Guitar Repair in Broome County, N.Y.

General:

• Overview – This is where I assess the overall condition of the guitar and its issues. Once this task is completed I can give the customer a better idea of what type of maintenance it could use in addition to the initial guitar repairs.

• Cleaning – This step is that is often overlooked by guitar players but it makes a big difference in terms of playability. This is something that I do on every guitar that comes to me, I clean each guitar from top to bottom and do it thoroughly.

• Intonation – This is where I adjust the saddles to make certain that the notes for open strings are the same as the octaves.

• Adjusting the string height – This is based off of player preference. It is where I set the strings at a proper height off the frets/fretboard.

• Adjusting the truss rod – I check to see that the truss rod works smoothly and that the neck is straight or has a preferred amount of relief.

• String change – Removing the old strings and installing new ones while winding them correctly around the tuning posts.

• Cosmetic repair – This involves touching up dings and scratches in the finish of the guitar.

Fret work:

One very common issue for guitar players is when their guitar buzzes, or when the notes choke out or die. It’s one of the most involved repairs for any guitar repairman to solve. The major cause is the fact that the frets are not level, although there are other culprits that may play a part. Most every guitar needs fretwork at some point and many guitars need it from the factory. This is not an easy or cheap repair but I have tools and experience to do it correctly.

• There are usually two options when it comes to fretwork, one involves levelling, crowning, dressing, and polishing the frets that are already on the fretboard. The other is a refret, which occurs when the frets are too low to take another levelling. For both jobs I use my Erlewine Neck Jig which allows a great deal of control when doing this type of work.