setups -upgrades
“The neck of my Martin acoustic guitar had partially separated from the body. Within a couple of days after leaving it with Greg he had repaired the neck and readjusted the action so that that it plays better than when it was new. Faster, better sound, beautiful!” -Charles Purvis, Portland, Or.
“Thanks for doing such a great job refretting my Lowden! It sounds and feels better than ever.” -Joe Marquand, instructor and professional guitarist, Portland, Or.
Repairs are often as unique and complex as the musicians who need them; I specialize in custom repairs that optimize your instrument to respond and hold up to your singular playing style. The thousands of instruments I’ve gotten my hands on over my 16 years of professionally lutherie-building & repairing -have taught me to approach every project methodically, intentionally, personally, and with the utmost attention to detail. My clients appreciate that I take time to learn their playing style and understand how they attack the strings, discuss each repair in advance, and ultimately restore and improve the instrument to surpass their expectations.
NOTE: I am currently not taking on any new repair clients in order to focus on my building.
To schedule an appointment please email me. Once scheduled, I can guarantee turn-around within several days to one week. I appreciate you being prompt to your scheduled appointment and promise to do the same — your timeliness supports me in devoting my full attention to the builds, repairs and restorations in my care. As soon as the work is complete, I’ll contact you to set up a time to reunite you with your treasured instrument.
Setups:
A proper setup is really where the magic lies in bringing out the most potential of a stringed instrument. Improper adjustment will impede even the most seasoned player on the most amazing guitar. A good setup will vary slightly from player to player and style to style – and these subtleties are an important contribution to the sound of a particular style of playing. During a setup I will adjust neck relief, adjust nut slots/action, adjust action at saddle, intonate, clean and oil fingerboard, restring, polish instrument.
Nut/Saddle & Upgrades:
Beyond a great setup, the best way to optimize the sound and tuning potential of your instrument is to upgrade nuts, saddles, and tuning gears.
Fretwork:
Overly worn, loose, or high frets cause sonic and playability problems that affect your practicing, recording, and performing. Each full fret job includes a setup to your playing style to ensure maximum playability. It is strongly encouraged to have a new nut made along with a refret because the new frets will be slightly taller and you will most likely run into buzzing at the first fret with the original nut. Standard practice is to shim the nut higher as part of the setup when necessary if a new nut is not in the budget.
Neck reset:
Sometimes in the life of a guitar tensions, forces, and nature take toll and the normal means of adjustment aren’t enough to render the guitar playable. In this case the neck must be carefully removed from the body and the angle of attachment re-set. The alignment, pitch and fit of the neck upon re-attachment is critical to bringing the instrument back to life. There are a few things to consider once the neck is reattached at the proper angle: I highly recommended a re-fret or a fret mill depending on the current state of the frets so that any inconsistencies in the fingerboard/frets can be taken care of to optimise the playability. It also may be necessary to make a new taller nut and/or saddle.
Bridge re-glue/cracks/loose braces:
Bridge placement and full contact with the top are crucial to the structural stability, sound production, and intonation of your instrument. Cracks can be caused by impact or by very low humidity conditions where the wood dries out and shrinks. Effects of temperature and humidity will most often reveal themselves in places of tension, such as the glue joint where the bridge meets the top. It’s critical to remove tension at the first sign of separation: tune down the strings and have it repaired immediately. The sooner a crack is repaired the more even and seamless the repair will be.
Electronics:
From simple component replacement to full on re-wiring.
Acoustic Pickup Installation:
Guitars, violins, ukuleles, mandolins, banjos, ….. Piezo, transducer, magnetic, and microphone. I’ve installed thousands over the years. They all have their own tricks and quirks to insure proper function and to realize their maximum potential and proper balance. I install, wire if necessary, play and listen to the tone and balance, and adjust to maximize potential.
Modifications/Custom/Restoration work:
Need that 1890’s style 2 1/2 Martin restored? Want your electric guitar routed to accept the humbucker you always wanted in the bridge position? Perhaps you love the sound of your guitar but the neck has just always felt too big and squared off – I can carve it down to your favorite profile. Or, maybe you have an idea for an inlay that you want on the headstock of your guitar. Between my building and repair experience I’ve pretty much seen it all. Tell me your idea and I can make it a reality!