What type of professional am I looking for?

August 16, 2016 2:58 PM

Where should I take my guitars for this stuff?

I've taken my guitars (some higher end ones included) to places like guitar center in the past to have various stuff done to them (one that was brand new with new pickups I added wouldn't stay in tune no matter what I did so someone recommended I have the harmonics checked/changed and get different tuning knobs. Sub-question - does this need to be done to every new guitar, even stock ones? Or just guitars I change up the electronics in?) but I've never had them do major work for me (like installing different pickups for me and things like that). Should I trust a big store like I'm about to get into detail about (yes there is a reason I can't right now) or where should I take them? What guy or girl am I looking for?

posted by jitterbug perfume to Media & Arts (11 answers total)

I've found that individual instrument repair people, who are often also instrument makers, are much better for this sort of thing.

You can just say that you need your intonation checked.
posted by umbú at 3:09 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

I've always heard of the people who do this work described as "guitar techs" or "guitar technicians." I would ask around in your local community, but around NYC there are a lot of people I'd recommend before sending someone to a Guitar Center store. But depending on where you are, that may be as good as it gets.
posted by slkinsey at 3:10 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

Where are you? If I were you I'd Google for a luthier. If you can update with your location I'm sure you'll get lots of specific recommendations. A local guitar shop is better than guitar center in my opinion. I had a guy at Westwood music in LA who was amazing. And a guy at Mr Music in Boston.
posted by pazazygeek at 3:48 PM on August 16, 2016 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Two things - I need much more than intonation checked now. Which is why I'm not excited about using guitar center, doesn't feel safe. I need to install pickups and things like that. Secondly I'm in a big city and can probably find what I need... But what is that? A guitar repair person?
posted by jitterbug perfume at 3:49 PM on August 16, 2016

@pazazygeek has it. For anything major you are looking for a luthier. If nothing else they will know who you should talk to if they are not the right person.
posted by phil at 3:52 PM on August 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

Yeah. "luthier [city]" is a Google search that gets good results for the couple of mid- and large-sized cities I tried. If you get violin/cello people, you may want to narrow your search to a guitar luthier, but I got guitar places when I ran the search.
posted by Betelgeuse at 3:56 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

Just to give a specific example: I live in San Diego. I've been living here and playing electric guitars long enough, and have talked to enough other local guitar players, to know that if you're in San Diego you want to take your guitar to Fred at Repair Zone. A Google search for "luthier san diego" does in fact bring up Repair Zone as the top hit—in the little "places" box, above the search results proper—listed as a "musical instrument repair shop".

They'll do absolutely anything you can think of, from general tuneup (which would include correcting the intonation) up to replacing tuners; cutting a new, custom pick guard; installing new inlays in the side of the fret board; replacing the action; replacing the entire electronics system; replacing the pickups (all of which I have had done at Repair Zone). They will also often have a way better idea of how to solve a problem you've noticed than the fix idea you had.

All this to say: "luthier [city]" should get you what you need. You're on the right track!
posted by The Minotaur at 4:14 PM on August 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

In the Los Angeles area I'd take it to McCabe's.
posted by the marble index at 7:18 PM on August 16, 2016

Guitar tech or luthier. Luthier builds guitars. Guitar tech does light repair and maintains them, which is falls into the area you're talking about. Changing pickups and such is not major surgery, fixing a broken neck is.

(one that was brand new with new pickups I added wouldn't stay in tune no matter what I did so someone recommended I have the harmonics checked/changed

Many people call this a "setup", where they will check the neck alignment, intonation, nut, pickup height, generally everything to make sure it plays as well as possible. This is something many people will do to a new guitar first thing, and occasionally as needed. Roughly like a tuneup with older cars or bikes. If you're having a specific problem like staying in tune you tell them that when you bring it in.

The quality of techs at Guitar Center probably varies a lot (there was a guy around here that was great and trusted with crazy expensive guitars). A setup is like a haircut, lots of people can do it, some are great.
posted by bongo_x at 10:01 PM on August 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

I would ask your guitar playing friends/acquaintances which guitar techs or luthiers in particular they have had good experiences with and trust. As an aside, I think of a "luthier" as a guy who spends his time building guitars and putting his logo/name on them, who consequently may have a slower turn-around on repairs, while a "guitar tech" is someone who does repair work for a living, including delicate setup work and even restoration, depending on his experience. But I've noticed over the past year or two that luthier is starting to mean "repair person" in everyday usage.
posted by jabah at 6:04 AM on August 17, 2016 [2 favorites]

As an aside, I think of a "luthier" as a guy who spends his time building guitars and putting his logo/name on them, who consequently may have a slower turn-around on repairs,

Same here, I don't know if that has really changed or people are just using it wrong.
posted by bongo_x at 10:24 AM on August 17, 2016