Guitar Repairs & Servicing

Echo Tone Repairs

Workshop hours

Tuesday to Friday: 10:00am to 6:00pm
Saturday: 11:00am to 5:00pm
Sunday and Monday: Closed (drop-off downstairs only)

Workshop enquiries: 0421 709 154

Current workshop turnaround times are longer than usual due to high repair volumes.

Our workshop is located upstairs. Head up the stairs in the main entryway and ring the doorbell on the landing.

Why musicians trust our workshop

Authorised Martin, Fender and Maton repair centre
Over 40 years of combined luthiery experience
Vintage guitar restoration specialists
International touring guitar technicians
Professional workmanship and transparent pricing
Fast turnaround wherever possible

How long will it take?

Our standard service turnaround is generally within 5 business days, although current workshop volumes may result in longer wait times.

Major structural repairs, refrets and finish work will take longer. We'll provide an estimated timeframe when you drop off your instrument.

No appointment necessary. Drop in and have a chat with Rick, Matt, Darcy, Jeff or Ben, Tuesday to Saturday.

We are authorised repair agents for Fender, Maton and Martin. Warranty repairs must be accompanied by the relevant paperwork.

Services & pricing

All prices listed are for labour only. Parts and materials, including strings, fret wire, pots and other components, are additional unless otherwise specified.

Basic restring: From $45 + strings

$45: Acoustic, electric and bass guitars
$55: Classical and 12-string guitars
$65: Floyd Rose, Kahler and Evertune systems

Service includes:

Restringing and tuning to your preferred gauge and tuning
Neck relief adjustment and minor tweaks as required

For more comprehensive adjustments, we recommend a standard service.

Standard service / pro setup: From $145 + strings

$145: Acoustic and electric guitars, basses, classical guitars, dobros and similar instruments
$180: Floating bridge systems (Floyd Rose, Kahler, Evertune, etc.)
$180: 12-string guitars

A $20 deep-cleaning fee applies to instruments with heavily soiled fingerboards.

Our standard service includes:

Restringing with your preferred strings and tuning
Fingerboard cleaning and conditioning
Fret polishing, spot levelling and reseating where required
General instrument cleaning and polishing
Nut slot optimisation to Dan Erlewine specifications
Tuning machine maintenance, including tightening and lubrication
Bridge and saddle radius adjustments where necessary
Electronics cleaning, lubrication and reflowing of dry solder joints
Action adjustment to player preference, or best practice where no preference is specified
Intonation adjustment

A note on strings

Guitars must be restrung to be set up properly. We do not reuse or retain old strings.

Bass guitars are an exception. If you've got a 50-year-old set of vintage flats you'd rather keep, we can accommodate that, provided they've been installed correctly and can be safely reused.

A note on string buzz

Some degree of string buzz is normal, particularly with lighter string gauges and lower action.

For example, guitars strung with 9-gauge strings may exhibit some audible buzz on the wound strings when fretted.

We won't let an instrument leave the workshop with choking or dead notes. Excessive buzz can be minimised, but eliminating it entirely may require a higher playing action than some players prefer.

Priority servicing

Urgent servicing is available on weekdays for an additional 50% of the standard service charge, subject to availability.

Priority refrets generally require a minimum of 24 hours. We'd strongly recommend avoiding last-minute refrets wherever possible.

Service, setup & complete fret dress: $250 + strings

Full refret: From $650 + fret wire

$650: Unbound rosewood fingerboard, bolt-on neck
$750: Unbound maple fingerboard, bolt-on neck (retaining existing lacquer)
$750: Unbound set neck
$850: Bound set neck
$950: Unbound maple fingerboard, bolt-on neck (including nitrocellulose refinish)
+$100: Stainless steel frets (additional to the above prices)

We stock Jescar, StewMac and Dunlop fret wire in various dimensions, including nickel-silver and stainless steel options.

Contact the workshop to discuss your preferred fret size and material.

Additional repairs & services

Prices may vary depending on the age, condition and complexity of your instrument. If the work you need isn't listed, just ask us.

Nut replacement: $225 + nut blank

Service includes:

Removal of the existing nut
Hand-carved bone nut
Fitting and adjustment
Complete standard setup and service

We generally use bone nut blanks. Alternative materials, including synthetic bone and branded polymers, are available at an additional cost.

A new nut cannot be correctly fitted without a setup. We can manufacture a nut without performing a setup for $80, but strongly discourage this approach.

Electronic work: From $60 + parts

Quoted on inspection.

Services include:

Acoustic and electric pickup installation
Pickup rewinding
Custom pickup winding
Wax potting
Wiring modifications and customisations
Potentiometer, switch and output jack replacement
Pickup cavity shielding and grounding
General electronic diagnostics and repairs

Please note: The upstairs workshop does not repair amplifiers or effects pedals. Speak to the downstairs team about these services.

Neck reset: From $950

Generally performed on vintage acoustic guitars, particularly instruments with traditional neck construction.

Service includes:

Neck removal
Neck angle correction
Neck reglue
Complete setup
New bone saddle where required

This work is generally limited to instruments from manufacturers such as Martin, Gibson, Guild and Gretsch, where the neck construction allows for safe removal and resetting.

A new saddle and complete setup are typically required following a neck reset on a flat-top acoustic guitar and are included in the price. In some cases, a refret may also be recommended.

A note on modern instruments

Many modern and lower-cost guitars use adhesives and construction methods that make neck removal extremely difficult or impractical.

Epoxy and other rigid adhesives can prevent safe neck removal, while polyurethane finishes may fracture or lift when heat is applied.

Where a neck reset presents an unreasonable risk of damage, we may decline the work.