Repairs & Restorations
Do you have a problem with your guitar, bass or ukulele?
- Is it more difficult to play than it was?
- Does it sound dull and lifeless?
- Do some chords just not sound right?
- Are the frets lifting or worn?
- Did you damage it recently?
Service and adjustment (Basic Setup)
- Examine and measure existing setup.
- Clean fingerboard and body, remove and oil truss-rod adjuster (if possible)
- Check frets level, polish frets and fingerboard.
- Examine nut and saddle for wear.
- Check tuners, tighten fasteners and clean and oil if required.
- Restring, adjust neck-relief, set action at nut and saddle as required. Adjust bridge/saddles and set intonation (electrics)
- Typical cost £30 - £60 + strings.
Professional Setup (including fret-dress)
When checking a guitar, I frequently find that the frets need attention before any adjustments become worthwhile. It is not unusual for frets to be uneven on a new guitar or quite worn on an older one making basic adjustments worthless. Hence I find that many guitars also require at least a light fret-dress before a setup is worthwhile.
- Reseat and level frets; dress with whet-stone to remove high spots and wear
- Re-profile frets to restore crown, polish frets and fingerboard
- Includes all adjustments above. Typical cost £60 - £100 + strings
Refret
- As above plus...
- Remove all frets with steam to minimise chipping
- Level and surface fingerboard (as required)
- Clean and repair fret slots (if needed)
- Cut and insert frets from selected fretwire
- Typical cost £140 - £200 + strings
Repair services
Other types of repair include:-
- Splits to tables, back and sides
- Neck breaks
- Lifting bridge
- Replacement bone or synthetic, nuts and saddles
- Intonation correction (Fill and re-cut saddle slot) on acoustic guitars
- Replacement tuning machines
- Shellac French Polish refinishing (Please note I do not spray nitro-cellulose lacquer!)
Quality.
"Roger has become invaluable to me as a luthier and I would not take my instruments anywhere else. He has worked on a number of my guitars with such expertise and craftsmanship, from action adjustments, to identifying and dealing with manufacturer defects, with such a high level of service and care that you would not find with any other"
Service.
Who do you trust with your guitars? The setup and adjustments required for a steel string guitar are entirely different to an electric guitar, ask your repairer if they know the difference! You could, of course take your guitar to a shop, that is if you can make their opening hours. There you might find a young lad setting up all the shop electric guitars. Do you really want to trust him with your baby?
On the other hand you could bring it to a guitar maker and technician who has been making and repairing guitars for most of a lifetime. I don't have fixed opening hours, my workshop is at home. I try and accommodate my customers needs by providing a personal. quality service, that is second to none. My customers range from professional musicians who need their instruments to work as tools, to the humble amateur who plays for enjoyment. I don't have specific opening hours - all my service is by appointment!
On the other hand you could bring it to a guitar maker and technician who has been making and repairing guitars for most of a lifetime. I don't have fixed opening hours, my workshop is at home. I try and accommodate my customers needs by providing a personal. quality service, that is second to none. My customers range from professional musicians who need their instruments to work as tools, to the humble amateur who plays for enjoyment. I don't have specific opening hours - all my service is by appointment!
Value.
I don't have a fixed scale of charges either, because I believe this doesn't offer you either the best service or value. I will provide you an estimate of the repair cost after I have examined the guitar and after we have discussed the work involved. There is no obligation for you - all estimates and advice are freely given. Above I have given a few examples of typical repairs and the range of likely cost. If you want to send me a few digital pictures I'll do my best to give you an estimate.
I am the recommended luthier for Stafford Classical Guitar
