Restring, tune, checkup, and polish $30
Saddle and nut are inspected for problems. Strings are installed and properly stretched for increased life and tone. Guitar also gets a basic checkup. Fretboard is polished if desired. Rest of guitar is polished if desired.
Note: I don't recommend polishing the fretboard more than once every 6 months, as it can damage the wood, and no later than once every 18 months, as this can also damage the wood. 12-string guitars are $60.
Setup $100 (12-string $200)
Includes: neck/truss rod adjustment, bridge height adjustment, nut adjustments, and string length adjustment (intonation).
All adjustments are made to within thousanths of an inch. If you have custom specs you prefer, I will be happy to use them. Your preferred specs will be kept on file for future guitars.
Intonation is done with a Peterson Strobe Tuner, one that can accurately display tones to within 1/1000th of a semitone. This is going to give your chords more clarity and definition higher in the register and help maintain an instrument that is more in tune.
Install pickup system $200
This is a job where details are important. The saddle must be exactly over the transducer to get the proper sound. The saddle material must also be made of a consistent material. Price doesn't include hardware.
Price above assumes you will be using either a pickup system that uses an undersaddle piezo transducer or a combination system that uses both a microphone and piezo combined. Prices will be cheaper for simpler systems that don't require adjusting the saddle.
Hand carved bone saddle $175 (12-strings $350)
This is going to sound and play better than any plastic or "graphite" saddle. Bone is self lubricating and is extremely dense. This means notes stay in tune well and sound full. Switching to a bone saddle will give the sound more brightness and clarity.
Most of the time, 12-string saddles will be done in a way that severely compromises the intonation of the octave strings. This is a huge time saver for manufacturers. If you would like me to install the more traditional saddle in this way on your 12-string, then the 6-string price will apply. If you're a stickler for proper intonation, choose the 12-string version. Keep in mind that intonation in general will make less of a difference lower on the neck so you may not need to spend the extra money if you play primarily lower on the neck.
Hand carved bone nut $150
These are going to perform better than plastic or "graphite" nuts. The sound will be improved, but only for open strings (the sound of the nut won't matter when fretting a note). The primary reason to go for a bone nut has to do with improved tuning stability. Bone is self lubricating and extremely dense. This means notes stay in tune well. Add $125 for 12-string guitars.
Diagnose noise
There is no charge to track down the source of the noise. However, price to eliminate the noise will depend on what repair is needed to rectify the issue.
This includes mechanical noises, like string buzz. It also includes electronics noises like hum, static, etc.
Fretwork
Due to increased backlog with our business, we've decided to no longer offer fretwork due to the amount of time it takes to level or refret an entire board.
I'm happy to check the frets to see if they need fretwork. If a single fret needs to be taken down, I can do this but if it looks like the whole board is an issue, I'll recommend you to some quality shops in the area to assist.
Fretwork is still available for the repair school, though keep in mind it can be time consuming.
Replace tuners $50+
This seemingly simple job can introduce unexpected obstacles. Add $30 if reaming is required.
If you haven't already ordered any tuners, and are thinking about upgrading, you may want to contact me before making your order. I can help you pick the right tuners to avoid drilling unnecessary holes in your guitar.
Electronics
Prices will vary depending on the issue being fixed and/or the parts being replaced. If you contact us, I will try to get you a quote for your repair.
Wood & Finish Repairs
Finish work is one of the only things I DON'T offer. This would, unfortunately require another building with equipment dedicated solely to finish work, which I simply do not have.
If you have questions involving finish work, contact me and I'd be happy to direct you to a specialist based on what exactly you need.
For some extensive wood repairs, I'll refer you to someone in the area who does a fantastic job.