Guitar Luthiers in Delaware County, N.Y.

If you’re looking for guitar luthiers in Delaware County, N.Y. or the surrounding areas, then you’ve come to the right place. If you need your new guitar setup with fresh strings, or if you need a full guitar restoration, I am comfortable and confident in doing guitar repairs of all kinds. My name is David Ross, I am a guitar repairman living and working in Binghamton, N.Y. and I’ve been dedicated to the craft of luthiery since 2008. I am also a guitar pedal manufacturer and I have created my own line of guitar effects pedals. In March of 2022, I released my first production model called the Winter Storm guitar pedal. It is my desire to help guitar players in and around Binghamton, N.Y. have their guitars setup in proper working order and for those guitars to have a professional level of playability. 

I have often stopped and travelled through Delaware County, N.Y. when travelling to Albany, Oneonta, or to New York City. If you play electric guitar, acoustic guitar, or bass guitar and need your instrument repaired by someone qualified and close to Delaware County, I hope that you’ll consider getting in touch with me via the Contact page and set up an appointment. You can call me at 607-232-9994 or message me. I’m open Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm. Below is a list of the services I provide. Thank you!

General:

  • Overview – The way I typically start is by giving the customer an overview on the issues with their guitar. I also give advice and occasionally notes on what the guitar will need in the future.
  • Cleaning – I clean the guitar completely from top to bottom, including all major hardware so that the guitar functions optimally. This is sometimes overlooked by guitar players but a cleaned and polished guitar will simply play better. 
  • Intonation – This is where I adjust the bridge saddles or the bridge itself in the case of an archtop guitar to make sure that the octave notes are the same as the open strings.
  • String height – I make sure that the guitar strings are at an optimal height off the frets/fretboard based on customer preference. I also make sure to avoid string buzz.
  • Truss rod – I check to make sure that the truss rod works correctly and that the neck is set for the customers playing style.
  • New strings – I usually advise my customers have me change the strings on their guitars. A brand new set of strings will improve playability, and winding them properly around the posts which you can see in this picture allows for better tuning stability.
  • Cosmetic repairs – This is where I repair minor dings and scratches in the guitar finish and try to make the guitar look its best.

Fret work:

A very common issue that guitar players have is when their favorite guitar buzzes when playing chords or notes. It can be a challenging repair for most luthiers and the issue is often due to the frets not being level. Every guitar needs fretwork and many guitars (especially budget guitars) need it straight from the factory. This is not an easy or inexpensive repair but I have tools, experience, and knowledge to do it correctly. If you’d like to learn more about this detailed process, I would refer you to my blog page where I have a two-part series called Gibson Les Paul Fretwork.

Hardware:

  • I can do a variety of modifications to new or existing hardware on the customers guitar. This includes replacing and upgrading components such as tuners, bridges, and screws. I can also create pickguards from scratch.

Nut:

  • Often overlooked on factory guitars is the quality craftsmanship that goes into making a guitar nut. This is a time consuming process and it takes effort and skill to get it right. I do guitar nut replacements, repairs, and fabrications from scratch with correct string spacing and properly cut slots. I prefer to work with bone and suggest it to my customers due to its hardness and durability. I also work occasionally with other materials like brass or composites.

Structural repairs:

  • I offer structural repairs for guitars which depends largely on the type and severity. This type of repair includes repairing broken headstocks, filling and re-drilling stripped screw holes, regluing braces, and fixing cracks or other types of damage.

Electronics:

  • I can do many types of electronic modifications to your guitar. This includes coil splits, series/parallel switching, rewinding pickups, installing new pickups. I can also replace potentiometers and capacitors. In addition, I can create new pickups from scratch. Here is an example of a humbucker set that I created using 3D resin printed pickup bobbins.

*If you have a more specific problem, feel free to contact me and we can discuss it.