After having a wonderful experience with a great guitar tech, I've came up with a thread idea.
Name a workshop/luthier type person or place you've had good experiences with, tell us who they are, where they're based and what sort of area you think they serve, or should serve.
I'll start.
Name: J. White Guitar Workshops
Website: http://www.jwhite-guitarworkshops.co.uk/
Location: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
Catchment area: As far as you're prepared to travel - the best man in the South East/Hants/Surrey/Berks area for sure. If you pay for carriage I think you can send it to him as well.
Notable clientele: Neil Brocklebank, Lisbee Stainton
Example of services/prices: I paid for two pickups to be installed on my S320 (£20 per p/up) and a full setup (£80). The full setup checklist:
Check fingerboard - under tension
Check truss rod - under tension
Adjust truss rod
Oil truss rod
Check fingerboard/truss rod - No tension
Stone frets
Crown frets
Clean fingerboard
Polish frets
Oil fingerboard
Adjust truss rod for relief (fingerboard)
Fit new strings
Fret Relief (with details of amount of relief given)
Oil machine heads and moving parts
Check nut
Check saddles/bridge
Adjust saddles/bridge
Adjust pickups
Check intonation
Check electrics
Clean Pots
Clean switches
Test & Play
Final adjustments
Clean guitar
Action at 12th Fret (specific to you and your playing style)
The re-cut of the frets is based on your playing style as he observes it, and is also respective to the vibration of the strings. So he does it properly. Precise measurements right down to nanometer sorta thing.
You get an invoice and a service card saying when it's next due for a setup again. That's a really good thing to have in case you flog your guitar cos you can prove you've had it serviced.
I'm so happy with the way my guitar's turned out, it's like it's a brand new guitar. Suddenly I wonder if I should ever bother buying an expensive guitar with guys like that around!
Name a workshop/luthier type person or place you've had good experiences with, tell us who they are, where they're based and what sort of area you think they serve, or should serve.
I'll start.
Name: J. White Guitar Workshops
Website: http://www.jwhite-guitarworkshops.co.uk/
Location: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
Catchment area: As far as you're prepared to travel - the best man in the South East/Hants/Surrey/Berks area for sure. If you pay for carriage I think you can send it to him as well.
Notable clientele: Neil Brocklebank, Lisbee Stainton
Example of services/prices: I paid for two pickups to be installed on my S320 (£20 per p/up) and a full setup (£80). The full setup checklist:
Check fingerboard - under tension
Check truss rod - under tension
Adjust truss rod
Oil truss rod
Check fingerboard/truss rod - No tension
Stone frets
Crown frets
Clean fingerboard
Polish frets
Oil fingerboard
Adjust truss rod for relief (fingerboard)
Fit new strings
Fret Relief (with details of amount of relief given)
Oil machine heads and moving parts
Check nut
Check saddles/bridge
Adjust saddles/bridge
Adjust pickups
Check intonation
Check electrics
Clean Pots
Clean switches
Test & Play
Final adjustments
Clean guitar
Action at 12th Fret (specific to you and your playing style)
The re-cut of the frets is based on your playing style as he observes it, and is also respective to the vibration of the strings. So he does it properly. Precise measurements right down to nanometer sorta thing.
You get an invoice and a service card saying when it's next due for a setup again. That's a really good thing to have in case you flog your guitar cos you can prove you've had it serviced.
I'm so happy with the way my guitar's turned out, it's like it's a brand new guitar. Suddenly I wonder if I should ever bother buying an expensive guitar with guys like that around!