
Guitar Repairs
Music Mart has been offering guitar repairs and instrument repairs for 20 years. Let our guitar tech help improve your playing experience.
Bring in your instrument
Our repair tech will look over your item and give you an estimate on the spot.
Service Time
Most instruments will be repaired within 24-72 hours.
We will call you
We will call you as soon as your item is done.
Guitar Repairs: Setups, Restrings, and Fret Work
A guitar, like any musical instrument, requires regular maintenance and occasional repairs to keep it in optimal playing condition. Guitar repairs can range from simple tasks like restringing to more involved jobs like fretwork or a full setup. Here’s an overview of what goes into typical guitar repairs, focusing on setups, restrings, and fretwork.
1. Guitar Setup
A guitar setup is a comprehensive adjustment of various components to ensure that the instrument plays and sounds its best. A setup can involve several key areas:
- Truss Rod Adjustment: The truss rod is a metal bar inside the guitar’s neck that controls its curvature, or “relief.” Over time, changes in humidity and tension can cause the neck to bow or become too flat. Adjusting the truss rod balances the neck to achieve the proper amount of relief, ensuring a comfortable action and reducing string buzz.
- String Action: String action refers to the height of the strings above the fretboard. High action makes the guitar harder to play, while low action can lead to buzzing. During a setup, a technician adjusts the action by raising or lowering the saddle and nut, or by filing the nut slots to achieve the desired height.
- Intonation: Intonation refers to how accurately the guitar stays in tune as you play up the neck. A guitar with poor intonation will sound out of tune, especially when playing chords in higher positions. Adjusting the bridge saddles moves the string length slightly to correct the intonation, ensuring each note rings true.
- Pickup Height (for electric guitars): The distance between the guitar’s pickups and the strings can impact the volume and tonal quality of the instrument. A technician adjusts the pickup height to achieve a balanced sound across all the strings.
A setup is essential for improving the playability of the guitar, and it should be done regularly, especially when changing string gauges or moving to a different playing environment.
2. Restringing
Restringing a guitar is one of the most common and simple maintenance tasks. Over time, strings wear out due to playing, sweat, and environmental factors, leading to dull tone, difficulty in staying in tune, or even string breakage. Restringing involves:
- Removing Old Strings: The old strings are removed by loosening the tension with the tuning pegs. On acoustic guitars, bridge pins are pulled out to release the strings, while electric guitars may have different mechanisms depending on the bridge type.
- Cleaning the Guitar: Once the strings are off, it’s a good opportunity to clean the fretboard and body, removing dirt and grime that can accumulate over time.
- Installing New Strings: New strings are threaded through the bridge, secured at the tuning pegs, and gradually tightened to pitch. Stretching the strings helps stabilize tuning, and adjusting the string winds ensures smooth tuning performance.
3. Fret Work
Frets are metal bars on the guitar’s neck that divide the fretboard into different notes. Over time, frets can wear down due to playing, leading to uneven frets, buzzing, or poor playability. Fret work includes:
- Fret Leveling: If frets are uneven, some will sit higher than others, causing buzzing or dead spots when you play. A luthier or technician uses a leveling tool to grind down the high frets, creating a smooth, even surface across the fretboard.
- Fret Crowning: After leveling, the frets may become flat on top. Crowning is the process of reshaping the frets to restore their rounded profile, which improves playability and intonation.
- Fret Polishing: Polishing the frets removes any rough spots or sharp edges, making bending strings smoother and more comfortable for the player.
- Fret Replacement: In cases where the frets are too worn down for repair, they may need to be replaced entirely. This is a more complex job, often requiring refretting the entire neck.
Conclusion
Regular maintenance and repair work are essential for keeping a guitar in top playing condition. A proper setup ensures optimal action, intonation, and neck alignment. Restringing improves tone and tuning stability, while fret work addresses issues like buzzing and uneven frets. By performing these repairs, or having a professional handle them, guitarists can ensure their instruments are in the best possible shape for years of playing.