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.
Setups
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 ($80) – I’ll check all the electronics, hardware, frets, neck joint and braces to make sure everything functions properly; polish the frets; clean/condition the fretboard (where appropriate); check/adjust neck relief; install a fresh set of strings; check/adjust string action, nut action, pickup height and intonation; then I’ll clean and polish the finish and hardware before sending it back out the door.
Deluxe setup ($140) – 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 polish (where applicable) everything, 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.
Contact me for pricing on any of the following basic jobs:
Re-strings
Tuner installation
Strap button installation
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 is some of the fret, nut and saddle work I offer:
Re-securing loose frets
Softening fret ends
Complete fret level
Fall-away fret level
Leveling single high frets
Complete re-frets
Nut & saddle fabrication & installation
Pre-cut nut & saddle installation
Gluing in loose nuts
Truing nut shelves & saddle slots
Contact me for pricing or to set up an appointment to have your frets evaluated.
Structural Repairs
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 issues I can address:
Broken headstock/neck
Cracked soundboard
Cracked back
Cracked sidesheet
Cracked bridge
Lifting/detached bridge
Bellied soundboard
Loose or detached brace
Incorrect neck/bridge geometry
Detached binding
Broken truss rod
Neck relief issues beyond what the truss rod will correct
Contact me for pricing or to set up an appointment to have your instrument’s structural damage/issue evaluated.
Electronics
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 how about the radio interference you sometimes get whenever you plug in your Strat? Whatever your electronics issue, I can address it and get you back to playing instead of troubleshooting. Here is some of the electronics work I offer:
Repair faulty pots, switches & jacks
Installation of new pots, switches & jacks
Installation of pickups
Installation of battery boxes
Installation of acoustic pickups
Installation of sidesheet pre-amps
Complete re-wire
Wax-potting pickups
Body routes
Body cavity shielding
Contact me for pricing or to set up an appointment to see what I can wire up for your instrument.