anyways, I loved the way it turned out! The lines were clean, the details precise, and overall very happy with it. :)
Other things:
- Was willing to work with my budget (asked if I had a set price in mind)
- I didn't realize it was Cash Only, so they let me run to the ATM afterwards, which I thought was really cool
- I definitely tipped because I was very happy with everything
- Parking lot in back
Although most of what happened is how tattoo shops should be (pretty standard stuff), it was their attitudes that made a big difference! super chill guys, willing to work with you, genuinely nice and appreciative, (again) place is clean/sterile, etc.
I've gone to Classic for 6 out of 7 of my tattoos and I've always been impressed with the result. Â They are by far the best tattoo shop in all of Fullerton and all of Orange County. Â I recommend everyone go here. I recently got a portrait done by Tom and within five minutes of leaving the shop I already had multiple people stop and admire it. Â Words cannot even express how good their work is. Every tattoo I've ever gotten by them is top quality. Â They're all super professional and have never made me feel uncomfortable. Â Basically they're amazing.
Review Source:I been meaning to write this review since 2 years ago well let me just tell you who ever rates this tattoo parlor a 2 or 3 star you must be nuts this parlor deserve a 5. I had read the reviews before getting my first tattoo and I had a high expectation and It was met some and more the artist are very professional and the atmosphere is really mellow since this was my first tattoo I was sooo nervous and excited and when entering this shop I was set at easy with the easy going attitude. I had gone in for a four inch by four inch tattoo at the side of my left hip since it was my first time every getting a tattoo, the artist was there to calm me down if i was nervous the whole experience was so great my tattoo artist was so easy to talk to and the other artists were funny but still kept it professional my tattoo came out awesome! It did not hurt as much as I thought it would and over all just a really good experience I would highly recommend this tattoo parlor to others! Thank you Classic Tattoo Parlor you made my first tattoo experience memorable and a great one and I absolutely love my tattoo :)
Review Source:I was supposed to go to a tattoo shop down the street but they were all booked for the day and I was in a tattoo mood and wanted to get this tattoo done for my birthday this weekend. I was already in Downtown Fullerton so my best friend and I walked down to Classic Tattoo and now I'm really glad I ended up there.
John  did my tattoo and he was super awesome. I showed him what I wanted...simple black tattoo with a blue border. Turned out the blue border wasn't the BEST way to go but instead of just turning it down or being rude, like other tattoo artists have been to me, he came up with an alternative. He set up quickly, had everything clean and perfect. When the positioning of the stencil was too low on my back, he just fixed it super quickly and had it in the perfect spot in no time.
The tattoo was done so fast, which made me a little nervous because all my other tattoos have taken forever, but he did a high quality job, the tattoo is super dark and the blue shading is awesome. He had a light hand, the pain I did feel was nothing compared to my others and he has good concentration and he's good about making sure you're comfortable and okay.
One thing that impressed me was the respect I got from all the employees there. I'm young and female and I love getting me some nerd tattoos (I have three Harry Potter, this one was a Star Wars) but these guys don't pass judgement, they're just there to give you a great tattoo.
Definitely loved the shop, prices were pretty reasonable, not the cheapest, but you pay for what you're going to get and I'm really happy with my tattoo. John is a good guy to go to, super nice, reasonable and talented...most likely coming back to him to get my next tattoos. I definitely recommend coming here, not your usual tattoo shop, I was treated with a TON of respect.
WARNING! If there's parking in the lot behind the shop and the back door is open, think twice before entering OR asking politely if you can "go on through." Â What you'll get in return is what APPEARS to be a friendly, grinning, John Troeller saying, "Naw, I don't think so". You'll probably kid with him, or so you'll think he's kidding because what he's not saying through his smile is, "I'm sorry it's against store policy to have clients come in through the back". Â You'll only know he's not kidding when you start walking around to the front and have him slam the door on our backside as he yells, "On 2nd thought, I'm not gonna do your tattoo!" You'll stand there shaking your head saying, "What the ...?" I went in support of my sister-n-law, who by the way is an absolute sweetheart. Â We, along with another friend, stood out front in amazement not knowing if it was all joke. Â But because my sister-n-law was so excited and had been looking forward to this all week, I went in, giving them the benefit of the doubt that it was all a joke. Â I was SO embarrassed when I walked in. To sum it up, I was told to "get the "f" out and that they didn't want to "hear anything from me." Â NOTE TO THE OWNER: Â Invest in a sign for the back door that reads, "PLEASE USE FRONT ENTRANCE". This should eliminate the rudeness and possibly make the shop a more profitable. (I'm sure we weren't the first nor will we be the last.)
Review Source:I had an appointment at the shop tonite at 7:30 with John Troeller for my second tattoo with him as my artist. Let me start by saying my first experience with John was wonderful and he's a great talent; however, tonite something went horribly wrong and I just can't understand it. I arrived at 7:30 pm sharp with my sister in law, as moral support (by the way, we are two mild mannered, conservative women in our late 40's - totally harmless), we parked in the back parking lot of the shop and the back door was open. We walked three steps into the back of the shop and I immediately saw John who began to walk towards us. We asked if it was o.k. to come through the back. John and another shop employee playfully (or what we thought was playful) started telling us "no, you can't come this way with grins on their faces". Â We both thought they were joking so we were joking back. "Aww, come on guys", etc. This conversation went on for a minute or two until I told my sister in law, "let's just go around to the front.". We walked out and as soon as we did, John yelled out the door, "you know what? It's over, no tattoo" and slammed the door shut. We stood shocked in the parking lot for a few minutes debating if they were joking or serious. Â My sister in law decided to go back in through the front to determine which was the case and all I heard was yelling by one of the artists (not sure if it was John or another) "get the "F" out". Â This was so unprofessional and so uncalled for we are both stunned. I understand if there is a store policy that customers are not to enter through the back entrance, but that could have and SHOULD have.been communicated in a more professional manner. I'm so disappointed!
Review Source:After going to a different shop to get a small tattoo and was turned away, I came to Classic Tattoo. I feel like they are a Fullerton staple, everyone knows where and who they are. I probably should've just gone there first, would've saved some gas. Anyways, I tell them what I want, we discuss price, I go to the ATM because of course their CC machine isn't working and we get started (down 1 star). Mike did my tattoo, which seriously took less than 10 minutes. I am usually pretty intimidated by tattoo artists because they are normally jerks, but not Mike, he was great. I will definitely go to him for any future tattoos. My only issue was that I thought the price was a little high. Like I mentioned, it took less than 10 minutes, I brought what I wanted, so they just had to copy and stencil it. It's two small words, which are less than 3 inches long. I thought $80 was a little much, but who knows, maybe the prices of tattoos have gone up since my last one. Oh well, either way I love it and couldn't be happier with how it turned out.
Review Source:I decided to get another tattoo to celebrate my daughter's 10 birthday. Â I had a general idea what I wanted but not being an artist I felt I could get the shop I picked to put my thoughts on paper. Â Did my research on Yelp and got down to Future and Classic. Â I went to Future and frankly they had no interest in helping me and basically said to come back when I had it drawn. Â Feeling like an idiot, I went home, found some basic ideas on google, took them into Classic and got a 180 degree different attitude. Â I was asked what it was about, where I wanted it, how big, etc. Â Set an appt. for Saturday and had it done by Mike Taylor. Â Great job! Â Gabe did a great job with the artwork as well. Â Great people, nice shop and freindly. Â Not the cheapest but who wants the cheapest? Â You get what you pay for. Â This is a throw back to what tattoo shops are supposed to be. Â I would recommend it to anyone.
Review Source:I had a tattoo done by John on 2/25/11. I can honestly say it was done to perfection. John did an amazing job and I will be going back to him for the rest of my work. I have about 5 others and I will not be going to anyone else. The music was just right not to crazy. The place was sterile and I was at ease knowing this was the perfect place for my Mothers tattoo to be done. I recommend this to anyone who wants a perfect piece.
Review Source:I'm an old school Classic Tattoo customer, going way back to when Charly Moore owned it. (Eric bought it from Charly) He did the half sleeve that I have on my left arm. It took him four hours in the first sitting and then five hours to finish it up. I also have some other work done by two other guys, but they are no longer there.
My friends and I have always liked this place. Very clean, good music playing, nice people working there, and they are always willing to try to fit you in. Charly spent a lot of time on my arm. I had part of it that had to be incorporated in there, but I let him design the rest of it. I was so amazed at his drawing that we didn't even change anything on it. Very impressive artist! (Anyone know where he is now, after leaving the Upland Classic Tattoo?)
I'd recommend this place to anyone looking for their first tattoo or their last.
Classic Tattoo is great. I get my tattoos done by John Troeller. The whole shop is awesome though. Great guys, lots of history there, always helpful and friendly and will actually talk to you. They don't act all snobby like alot of other shops. Just go in with alot of ideas or pictures to reference and they will help you out with your tattoo. Fair prices too. Shop minimum is $60 or maybe $80. Most guys, for a big piece, are about $100 an hour.
Review Source:Great shop. Clean, beautifully decorated with vintage stuff. My artist is Gabe Munoz- an amazing artist with fair prices. Located in nice part of downtown Fullerton. Park in the lot to the left of the shop.
P.S. I highly recommend eating @ Angelo & Vinci's across the street after you get some ink!
I chose this place for my second tattoo because I didn't want to drive all the way to Pasadena to get a simple black & white. The place is clean and has a nice interior setting but it didn't have the people to match it. All the tattoo artists were men and were all probably having a shitty day or something, I don't know. Nonetheless, I wanted my tattoo right there and then so I went in for it. The dude that was in charge of my tattoo was pretty young and friendly and he talked to me occasionally as he repeatedly stabbed a needle into my hip. When I was done, I absolutely loved how it turned out! My tattoo is about 6 inches in width and he charged me a flat $100. It was fairly easy to do so it wasn't too expensive. Sadly, when the time comes for me to get a 3rd tattoo, I'll be doing better research on Yelp (I didn't know about it then) Â for a really good tattoo place.
Review Source:I had a couple of tattoos done here. I've travelled to alot of places and have tattoos from various cities. A friend of mine took me here a few years ago when I came to visit her. Frank did a great job on my elephant... the shading is awesome!
I actually moved to this area and looked Frank up again since I thought he did such a great job. This time he did my family crest. It's kinda strange but I was watching him and he did a great black and white and thought he could not do better and was thinking he was going to stop at anytime. I kept wondering what he was going to do next, to make the crest look even better. He just kept at it and trusting him to do a good job, he kept shading and it's such an amazing tattoo. I am so glad I've come here for both.
I'm still thinking of what's next. My 1/2 sleeves are not finished but since each tattoo represents something in my life, I'm just waiting for some good idea or picture to come to mind. He's definately the guy I'm going to for my next one! And the next one after that.
I thought everyone knew this but, with all the competition cropping up in downtown, I thought I'd take a moment to commend Classic Tattoo on not only being the friendliest shop in town but, also being the shop with the most history. This place is O.G. Fullerton!!!
If you guys don't know about Eric Maaske, look it up. Also, the place is like a mini-museum for tattoo history so you can just cruise in and take a look, if you're in the area.
My artist, who I've know for years, is John Troeller. Seriously, the nicest and most sincere tattoo artist that I ever met.
So, in conclusion, please go get inked at Classic by any of the talented artists because, we need to make OC a more beautiful place.
I got a tattoo here about a year ago...I originally had an appointment at Future Tattoo, and when I showed up for my appointment, they said "Oh, we forgot to call you and tell you he had to reschedule." Well, that really pissed me off and I was in "tattoo mode" and also because I had driven 30 miles. So I drove into downtown Fullerton because I knew there was a lot of places around there, and stumbled upon Classic Tattoo. Since it was a Friday night and I did not have an appointment, I had to wait about 45 minutes until I got in the tattoo chair, but it was totally worth the wait. My artist was John Troeller...he did SUCH an amazing job. It was just an all-black tattoo, about 5"x5" on my lower back. I was so impressed by the detail of the tattoo and the speed in which he finished it. Now, I am going back to him tomorrow to get my 3rd tattoo! I can't wait! DEFINITELY recommend the place--and see John! I've had some friends who have gone to him and have all been extremely happy with their results. I don't really know if it was priced high or low...I think my tattoo was around $200...average, right? 5 stars!! :)
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