Handmade Guitars
Repairs & Restorations
Setup & repair Services
Fretwork, re-wiring, fixing broken headstocks and full restorations of vintage instruments.
Whether your guitar is in several pieces or you just want it to play to the best of its ability I am here to help with over 10 years experience & a purpose built workshop, located a stone's throw from Sheffield city centre.
setups
To get your guitar or bass playing at its best, setups involve restringing the instrument and finding the right balance between neck releif and action at the bridge and nut. The Intonation is then fine tuned to get it playing in tune all the way up the neck. The nut slots will be fine tuned While the strings are off, the frets are lightly polished and the fingerboard is conditioned. On electric instruments, the pickup heights will also be optimised.
As part of a full service any small jobs that require attention will also be be taken care of such as minor fretwork or extensive cleaning of the fingerboard and on electric instruments pots and switches are serviced if needed.
Basic setup of an acoustic or electric is £80 + strings.
A full service is £120 + strings.
A full service that includes levelling and re-crowning of all frets is £200 + strings.
Fretwork
Many guitars leave the factory with uneven fretwork. Frets can also wear unevenly over time which can lead to fret buzz and intonation issues.
Frets can be re-levelled or, in instances of heavy fret-wear, fully replaced to restore the playability of the instrument. To ensure a good setup can be performed frets are accurately levelled, carefully crowned, the ends lightly softened so they feel smooth to the touch and then polished and buffed to a high shine.
A full level, crown & polish is £120.
A full service that includes levelling and re-crowning of all frets is £200 + strings.
Full re-frets are all priced at £400.
nuts & saddles
If your guitar has buzzing on the open strings or intonation issues around the first few frets it could be a problem with the nut.
Nuts are hand cut and polished from bone and dialled in to the optimum height for your particular instrument. Brass and aluminium may also be used upon request.
Standard bone nuts are between £80 & £100 each.
Intonated bone saddles are £60.
For 12 string guitars and add £40.
lifting bridges, braces & cracks
On acoustic guitars, time and environmental conditions can cause issues that may negatively impact the sound and longevity of the instrument. Lifting bridges, loose braces and cracks to the soundboard should all be dealt with so they don't get worse over time and become major issues.
Removal and re-gluing of an acoustic bridge starts at £160
Cracks and brace repairs are judged on an individual basis.
neck resets
Over time, the geometry of acoustic guitars can change raising the height of the strings to unplayable levels.
Typically after 30-40 years an acoustic guitar will be in need of a neck reset to adjust the angle of the neck in relation to the soundboard and bridge.
Price of a neck reset on a glued dovetail joint is £500.
major repairs
Whether it's a broken headstock, fingerboard replacements or finish damage, most problems can be repaired and refinished with minimal evidence that it had occurred in the first place.
On vintage instruments I take care to preserve patina where important and use traditional methods and materials such as nitrocellulose lacquer, shellac, hide glue etc. All repairs are performed with respect given to the era the instrument was created and it is my job to try and leave as little trace of my work as possible.
Every repair is different and a quote will be given upon agreement of the work to be undertaken.
electrical
Get that crackle and hum fixed. Rewiring, replacing faulty parts and rewinding of vintage pickups with period correct parts and methods.
Electrical repairs start at £40 plus the cost of any parts.
Pickup installation starts at £80.
Pickup re-winding starts at £100.
Wax potting of pickups costs £40.
refinishing
With a dedicated spray facility all major repairs can be professionally colour-matched & retouched or a whole instrument can be refinished.
At present I am only finishing in Nitrocellulose but hand-rubbed Shellac is an option on the backs of necks for that silky bare wood feel.
Refinishing price is highly dependant on the guitar.