ARTICLES

The number one request we hear at the shop is “low without any buzz”. We do more set-ups than any other service; they are what keep our customers coming back. Most people do not know the joy of a professional set up. You don’t know what type of player you are until you’ve had one! The most common complaints are
1. Action is too high
2. It won’t play in tune
3. It won’t stay in tune
Everything else is just icing on the cake if you can get these 3 things down. Most people want the action (the height of the string off the fingerboard) low.

The #1 enemy of acoustic guitars is lake of humidity. Dry weather, especially in winter months, can often times be devastating to the wood fibers of your acoustic guitar. Dry weather can leech out moisture, leaving the wood dry and brittle. We see tons of top, side and back cracks here at our shop from November through to May. Sometimes (though it is rare), we’ll fix one in August from some ones air conditioner drying a top out.
Preventing this is very simple. Leave the guitar in its case when you are not playing it, and include a guitar humidifier, properly filled, in the guitar while in its case.

Guitar refinishing is one of the most exciting things we do at our shop. It is also the most frustrating and time consuming work that we do. Many a day RD has been heard crying out for mercy trying to remove the finish from some vintage piece that an old Hippy repairman has re-finished with some kind of THC resin.

At least once a week a client comes in with a guitar that has a scratch, dent, small ding or giant gouge in the body of his guitar. Inevitably, he asks the question…
“Can you guys make this look new again?”
I shuffle my feet, trying to explain how difficult and time consuming it is. “How long would it take?”
I exhale loudly and ask, “Do you have a back up guitar?”
“How much will this cost?”
My answer, as always is, “How much is it worth to you?”

Most people assume that when their guitar goes out of tune, it is because the tuning keys are bad or worn out. Now, some tuners are not the greatest, but 95% of all tuning problems are caused by other factors.