Official Luthiers Forum!
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/

guitar repair
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=27321		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  bndxu [ Sun May 09, 2010 5:16 pm ]
Post subject:  guitar repair
I am in a bit of a pickle,cash is getting tight lately.I have done some guitar repair,mostly miner things like a cracked headstock or two and know how to setup electric and acoustic guitars.
I have successfully sealed a cracked top on one of my guitars.
I plan on offering my services,however modest,in my small town.
Based on my experience what would you guys say is my best option?Offering setup work and the odd repair that i know how to do or just stick to the setup?There are no guitar repair services in this town that i know of,so I will most likely be the one to go to for this work.
The problem is i don't know what the going rate for a setup would be.In my province(Saskatchewan) the last i checked the going rate for repair work was $40/hour.I plan on charging $30/hr once i have more confidence to do major work.
What do you guys usually charge for a setup?I don't want to gain a bad reputation for charging too much,i see these people every day and could really use the business.
Author:  jfmckenna [ Sun May 09, 2010 5:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: guitar repair
I used to do a lot of repair work, I had 3 stores in a small townish area too. Now I only do one store as I have a 'real' job now. But anyway the thing I did was to look at price lists from around the country then take an average and then even lowered that because I was not an expert repair person. As the years passed on I raised my prices. I'm still very low compared to the average but I also don't live in an expensive area of the country (US). I would take on most jobs unless of course things like very expensive guitars or restoration projects.

Repair is different then building in some respects but if you have built a few guitars and did some of the repairs that you are talking about already then you will probably be fine. If a customer demands that crack repairs come out perfect like new then maybe it's best to have them ship it to a master. If it's anything like my experience most of the stuff you get in will be simple.
Author:  bndxu [ Sun May 09, 2010 8:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: guitar repair
Thanks for the advice,so far i have one customer wanting a floyd rose setup.From what i've seen it looks like a little challenge,nothing i can't handle.I'll have to look around to see what the going rate for a setup is.
Author:  Bailey [ Sun May 09, 2010 9:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: guitar repair
I'd sure be doing a lot of practice repairing cracks/neck resets /refrets /fret leveling/ gluing new bridges/removing fretboards, refinishing and touchups... etc. old junker guitars before touching someones $2500.00-$5000.00 baby.....or even someones $500.00 baby for that matter. I spent 23 hrs. replacing a bridge/rebonding a top crack and a back crack....sanding the whole body down and respraying a new finish and a on a severely abused Yamaha accoustic that was worth $20.00 more when I was done with it. Knowing when to say to a client...it's not worth the effort and $ is the big question. No Charge to my niece for that repair.

KB
Author:  jfmckenna [ Mon May 10, 2010 7:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: guitar repair
bndxu wrote:
Thanks for the advice,so far i have one customer wanting a floyd rose setup.From what i've seen it looks like a little challenge,nothing i can't handle.I'll have to look around to see what the going rate for a setup is.


Oh God! Good luck with that. That is one setup that I typically charge double for :)
Author:  TonyKarol [ Mon May 10, 2010 7:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: guitar repair
yep .. floating trems take longer .. 50 reg setup, floyd 80 .... adjusting the locking saddles is tougher too, as once the screw is loose, without a floyd setup tool, they move all over. Trying to move one forward a pinch is a b%ch
Page 1 of 1 All times are UTC - 5 hours
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/