Frequently Asked Questions
Payment
What types of payment do you accept?
We currently accept cash and PayPal.
Services
How long will it take to get my guitar back?
There are several variables that can affect how quickly we can get your instrument back to you, but we typically strive to have a turn around time of no longer than a week for most services. Some factors that can change this include humidifying/dehumidifying guitars, job type, waiting on parts, and overall shop volume. However, we always do our best to get instruments back to their owners in a timely manner.
I bought a pre-cut nut for my instrument. Will you install it on my guitar?
We will typically not install a pre-slotted or pre-shaped nut. Although they are frequently marketed as being a drop in replacement, it is almost impossible to guarantee that they will provide the best possible string spacing for most guitars. When we make a nut from scratch for any given guitar, we can focus on getting you the best possible spacing for that given instrument. The only exception would be for replacing company - specific compensated nuts, like the ones that come on Music Man guitars and basses.
Why is the K&K Pure Mini the only pickup you will install in my acoustic guitar?
The K&K Pure Mini pickup is our preffered choice because it requires very little alteration to your acoustic guitar. The transducers mount to the bottom of the bridge plate, and run directly to the output jack on the guitar. No battery or preamp required. This makes it ideal for maintaining the acoustic tone of your instrument while offering the ability to plug a cable into an external preamp, DI box, or mixing console when needed.
Intonation
What is intonation and why is it important?
Intonation is an instrument's ability to play in tune across the fretboard. You can tune the strings on your guitar perfectly, but if the instrument's intonation is out you won't sound in tune. Even after adjusting the intonation of a string at the 12th fret, there are other factors that can affect an instrument's overall intonation such as high nut slots, worn frets, excessive neck relief, and pickup height to name a few. Although the anatomy of a guitar makes it impossible to achieve perfect intonation, our job while performing setups and repairs is to balance all of these factors to get you the best possible intonation and playability out of your guitar.
Why is a strobe tuner necessary for setting intonation at the 12th fret?
On many digital tuners, the LED representing a note as being in tune is typically accurate within plus or minus a couple of cents. This is usually good enough for tuning the strings on your guitar, but isn't really precise enough for setting a guitar's intonation. A strobe tuner provides a lower level of latency when tuning a string, allowing you to see exactly what the string is doing in real time. It also provides the highest level of accuracy possible : When the strobe wheel stops moving, you are close to a tenth of a cent from the target pitch. This makes it ideal for getting the best possible intonation out of your instrument.
Humidity
Why does humidity matter?
Humidity plays a major role in the overall condition of your guitar. The ideal humidity range for a guitar or bass is 45-55% relative humidity, and will help protect your instrument from structural and playability issues. Aside from preventing cracks, loose glue joints, and sharp fret ends, the setup on your instrument will be more stable when humidified properly.
How do I properly humidify my guitar?
There are a couple ways you can approach humidifying your instrument. Keeping an appropriately sized humidifier or dehumidifier running in the room you store your instrument in is a great option and allows you to keep multiple instruments safe at once. You can also use a two-way humidifier pack in your guitar case, but be sure to check them regularly in case they expire. Either option will help prevent repairs and keep your instrument playing great.