AM Guitar Repair

Guitar Setup, Maintenance, and Mechanical Repairs

Services and Rates

Guitar Setup and Mechanical Repair

Is your guitar hard to play? Not staying in tune? Strings keep breaking? Frets worn or cutting into your hands? Parts broken? A vintage guitar that needs restored? AM Guitar Repair can fix it!

All pricing is subject to vary per guitar, and is quoted on a piece by piece basis. All service done by appointment only.

Contact AM Guitar Repair

Above: Setting up a Martin Guitar

Customer Comments:

Alan - Thanks for your help! I have a nice bolt-on guitar that's neck and action were waaay out of whack. It also needed a little electronic tweaking. Alan asked all the right questions and did a phenomenal job getting it back in playing shape!! Thanks Alan...Leo Kelly (Quad City Guitar Player -- Wicked Liz and the Bellyswirls, Spatterdash, Superfly Samurai)

Hey folks, I just picked up my G&L and my Larrivee guitars and the action is like "buttah". Outstanding job on the setup, Alan. Thanks and kudos....Now back to the guitars...I can quit anytime...eventually...Kevin Hamilton (Quad City Guitarist)

Dear AM Guitar Repair... I always assumed that my guitars were set up properly. Two recent purchases, a Fender Strat and a Fender Jazz Bass, had not been adjusted since leaving the factory. Alan worked on the Strat first and the difference was immediately apparent - it sounded better and was easier to play. When I bought the bass, I had him work on that right away, with similar results. I can't wait to get my other three guitars on his bench... John Korn -- Identity Crisis

Re-String and Setup

Re-String - Replace those old dead sounding strings with new ones. New strings will sound and intonate better. They will also reduce tension on the neck, bridge, and body (which is especially important on acoustic guitars). Includes removal of old strings, oil fingerboard, install and stretch new strings, tune and polish guitar.

Tip: For best sound and performance change your strings every 3-6 months for electric and acoustic guitars, and annually for basses.

Re-String Strings not included. Have intonation adjusted for an additional $10

6 String Electric, Acoustic, 4 String Bass	$15 + strings
Guitars with Floyd Rose Style Tremolo, 5 or 6 String Bass, Classical, 12-String	$25 + strings

Setup - A well set up and properly intonated guitar plays easier and sounds better than a guitar that is not set up properly. A setup includes the following as necessary: String replacement (strings extra) Truss rod, bridge, and nut slot adjustment. Balance tremolo. Set action and intonation. Clean and check electronics, adjust pickups. Clean and polish guitar.

Tip: Because guitars are made of wood and metal under tension from the strings, they are effected by weather changes and time. Even most new guitars can benefit from a setup. Guitar factories adjust guitars to their specifications, which may or may not suit your particular style. Action is sometimes set high to avoid buzzing frets. Most players prefer a low action for ease of playing. Guitar adjustments may also "drift" between the time they leave the factory and end up in your hands. I recommend having your instrument set up and maintained at least on an annual basis.

Setup

6 String Acoustic, Electric w/out Tremolo, 4 string bass	$55* + strings
Guitars with Tremolo (Standard Strat style)	$60* + strings
Guitars with Locking Tremolo (Floyd Rose style)	$65* + strings
12 String Guitar, 5 and 6 String Basses	$65* + strings
* Setups requiring removal of nut - add $20 * Setups requiring removal of bolt-on neck - add $20
Extras! These extras are available without setup, but are discounted with setup
Fret End File - Eliminate those sharp fret ends that catch your hands as they move up and down the neck	$30 with setup
Fret Buff and Polish - Frets buffed and polished to a smooth, shiny, silky feeling finish	$10 with setup

Adjusting intonation on a Music Man Guitar

Repairs, Upgrades, Customization (Mechanical) Have your guitar configured to best suit your needs!

All pricing is subject to vary per guitar, and is quoted on a piece by piece basis. All service done by appointment only. Contact AM Guitar Repair

Tuners - Upgrading or replacing old worn tuners will better keep your guitar in tune so you sound better! Parts not included in price.

Tip: Locking tuners are recommended for guitars with tremolo. AM Guitar Repair has access to many different brands and types of tuners including Gotoh, Schaller, Sperzel, Grover and more. AM Guitar Repair is an authorized dealer for Sperzel - some of the finest locking tuners available.

Tuner Install

Tuner Install (Exact Fit) Includes re-string. (Strings and Tuners not included)	$55
Tuner Install requiring modification to the headstock. (Re-sizing tuner holes, Drilling holes for mounting screws or positioning pegs).	Ask for quote

Pickguard Replace - Give your guitar a unique custom look with a new pickguard, or help that old guitar look newer. Price based on pre-cut and drilled exact fit pickguard. Parts not included.

Pickguard Replacement

Strat Style (pickups and electronics mounted in pickguard)	$55
Tele or Les Paul Style	$25

Before - This guitar came in for a setup, electronics upgrade and a makeover. Note the mismatched pickup cover, the decal and the paint chip. The owner chose a parchment pearl pickguard and told me to do whatever it needed within reason.

After - I had the guitar hanging on the wall when the customer came to pick it up. He didn't recognize it. The decal was removed and the paint chip touched up. Along with the new pickguard, black pickup covers were installed to match the Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickup. Black knobs were added as a finishing touch. This guitar also got push pull switches for coil tap and 7 sound Strat. (See the electronics page) It sounds as good as it looks!

Nut Repair or Replace - A broken or worn nut will cause issues. Upgrading a low end plastic nut will improve tone and tuning. We recommend bone or Graph Tech Tusq and Black Tusq XL nuts. AM Guitar Repair is an authorized Graph Tech Dealer A standard setup is included in this price!

Nut replacement

Install pre-cut and Slotted Nut (Exact Fit) Includes complete setup. (Parts not included)	$75
Shaping and installing new bone nut from scratch - Includes complete setup. (Parts not included)	$100

Bridge Work - Electric Guitars Upgrade your bridge for improved tone, sustain, and tuning stability. AM Guitar Repair can install new saddles on your existing bridge, or replace your entire bridge or tremolo with higher quality parts. AM Guitar Repair has several options available including Graph Tech, Hipshot, Bigsby, Wilkinson, and more. Prices are quoted upon request.

Bridge Work - Acoustic Guitars One of the easiest and inexpensive upgrades you can do to your acoustic guitar is replacing your bridge saddle. If your guitar has a plastic bridge saddle, we highly recommend replacing it with a Graph Tech Tusq saddle. This will improve the tone and sustain of your acoustic guitar. Ask about a Tusq bridge saddle when you bring your guitar in for a setup.

Acoustic Guitar Bridge Repair/Replace Price varies depending on extent of work required. It may be a case where the bridge just needs glued and clamped. Some guitars will require the bridge to be removed, the guitar top flattened and the bridge replaced or reglued. Bring your guitar in for a quote.

Fretwork - Loose or worn frets will cause buzzing and intonation problems. Guitars that are played on a regular basis will have fretwear. This can be repaired by leveling the frets and recrowning them. If the frets are worn too far, the guitar may need a partial or complete re-fret. Fretwork should always be done in combination with a setup as it has a significant effect on the guitar. The middle column is the price you pay if you also pay for a setup (see above). The last column is the price for fretwork without setup. Parts not included in pricing.

Buff and Polish - Frets buffed and polished to a smooth shiny surface	$10 + Setup	$25 without setup
Fret End File - Eliminate those fret ends that catch your hands as they move up and down the neck!	$30 + Setup	$55 without setup
Fret Level, Crown, and Polish - Repairs worn frets by leveling all the frets, then crowning (shaping) the tops.	$55 + Setup	NA
Fret Level, Crown, Fret End File w/Buff and Polish - The Works!	$80 + Setup	NA
Reseat Loose Frets - 1st/Each Add'l	$10/$5 + Setup	$25/$5 without setup

Partial Re-fret - Includes removal of old fret(s), clean slots, install new frets, complete level and re-crown, end file new frets and setup. Price will be quoted upon evaluation of the guitar.

Complete Re-fret - Includes removal of old frets, level fingerboard with existing radius, clean slots, install new frets, complete level and re-crown, end file new frets and setup. Price will be quoted upon evaluation of the guitar.

Before and After: A few frets on the guitar above were extremely worn causing buzzing. The rest of the frets were in decent shape. Frets 1, 2, 3, and 5 were replaced and the rest of the frets were leveled, crowned and polished.

Some of the specialized tools used for setup, nut, and fretwork

Structural, Cosmetic, and Finish Repair - AM Guitar Repair is a full service repair shop. Alan Morrison has experience with all types of guitar repair and restoration. This includes repair of broken or cracked neck or headstock, acoustic guitar cracks, neck reset, cosmetic and finish work. Price will be quoted upon evaluation of the guitar. See some of the before and after pictures in the Photo Gallery.

This list is by no means complete! If you don't find what you are looking for, please ask and thanks for looking!

All pricing is subject to vary per guitar, and is quoted on a piece by piece basis. All service done by appointment only. Contact AM Guitar Repair