Repair Services

We welcome any and all viable repairs... campfire guitars, problem guitars, garage-sale pieces and masterpieces. We also work on banjos, mandolins, and any other string instrument that comes our way.  It's fruitless to attempt a complete and absolute list of repair services and prices, as many guitars need to have multiple repairs performed, and some "fixes" are included in the prices of others. Actual estimates have to be made on a per guitar basis. 

I believe that our work is more thorough and that we spend more time with, and take better care of your instrument than anyone else around, period. Please keep in mind that not all guitars are the same, and there are often complications that require special care and attention.  See below for a very general price list of common repairs. Further down you'll find additional ramblings about my repair philosophy and notes to repair clients. 

Check out the blog for repair articles and discussions.  

                                                                                                ~Ryan Elewaut

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ATTENTION! We are the only fully authorized Taylor Guitars warranty repair facility in Northern Arizona. 

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 Luthier's Declaration: 

I strive to accomplish the finest repair work possible, and in such spirit make every effort to execute a flawless job. Musical instruments are by nature delicate and sensitive to climatic changes and things do happen that are beyond the control of the luthier. However, I will go to great extremes to assure that every customer is completely satisfied with the repair to their instrument and the service provided by the store. I encourage clients to by picky, but practical. Contact me with any questions or comments at any time.

My love and focus is on finely crafted acoustic steel-string & classical guitars. I am also very experienced with electric guitars & basses, and have an affinity for electronic modifications. Fret work is a specialty and we do lots of it: re-frets and fret-dressing on anything from guitars and basses to mandolins and banjos. If you're tired of fighting your instrument and want some great playing action, then give us a call.

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Turnaround & Time Estimates:

General repairs take approximately 7-14 days to complete, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer depending on our demand and the complexity of the repair.  Clean & restring, pickup installs, and general setups are usually returned in a few days or less.  A "rush fee" is available if the schedule permits and if the repair is possible to expedite.  The rush charge is $25 and guarantees completion within 48 hours from the morning after the drop-off.  We guarantee our work is complete and thorough, professional and impressive. 

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Note to Repair Customers:

The shop rate is estimated at $50 per hour.  A complete and full setup on a standard guitar takes about one hour. 12-String guitars and certain electrics take much longer to work with, and we charge for that required time. For customers with inexpensive instruments, please understand we often refrain from taking on any quick-fixes or cheap jobs, and we refuse to reduce estimates or quotes to compensate for an instrument not worth a reasonable amount of work. 

"Cheap fixes" sacrifice the integrity of our work. In addition to this, working on a poorly made instrument is more difficult and time consuming because they always have more inherent flaws and hidden problems.  This means a "quick fix" easily turns into a time consuming pain-in-the-neck! It's then hard to charge the customer for the extra time, because they wanted it done cheaply in the first place!

This repair shop usually has around 30 instruments in line for different repairs at any given time.  The "less-serious" situations prevent us from getting to the serious work.  We do understand the sentimental value that instruments can have, so please don't take anything personally if we must refuse a repair because of these reasons above.

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General Price List of Most Common Repairs:

Clean & Restring:     $20 - $30

Full Setup:              $50 - $65

Pro Setup:              $120 - $150

Full Refret:             $250 - $350

Strap Button:          $15 (includes button)

Fix/Replace Jack:     $15 - $25

Install Pickup:         $35 - $65

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"I want the lowest action possible without buzz."

My response: What's your style and how's your technique? Is your technique or playing style exaggerating the buzz? If you play aggressively, your guitar will buzz, even with slightly higher action and heavy strings. Guitars are very imperfect instruments, and they can all be made to buzz depending on playing style, technique, etc. I welcome you to be picky, but please be practical.

Action Talk: Any guitar with any type of setup (high or low) can be made to buzz a number of different ways.  All guitar players should know that many professionals have preferences for heavier strings and substantially higher action so they can dig in with better tone. A musician must find the setup that agrees with their technique and tolerances.  Guess what? Guitars buzz when you play aggressively! That's part of their percussive nature, which is by design.  The guitar is a tuned percussion instrument, and it is often classified as such.

The necks of all guitars incur subtle changes over time, such as hidden warping and buckling.  Well made instruments do this less than others which facilitates the smoothest action setups.  The quality of your instrument plays a huge roll in it's setup potential. Very subtle changes can result in undesirable playing conditions.  A good repair tech can get a well made guitar to play near perfect, but there is often a limit to how much correction can be made to certain instruments, and for certain budgets.  There will always be nuances in the woods of different necks and within the alignment and combination of the materials inside the guitar itself, not to mention the natural tendency of us musicians to have moments of OCD leading us to focus on some minor idiosyncrasy of our instrument instead of just playing the damn thing. 

                                                           ~ RE