Szekely Guitar Repair Services
Szekely Guitar Repair offers the highest quality luthiery founded on years of experience and education. I use the latest tools and techniques, maintain a clean and properly humidified shop, charge competitive prices and offer a 30-day guarantee on all my work. I’m fully insured and treat every instrument like it’s my own so you can rest assured that your baby will be well cared for while at SGR. Whether you need a setup, pickups installed, an appraisal or your instrument is in need of serious structural repair, I got you covered. Below are some of the services I offer.
Contact me for pricing or to set up an appointment to have your instrument evaluated or to see what I can do for you. And don’t forget to check out my Google reviews.
Setups & The Basics
Maybe it’s been awhile since you pulled out your Tele. When you did, you discovered the strings were way too high off the fretboard, making it hard to play. “Hmm. It wasn’t like that when I played it last.” Sounds like your Tele needs a setup.
All stringed instruments should have setups done on a regular basis, even if its brand new. Changes in temperature and humidity and regular use can have a significant impact on its playability. At Szekely Guitar Repair, I’ll pore over every detail of your instrument to make sure it performs at its highest level the way YOU want it to.
Standard setup ($100) – I’ll give the instrument a full inspection and record its pre-setup measurements; tighten the tuners, strap buttons and output jack; lubricate the tuners; perform a DeoxIT treatment of any scratchy pots, polish the frets; clean and condition the fretboard (and bridge where applicable); adjust the neck relief, string action, nut action, intonation and pickup heights; lower, shape, buff and polish the top of the nut as needed; install and stretch a fresh set of strings; record post-setup measurements; and finally, I’ll surface clean and hand-polish the finish and hardware before sending it back out the door.
Deluxe setup ($170) – If your guitar is exceptionally dirty, you can opt for a Deluxe setup where I’ll do a Standard setup plus I’ll disassemble the entire instrument; deep-clean and hand polish everything applicable; lubricate the hardware and re-assemble everything, restoring the condition of your instrument to as close to new as possible short of completely refinishing it and buying all new hardware. If you’re instrument’s finish has dulled and you’d like its glossiness restored or if you’d just like a higher shine than what it has, I can perform a machine buff and polish for an extra $75.
Contact me for pricing on any of the following basic jobs:
Re-strings
Tuner installation
Strap button/strap lock installation
Detailed written appraisals
Fret, Nut & Saddle Work
“Why does my PRS buzz when I play up past the twelfth fret?” “Why do I have open string buzz on my Martin?“ Why do chords sound wonky in the first position on my SG?” “Why does the B string on my Larrivee sound like a sitar?”
The answers to these types of questions usually point to the need for some fret, nut and/or saddle work.
For fretted instruments, the condition of their frets, nuts and saddles are a crucial factor in how well they perform. Poorly-made, -installed or -maintained frets, nuts and saddles can make playing your instrument miserable and can even cause cuts on your hand in some cases. I can take care of all of these issues.
Here are some of the fret, nut and saddle services I offer:
Re-secure loose frets
Soften fret ends
Complete fret level
Fall-away fret level
Level single frets
Complete re-frets
Fretless conversions
Nut & saddle fabrication & installation
Pre-cut nut & saddle installation
Glue in loose nuts
Saw out difficult nuts
Square nut shelves & saddle slots
Lower Floyd Rose nut shelves
Contact me for pricing or to set up an appointment to have your frets, nut or saddle evaluated.
Structural & Cosmetic Work
Yep, it happened: your prized Les Paul fell over and the headstock snapped. Or maybe the strap of your Taylor let go, sending it crashing to the ground, cracking the soundboard. And what the heck is buzzing on the inside of your Martin anyway? This is all scary stuff knowing how much we pay for our instruments. But it’s all very common and it’s all repairable.
Here are some of the structural and cosmetic repairs/services I offer:
Broken headstock/neck
Cracked soundboard
Cracked back
Cracked sidesheet
Cracked bridge
Cracked fretboard
Bellied soundboard
Loose, detached or missing brace
Detached binding
Neck resets
Bridge resets
Bridge shaves
Bridge pin slotting
Broken truss rod
Neck relief issues beyond what the truss rod will correct
Stripped screws/holes
Plug holes/routes
Acoustic pickguard removal/replacment
Custom pickguard & truss rod cover fabrication & installation
Headstock logo decal replacement/installation
Finish repairs
Full instrument machine buff & polish
Contact me for pricing or to set up an appointment to have your instrument’s structural or cosmetic issue evaluated.
Electronic & Installation Work
So you love the way your Gretsch Electromatic plays but its sound when plugged in? Mmm, not so much. Or maybe you can’t figure out what’s causing that incessant static when you plug in and play your P-Bass. Or maybe you’re tired of going out of tune and want a Floyd or an Evertune installed on your guitar . Whatever your electronics or hardware needs, I can address it and get you back to playing instead of troubleshooting. Here is some of the electronics & installation work I offer:
Diagnose unknown cause of electronic issues
Repair or replace faulty pots, switches & jacks
Repair broken or cold solder joints
Installation of specialty pots, switches & jacks
Installation of pickups
Installation of pickups on acoustic instruments
Installation of battery boxes
Complete re-wires
Custom re-wires
Wax-potting pickups
Body cavity shielding
Body routes
Installation of Floyd Rose-style tremolos
Installation of Evertune systems
Installation of floating archtop bridges
Pickguard swaps
Custom pickguard & truss rod cover fabrication & installation
“Parts” guitar assemblies & setups
Contact me for pricing or to set up an appointment to see what I can wire up or install on your instrument.