My Services

Listed below are some of the main services I am currently offering. If you do not see what you are looking for, please contact me, as not all services are included on the site. Contact Me Now!

Adjust Action (Set-up)

The term "action" basically refers to the way an instrument is adjusted and how well it plays. Action adjustments are made to improve the feel of the instrument, decrease pressure on your fingertips which can be severe when the action is too high, avoid buzzing and generally just get the best sound out of an instrument. Most instruments are set-up at the factory with higher action then necessary. High action on a brand new instrument may be the result of settling (all that tension on a newly built instrument is bound to change it's shape a bit), a change in it's environment (factories assemble instruments under closely controlled temperatures and humidity) or simply because many factories agree that it's easier to drop the action than it is to raise it. Raising action can require replacement of the nut and saddle, a more costly undertaking than merely cutting them both lower.

Bowed Guitar Necks

A bowed guitar neck is one which either has too much relief (upward bow) or not enough (dead flat or back bowed). While string tension creates relief naturally we need the instrument to fall within certain boundaries in order to maintain acceptable action and playability.  When the truss rod can not or does not enable us to make such adjustments other means are necessary to correct the problem.

Repairing and Replacing Frets on Guitars

Fret Leveling also known as Fret Mill, Level and Dress, L&D, and Fret Planeing. Fret leveling is performed for several reasons. One, to level newly installed frets. Two, to correct inconsistent fret height on an instrument. Three, to remove shallow grooves worn into the frets by string contact. Four, to correct worn or improperly crowned frets. Fire, to lower the frets overall height and change the feel of the frets. Fret wire that is say .050 high often feels like a train track. The feel of some new instruments can be improved by fret leveling to lower very tall fret wire.

Guitar Nut Replacement & Repair

The nut is placed at the end of the fingerboard and controls the strings spacing and distance from the edge and their height above the fingerboard. Nuts can be made from a variety of material and can require replacement from time to time. Eventually good ole wear and tear may leave the strings sitting too close to the first fret which can result in an open string buzz. Wear may also cause the string to become pinched within the nut slot and cause string binding (which has a noticeable pinging sound when tuning) and tuning problems. The nut may also require replacement when performing a refret, especially if the action was nice and low beforehand. New frets are often higher than those they replace and that places the strings closer to the frets especially near the nut.

Fingerboard /Fretboard and Inlay Repair

Brittle, old fingerboards can make real work of a simple refret. Patience and caution are needed to insure the fret's tangs do not pull chips from the fingerboard when they are removed. Although this is unavoidable on some older, dehydrated fingerboards (ebony in particular) I take the time to repair chip out. Oh yes, it's got to look good! It drives me nuts when I see refrets that have chipped the board. Little valley's that develop between the strings where your nails and fingers dig in can also be repaired, though my preference is to leave them be unless they create problems.