Instrument Repairs & Servicing
Dec 2024 Update: Due to job volume, repair shop turnarounds are currently 3/4 weeks for all new jobs. Please contact us for up-to-date estimates.
We offer comprehensive instrument servicing, restoration, and repairs at our in-store workshop facilities — with in-house luthiers & technicians on hand from Monday to Saturday. Be it your brand new number one, the precious vintage piece or the beloved road dog... we’ve seen 'em all, and we here to help!
With outstanding attention to detail, fair pricing and the right advice - we’ve got you covered. Come see us!
How long will it take?
Standard servicing turn around is generally around 5 business days (excludes instruments requiring structural repairs, re-frets, finish work etc.) but this can and does vary. Our friendly team will give you an estimate at the time your job is booked. We pride ourselves on quick, musician-friendly turn-around times and we'll do our best to get your instrument(s) back to you ASAP!
SERVICES OFFERED & PRICING
Basic Re-string — Starts at $40* + price of strings
- $40 for acoustic, electric, classical and bass guitars
- $50 for 12 string guitars
- $60 for Floyd Rose equipped instruments
Service includes:
- Installation of strings and tuning the instrument
- We’ll sight the neck relief and perform basic adjustments as needed
For more than this, you'll need a ...
Standard Service / Setup — $120* + cost of preferred strings
- $120 for acoustic & electric guitars and basses, classical guitars, dobros etc.
- $140 for instruments requiring a setup with a floating vibrato
- $160 for 12-string guitars
Deep cleaning fee ($20) applies to instruments with heavily soiled fingerboards
Our Standard Service includes:
- Fingerboard clean and condition
- Spot level, re-seat and polish frets
- Instrument clean and polish
- Nut action set to Dan Erlewine specifications
- Tuning machine tighten and lubrication
- Bridge/saddle radius cut/adjust
- Clean and lubricate electronics/reflow dry solder points
- Re-string with your preferred strings, to your desired tuning
- Action height adjustment to player's preference (if given, otherwise best practice is used)
- Intonation adjustment
Full Setup and Fret Dress — $250* plus strings
Details:
- Includes all above standard setup & services
- Frets seated, levelled, crowned and polished
Priority Servicing — Add $50 rush fee for same-day, urgent servicing (weekdays only!). STANDARD SERVICE ONLY, on a case by case basis, and we may refuse. Please allow a minimum of 2 hours. Our techs take coffee in the morning and red wine in the evening. Grazie.
Guitars MUST be re-strung to be set up properly — we do not re-use or retain your strings. In the case of bass guitars, sure - we will keep your 50 year old vintage flats if you insist - but only if they've been strung correctly to begin with and can be safely re-used.
Full Re-fret — Starting from $400*
$400 — Unbound bolt-on, rosewood fingerboard
$500 — Unbound bolt-on, maple fingerboard (Includes nitrocellulose refinish on fingerboard)
$500 — Unbound set neck
$600 — Bound set neck
OTHERS / EXTRAS
* Prices may vary slightly depending on age and condition of your instrument. If your request isn't listed, ask us about it. If your guitar is fretless and you want frets in it, that’s annoying for us but we’ll do it, I guess.
Nut Replacement - $180
Removal of old nut
Carving of new bone nut
Fitting of new nut
Includes standard setup & service
* Nuts cannot be cut correctly without also adjusting neck relief saddle radius height. If you just want a nut cut, it is $80 but we strongly recommend against it in most cases.
Electronic works (quote upon inspection) - starting from $50
Services include:
Pickup installation (Acoustic & Electric)
Pickup re-winding
Custom pickup winding
Wax potting
Wiring modifications & customisations
Pot, switch and output jack replacement
Pickup cavity shielding and grounding
General electronic diagnostics
*We do not repair amplifiers and pedals in house although some of us have been known to.
Structural Repair - Starting at $200
Services Include:
Broken headstock repair (Gibson players - stop dropping them please), neck re-sets, Bracing repair, Bridge Replacement, etc.
Finish Work - Starting at $300
Nitrocellulose refinishing French Polishing
Relic’ing existing finishes & hardware
**Guitars always sound better after the headstock has been broken and repaired. We’ll happily provide the full experience if you’re chasing that unobtainable sonic quality from your guitar.
**We are Melbourne’s north side Fender authorised repairer, if your strat don’t strat, tele us about it.
No need to book ahead, come in and have a chin wag to Rick, Ben or Matt today! (Unless it’s Sunday)