Ace Custom Tattooing

Ace Custom Tattoo is A #1 in Charlotte. Over the past 4 years I’ve gotten 6 tattoos by 3 different artists there. Rodney Raines has done 4 in various different styles, Chris Stuart is awesome with traditional and lettering, and Lil Tommy can put your thoughts into the art you are looking for. I’m now trying to think of my next tattoo that Mikey Holmes can put on me. A great addition to the shop. One of the best compliments I’ve ever received is to have other tattooers tell me what great work I have. Thanks Ace!

In two days I got a full sleeve from Chris Stuart. Had to book a while in advance but it was worth it!

I’ve been going here for almost ten years now! I live out of state now, and still get work done by Rodney when possible. Ace is where its at!

My husband and I really did our homework before making an appointment but it was pretty obvious that Ace’s is definitely the best place in Charlotte to get a tattoo. Hundreds of trophy’s and awards line the walls of the shop showcasing their talent. After checking out the portfolios we decided to make an appointment with Chansler two weeks later.
When we went in for our appointment, Chansler already had my husband’s tattoo stenciled out. He did an amazing job and every detail was immaculate.
Chansler designed my tattoo based on some pictures I’d shown him and completely captured exactly what I wanted. He added so much detail that I’d never even considered and I am incredibly happy to say the least. Not to mention, he doesn’t charge extra for his custom designs!
I’d recommend anyone to Ace’s and would definitely ask for Chansler. I can’t wait to schedule my next tattoo!

By chance I was able to walk into the shop and get tattooed by Lil’ Tommy. He was hilarious and I had a lot of fun. He made it easy to sit through the tattoo, AND he gave me a great price. I was in and out in less than an hour. I love my tattoo, it is now my favorite one, and will definitely come back again.
Hi apprentice was cool too! :)

Best artists in Charlotte, NC, southeast. I don’t know what else to say. The talent here is ridiculous. They book out months ahead of time. Chris Stuart travels the world tattooing and never fails to execute with line work and his american traditional styles. He and skinny will blow your mind with their talent. It’s talent, it can’t be taught. its just natural born talent.

What I’m about to say, I mean with all of the gravitas you can take away from it.
I want Tommy to go steady with me, tattoo-​artist-​my-​body-​is-​your-​canvas-​style. I live 6 hours away, and I will be going to only Tommy for all of my tattoos. Period. His artistic eye is perfect, his skill is amazing, and he can interpret your less-​than-​clear wants and needs and mind-​read you to create exactly what you want.
They were super friendly, very sweet and helpful, and I want Judy to adopt me, if she’s looking for 30-​year old kids.
I’ve been around the tattoo block quite a few times in DC and Richmond, and I have never been in a shop that was more welcoming and fun.

Just got my first ink last night and could not have dreamt of a better experience! Lil’ Tommy was the artist who worked on me — he was very honest and knowledgeable about his art. I wanted some word tattoos and he took extra time to redraw them by hand to avoid bleeding in the future. His renditions were BEAUTIFUL! way better than any flash font I was looking at.
He was very patient with me (I was worried about the pain) and was super sweet and kind during the process. I am completely in love with the tattoos — he went above and beyond my expectations. Lil’ Tommy was very helpful in telling me how to care for them and charged me what i felt was a very very fair price (I was honestly expecting to pay double considering the time he took to draw them out, etc.) Today everyone commented how great they looked — no yucky bleeding/​bruising/​puffiness. Everyone at Ace was professional, nice, easy going. And Lil’ Tommy was the icing on the cake! Already have 2 more in mind, and I wouldn’t dream of going to anyone else!
**Be sure to have seriously considered what you want and make an appointment — these guys are professionals and artists — they aren’t going to put a BS tat on some drunk a**hole. You will probably have to wait for an appointment, but it is DEFINITELY worth it!

ACE is the best shop in Charlotte, hands down — the best group of guys anyone could ever ask for. Diverse specialties and serious professionals in their craft. Not to mention, just a great, honest bunch of guys who are always helpful, friendly, patient, and fun to talk to. However, this place is NOT for for the fly-​by-​night pick something off the wall kind of crowd. They DO have flash, but why would you chose flash when you have such a skilled group of artists at your disposal to craft a custom piece? So, definitely GO to ACE, but take your time, decide what you want, call ahead to schedule an appointment, and be prepared to wait a little while until you can get in. BUT it will be worth the wait, worth the money, and worth your while…

Ace came highly recommended by several sources so I decided to go and get my first tattoo done. Lil’ Tommy was the artist that worked with me. He was very patient with me (I kept changing my mind) and he kept it real with respect to my expectations. His honest attitude was refreshing. Am very happy with the end result and plan to go back when I’m ready for another one.

I had a «tramp stamp» I needed covered up, but I didn’t know if it would be possible because it was rather large and colorful. Chad at Ace worked with me patiently to give me exactly what I wanted. He did an amazing job and I wouldn’t go anywhere else in Charlotte.

I drove nine hours from Indiana to be tattooed by Rodney Raines. That alone should tell you that this shop has a reputation for being one of the best in the business. It is as clean as a doctor’s office and like someone else said, these guys are not divas. They’re funny, smart and above all, talented at their craft. Rodney reworked and colored in my koi half-​sleeve over a period of six hours and never ran out of patience or things to talk about and one of the other guys, who doesn’t drink, gave my boyfriend a six-​pack of craft beer.
I don’t think this place is particularly pricey, but I’m also willing to put a good amount of money down on a work of art, and that’s what you’ll get at Ace.
Rodney does admit to being slow at getting back to people, but stay persistent. He doesn’t get (outwardly!) annoyed and will accommodate you any way he can. While I can’t go there every time I want a new tattoo (what with gas prices, travel time and overnight stays), Rodney will be the only one I ever go to for big projects. I can’t wait to go back there this winter and get my other sleeve done.

Clean, knowledgeable, professional and talented. Everything I’d want in a tattoo shop. Got my tattoo from Rodney and I couldn’t have asked for better. Not only is he an extremely talented artist, he made sitting through a four hour session a breeze (Well, as much of a breeze as having needles rapidly inserted into your skin can be). I wouldn’t hesitate to go back when I get my next tattoo.

Rodney R is one of the best Tattoo Artist hands down. He is very careful with what he does and truly does show the passion in his work. Only reason I have gone to other places is because I usually just do a last minute session and it is hard to do that at one of the best and most popular tattoo facilities in the Carolinas.
The only thing that needs work on is the quick responsiveness to customer service.
I sent my Dad to them to get some work done and no one helped him for 30 mins so he went to another place :(

I am a total tattoo snob. I earned the right… I wrote a book about tattoos and edited a tattoo magazine for a couple of years. The tattoo artist who finished the Medusa on my arm lives in Houston, Texas, but that was ok with me because he was one of the only people who could do my Medusa the way I wanted it.
There are few people in Charlotte who I’d let touch me with a needle, and almost all of them work at Ace. Some say that Ace is a little pricey, but you get what you pay for… cheaper places with quicker turnaround times are faster and cheaper for a reason… they are sucky.
I got tattooed today by Chris Stuart, and he was awesome. He’s got great bedside manner, which is kind of rare in tattoo artists, who can kind of be divas sometimes. He drew the traditional-​style rose right on me, and then he started lining and filling it in. The tattoo is on my wrist, which is a pretty painful spot, but Chris was gentle as a lamb with the shading…
I had to plan my tattoo a month in advance to be able to get an appointment with him, but it was absolutely worth it. You won’t get better traditional work in Charlotte. All the others folks at Ace are first-​rate artists as well, and Rodney Raines, the shop’s owner and frontman, is one of the best-​known names in the industry.
The shop is clean and professional, and their customer service speaks for itself. When you walk in the front door, check out the trophies in the window to the left. I also recommend skipping the flash section and letting one of the Ace guys draw something custom for you. Don’t miss the chance to get your own beautiful art!

Chris Stuart at Ace Custom is nothing but tattooing perfection. His art and skill is untouchable (other than by Rodney and Lil’ Tommy!). The shop is a little small but don’t let that stop you. If your going to have someone permanent you only want the best and these guys are the best.