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REPAIR SHOP OVERVIEW

Noteable Music is a setup and repair shop for stringed instruments. We are equipped to handle most of your acoustic and electric guitar setup/adjustment and repair needs, as well as work on most other stringed/fretted instruments.

 

We offer a a wide variety of repair services including but not limited to:

  • Full or quick professional instrument setups

  • Bridge removal, clean and glue

  • Re-fret and finger board work

  • Nut crafting, installation and individual string slot height adjustments

  • Fret dress, polish, fret sprout, and partial fret replacement

  • Electronics repair as well as custom pickup, electronics wiring / installations

  • Instrument appraisal and assessments, including free verbal information regarding required or optional repairs or modification

 

Please keep in mind that all instruments require some routine maintenance to perform at their best and allow you to focus more on making amazing music.

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INSTRUMENT EVALUATION

Chris has over 35 years of experience working with a variety of studios, churches, luthiers, guitar builders and music stores. This includes technical work on instruments as well as live sound, and installations. He specializes in setups and custom work, and is able to do simple to intermediate repairs, wiring, and fret work. He also has experience in pro audio setup, as well as installation, troubleshooting, and expansion. He also has over 2 decades of related computer work on both PC and MAC.

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Chris is responsible for major repairs on acoustic and electric guitars, electric bass guitars, mandolins, banjos and most other fretted instruments, and overseas and fully inspects any work provided by other staff.

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Either book an appointment or drop by and we will inspect your instrument. We can let you know what looks right, and what may need immediate attention or work done down the road. If you have interest in custom modifications or builds, we can make recommendations for this as well.

 

Value appraisals are available, for a small fee – depending on time spent researching and required work to take apart certain components (neck/pickup removal, electronic cavity inspection, etc.)

Labor Policies

Labour estimates and do not include parts such as strings, bone blanks, fret wire, electronic components, etc.

Please remember, instruments require some routine maintenance to perform at their best. We recommend having your instrument checked 2-3 times a year. String replacement can be as often as every week for some, and every 4-6 months for others. This depends on how often and hard a person plays as well as several other factors, including personal preference.

 

Since each guitar is unique, prices quoted are estimates and may be adjusted based on actual time involved. A final price will be submitted prior to actual work and price may need to be adjusted in the case of repairs that get more involved as the work progresses. Rush jobs may be charged extra pending current workload. Generally, we can perform setups and fret dress jobs in 7-14 days – Other services may take longer. Customer satisfaction is our main priority! 

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Live/Pro-audio sound rates are based on individual needs and can have an appointment booked for proper assessment and quotation.

 

I always try to meet the scheduling needs of my customers if possible. Please call, email, or use the booking form to discuss your guitar and to schedule a drop-off. I look forward to providing these services for you!

Please note:
All fretted instruments need the frets to be level, and accurately crowned, in order to play cleanly with low action. Electric guitars and basses with bolt-on necks sometimes come from the factory with high frets due to a variety of shipping conditions. We can assess this and many other issues and correct them for you in a timely fashion.

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Fret Dress includes making all the frets level, re-crowning, and polishing of the frets and cleaning/conditioning the fret board. Occasionally, this service can be required on new guitars in order for them to play their best.

 

Other common work required can include:

 

  • Complete re-fret (plus refinishing maple fretboard)

  • Partial re-fret (requires a fret dress)

  • Loose fret ends, fret sprout

  • Fret leveling – a complete leveling is not always needed.

ACOUSTIC GUITARS

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Most acoustic guitars will benefit from a setup every 6-12 months, especially in the mid-island climate we live in. Instruments that are kept in challenging climate conditions (or that are on the road a lot), may need this service more often. Setups may include truss rod nut lubrication and adjustment, saddle lowering to adjust action, nut slot adjustments, cleaning of grimy frets and fretboard, adjusting tuners, installing new strings, making sure nuts and screws are snug, and checking electronics. Pricing is based on what your guitar needs.

 On some instruments, fret work may be essential, in order to reduce or eliminate buzzing. Fret work is not included in a setup – Contact us for pricing.

Acoustic Guitar Setups

  • Check neck bow/ string relief

  • Check nut and saddle for string height

  • Check guitar top for belly bow, and bridge tilt

  • Check fret edges for sharpness and fret sprout

  • Check frets for level, string grooves and tarnish

  • Check machine heads to make sure all are snug and key action is set to correct tension

  • Check for loose braces and humidity damage

  • Assess for optional upgrade to a hand carved or pre-cut nut and/or saddle made from brass, bone, horn, TUSQ or graphite

  • Restring with customer consulted brand/type of string

Acoustic Repair Work

  • Bridge removal and re-glue

  • Re-glue loose brace

  • Broken headstock repair (does not include any finish work)

  • Pickup installation

  • Fret level, crown and polish or fret removal and replacement

  • Fingerboard leveling

  • Tuner repair or swap

  • Pick guard removal and replacement or installation

  • Cracks in body or top

  • Regular or Locking strap button installation

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ELECTRIC GUITARS & BASSES

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Typically, setting up electric and bass guitars can include truss rod adjustment, bridge and saddle adjustment, setting string relief to proper specs, and for personal preference.

We check and correct intonation, and the nut slots for correct action at the first fret. Finally, restringing and cleaning the instrument, and adjusting tuners tension and make sure they are seated snugly to the headstock. Optionally, we polish frets and clean the fingerboard if needed/requested.

Due to the nature of electric guitar construction, it is common for these instruments to need fret work to play well. High frets and fret grooves must be addressed in order to play without excess buzzing. This can sometimes include new electric guitars right off the shelf.

Bass Guitar Work

  • Check neck bow/string relief

  • Check nut for string height

  • Check fret edges for sharpness and fret sprout

  • Check frets for level, string grooves and tarnish

  • Check machine heads to make sure all are snug and key action is set to correct tension

  • Assess for optional upgrade to a hand carved or pre-cut nut and/or saddle made from brass, bone, horn, TUSQ or graphite

  • Restring with customer consulted brand/type of string

Electric Guitar Work

  • Broken headstock repair (does not include any finish work)

  • Check neck bow/string relief

  • Pickup installation

  • Fret level, crown and polish or fret removal and replacement

  • Fingerboard leveling

  • Tuner repair or swap

  • Pick guard removal and replacement or installation

  • Cracks in body or top

  • Regular or Locking strap button installation

  • Restring with customer consulted brand/type of string

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OTHER POSSIBLE MODIFICATION IDEAS
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Coil Splitting - Modify your Humbucker pickups to achieve a brighter, single coil sound.

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Tone Capacitor upgrade - Replace the standard tone cap with a higher-quality or boutique grade options for improved tone.

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Pickup Height Adjustment - Experiment with pickup height to find the perfect combination of tone and sustain.

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Bridge Modification - Upgrade to a high-mass bridge or add a bridge plate for increased sustain.

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Killswitch - Add for stutter effects and percussive techniques.

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Active Electronics Upgrade - Install active pickups or a preamp for a boost in volume and clarity.

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Custom Wiring - Experiment with alternative wiring schemes for unique tonal possibilities.

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Tone Pot Bypass - Add a push-pull potentiometer to bypass the tone circuit for a more direct signal.

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Instrument Electronics Shielding - Shield your electronics to reduce hum and noise.

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Got an idea we haven't heard of yet? Bring it to us and we might be able to do that for you as well! Imagination and innovation are welcome, but we reserve the right to proceed or not based on viability and safety.

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