FAQ

How can I be sure that your guitar services are performed well?

I use only high quality tools and will not use tools including fret files, nut files etc. if they are not in perfect working condition I dispose of the tool and replace it with another professional grade tool. I do not accept a job if I cannot deliver what the customer wants promised. I also provide a 30-day guarantee: IF you hired me to perform a service on your guitar and purchased any of the parts for the service requested through me, simply bring it back in the first 30 days and I will make it right at no additional cost to you. Read the terms of service here to understand how this works.  Also, please check out the pictures of my work. I upload constantly and keep them updated with current projects to showcase the services the shop can provide. 

Why do you require customers to follow a terms of service agreement before working with them?

Simply put I am a professional, and as a professional who runs a public facing business I work with a diverse set of people with varying needs. I don't work on handshake deals, I put everything in writing. The terms of service protect both me, the guitar technician and you the client. If a guitar technician does not have a written terms of service agreement, they are likely not transparent about how they conduct their business. Guitar technicians with no written terms of service leave  you with little to no protection as a customer.  The agreement specifically protects the customer in the following ways:

• The customer is entitled to request an estimate

  • This actually prevents you from surprise billing and hold me accountable to explaining charges to work on your instrument in a detailed professionally written invoice. One time when I was a college student I took my guitar into a shop for a re-fret on a telecaster with a rosewood fretboard. It was the year 2003 and I was quoted $ 250 for the job on a handshake at a highly reputable shop. When I went to pickup the guitar the tech wanted $600 and did not give me a heads up, reason, or explanation. I was taken advantage of. I don't want this experience to happen to any of my customers. 

• It establishes a set of expectations for customers

  • My contract defines the policies and procedures clearly and simply. It is a  short 4 page agreement that explains:

    • How we take in a customers guitar.

    • How we care for a customers guitar.

    • How we resolve intermittent faults/diagnose a customer's guitar.

    • How we resolve the extremely rare event of a guitar being damaged during the repair process.

    • How payment works.

    • Sets bailment policies (What happens if you don't pay or pickup your guitar).

• It provides a 30 day guarantee on services and limited warranty on parts installed by me that my business purchased. 

  • There have been instances that this provides you top notch service with no worries. I recently had a customer who had me re-wire his entire guitar. He complained a potentiometer was "sticking". I investigated the part, troubleshooted the issue and determined the part was faulty as it tested outside of tolerance, and installed a new working part all free of charge and with no hassle to the customer. 

Many professional services also have release of liability and indemnification clauses because they are insured and insurance companies generally require this. This is a good thing. It means if something goes wrong your instrument/investment is protected. If you do not agree with our terms of service, we wish you well in getting your guitar service needs met and thanks for considering us. 

How much fret buzz is normal?

This question really is a question I get daily, multiple times, from customers. It honestly has a detailed and longer answer because a properly setup guitar is all about balancing tension on a hygroscopic material which means a lot of variables are at play. So lets first discuss what the causes of fret buzz are. Fret buzz is affected by the following: 

• Action too low

  • Action height is a very common cause of fret buzz. We all want to make sure we’re not putting too much pressure on the strings, as we might get fatigued faster. However, the lower the action is, the more susceptible a guitar is to fret buzzing. Adjusting the action is always a compromise between setting it as low as possible and dialing in the most amount of fret buzz you can comfortably tolerate. Action is generally measured at the 12th fret but some manufacturers like Fender want it measured on the 17th fret. Others specify a different fret. We always default to the manufacturers specifications if they are different than the general guidelines most guitar technicians adhere to. Here are the general measurements that are considered healthy but low action by most guitar technicians and luthiers:

    • Action for Electric Guitars: Low E 4/64ths-High E 3/64ths

    • Action for Acoustic Guitar Low E 5/64ths-High E 4/64ths

    • Action for Electric Bass: Low E 6/64ths-G 5/64ths

    • Action for Acoustic Bass: Low E 7/64ths-G6/64ths

• Neck doesn't have enough relief

  • Another cause of fret buzz is too little neck relief (backbow). Back bow will not only cause fret buzz, but it can cause intonation issues, as well. You can easily see if there’s backbow by sighting the guitar neck or performing a tap test. If the neck relief is off, you’ll need to adjust the truss rod. 

• Player changed tuning to a tuning the guitar wasn't setup for. 

  • If you’re constantly tuning from, let’s say, standard E and down to drop D, then back up again, that will have an impact on the guitar’s neck. So if you’re starting to experience fret buzz in these instances, you need to have the guitar setup for the desired tuning and leave it in that tuning. 

• Frets are not level

  • Suppose you know that your guitar is stored correctly and that the action and neck relief are set just right, another reason why your strings buzz is because of different fret height. A couple of things could cause a buzzing sound — improper installation or wear, the latter being the most likely culprit. 

• Nut is too low or poorly cut

  • If a nut is sitting low in comparison to the first fret and has less than 1/64th inch clearance over the first fret, then the nut slot is too low and the nut needs to be replaced. This is most obvious when the guitar buzzes on open strings. 

• Saddle is too low or poorly cut, player

  • If a Saddle is too low it will have a profound impact on the overall action of the guitar. If action is too low the guitar will have fretbuzz. 

• Player overplays causing vertical vibrations

  • Plucking or picking too hard is often a culprit for fret buzz. The harder you pluck or strum, the more vulnerable you are to have buzzing strings. This is particularly true if your pickups are too high or the action is too low. So if you’re naturally a “heavy hitter” consider raising the action of your guitar, or lowering the height of the pickups

• Player does not fret correctly up against the back of the fret

  • When a player pushes down directly in between frets it requires more hand strength and results in a less secure fretting of the note resulting in fretbuzz

Very rarely I set-up a guitar, then a customer brings it back a few days later and says it's buzzing. I ask them to play and sure enough it is their technique not the guitar. Every guitar we send back to the customer is play tested on every fret during inspection after work is completed.  It's honestly a hard conversation to have with a customer that it is their playing in these situations but, we mean well. Every player is on a learning journey. I've been playing over 22 years and on rare occasion, I still accidentally cause a small amount of buzz when not playing with the best technique. 

Determining how much string buzz is too much comes down to the issues mentioned above and also the player’s personal preference. Because of different style preferences, some players are okay with a little fret buzz as long as their action is as low as possible. However, others may find even a little fret buzz distracting and uncomfortable. Below are some guidelines that will help you determine whether or not the buzz you’re hearing is abnormal.

• Too much string buzz

  • Any string buzz that prevents the note from sustaining

  • If the pitch doesn't change when playing adjacent frets

  • If you can hear buzz through your guitar amp

• OK String Buzz: 

  • String buzz that is not audible through an amp

  • A note that buzzes only during the initial attack of the note

  • String buzz that does not affect how long a note sustains

If you have multiple guitars ahead of mine and I need it sooner can you repair mine first? 

I am happy to repair yours first if possible, but this is subject to a number of things such as what the service you need is, and the availability of parts if needed. If I am able to "rush" your service I do charge a fee of 33% of the service total as a "rush" service fee. I do not provide a specific date that your instrument's service will be completed by but will provide a non-binding estimated date. 

How do you set your prices? 

I have a general amount I charge per hour for labor, and a small cushion for incidentals such as sandpaper, screws, polish, rotary tool bits, files, fretting tools, soldering tools, equipment upkeep etc. I call this combined cost a service fee. My service fee compensates me for the time, and skill I invest into your instrument.  I charge the cost of parts separately to enable customers another way to save money or easily figure out the cost to repair, service or modify their instrument by going to my pricing page. I also do this to avoid charging customers unnecessary sales tax per Kentucky state law. Because I value my work and so do you, I do not negotiate prices or give discounts with exception to my personal discretion.  I only provide a formal estimate after seeing the instrument in person and inspecting it. I strive to provide the most reasonable prices I can, in a straightforward and consistent way. Generally, my prices are cheaper than most shops and boutique builders because I have lower overhead by running my shop from my home. 

Do you work with schools, churches and not for profit organizations? 

Yes, I do. I do offer special contracts, discounts, and tax exemptions. I also offer free pickup and delivery service for these organizations. Please contact me  for information about this.  Services with organizations does require a contract agreement. I also offer a limited number of 12 free setup services a year for charity auctions for schools and not-for-profit organizations. If you are interested, please email me for more information. 

Does your 30 day guarantee apply to parts/strings if I supply them?

No, the 30-day guarantee does not apply to services provided if the customer supplies the parts. With a part supplied by a customer, I do not know how they were cared for, transported, and what source they came from. I have had customers purchase fake parts because they were trying to save a little money. I also do not know if the parts sized correctly, and many other variables that I have control over when I purchase the parts directly. I generally can find the parts from the distributors and suppliers I prefer for approximately the same cost to you as if you were to buy it from another company such as Musicians Friend. Guitar Center, and Sweetwater. I am willing to use the parts you have supplied but make no guarantees. There is a risk of extra charges if the part is not sized correctly or does not meet the specifications of your instrument when working on it. I will do my best to inform you of this and discuss it when preparing the estimate. 

Why do you work out of your home?

Working out of my home keeps business costs down and  allows me to support my family. I also run this business part-time in the evenings to allow for time to complete my day job. Due to restrictions of my day job, I cannot conduct business until after 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

I thought it just needed a setup but you said it needs more work, why? 

Yes, often times guitars need more than a setup. For a guitar to hold a setup the body, neck, fretboard, frets, nut, and saddle all must be in working order. If those items are not in working condition, it will impact the quality of a setup or won't hold a setup at all. Also if you don't keep your guitar in a climate controlled environment with humidity staying between 45-55% the guitar will "move" because wood is a hygroscopic material. Generally budget friendly guitars that have been neglected through environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and the elements need more than setup to play well. Guitars are also like many other fine made item items, you simply get what you pay for. It has happened where a customer brings a guitar that is not in a case I perform the setup procedure and the guitar has moved in the time it was in the dry heat of the car. Yes we can setup that $99 used guitar that was on clearance but due to build quality it will likely struggle to take a quality setup and may not be worth your time and money.