The below listed prices are for labor only, and do not include cost of strings or materials. Instruments are worked on in the order that they are received. If you're in need of a quicker turn around, we offer expedited service for an additional 50% of the total labor cost. Please note that on some of the more complex jobs, such as refrets and neck resets, we are unable to offer same day service.
Our luthier, Ian Pender, has over ten years of experience in all aspects of building and repairing both acoustic and electric fretted stringed instruments. You may drop off an instrument for setup or repair at the front desk any time during normal business hours. If you have instrument repair questions, or would like to schedule an appointment to go over your instrument with our luthier, the best way to contact Ian is via email.
Restrings | Setups | Maintenance
Restrings:
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Standard six string - $25
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Floyd Rose or other locking tremolo - $35
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12 string or mandolin - $30
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Classical - $30
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Banjo, ukulele/folk instrument -$20
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Heavy cleaning - $25
To have your instrument restrung while you wait, we either ask that you schedule an appointment in advance, or we add a 50% rush charge to cut in line. Rush charge applies to labor only, not cost of strings.
Setups:
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Standard (acoustic or electric) - $90
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12 string - $100
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Floyd Rose or other locking tremolo - $120
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Fabricate and install custom nut or saddle - $140
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Fabricate and install custom nut and saddle - $200
A proper setup is essential to ensuring that your instrument plays and feels its best. Ian's setup process is very involved, and is tailored to your instrument and playing style. First, the truss rod is adjusted to allow for the proper amount of relief. Then, the nut is optimized for string height and comfort. Next, adjustments are made at the bridge to set the playing action, intonation, and radius of the strings. Pickup height adjustment is also checked and tweaked. If necessary, Ian will perform other routine maintenance during a setup, including, but not limited to: cleaning out dirty potentiometers and switches, lubricating nut slots, cleaning and polishing the finish and fingerboard, and, if necessary, lubricating and freeing up rusted and frozen saddle height screws. Ian will also carefully inspect your instrument for other problems, such as uneven fret work or loose braces, and recommend additional work when needed.
We understand that what constitutes a proper setup is highly subjective to playing style and personal preferences. When we check in an instrument for a setup, we'll ask you questions about your playing style, such as whether or not you bend often, or if you play fingerstyle or flat pick, as well as what gauge strings or tunings you may use, so that we can best determine how you might want your instrument set up. However, a custom set up is a lot like having a tuxedo tailored to a specific body type, so if we haven't set up an instrument for you before, we may not get it 100% right on the first go. If you're not entirely happy with your setup, bring it back in, and we'll be happy to tweak or adjust it to your liking for no additional cost.
We guarantee our setups for 30 days from the time of pickup. Seasonal fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity, as well as distortions in an instruments geometry due to the slow and steady pull of string tension, will cause a properly set up instrument to shift and settle out over time. Therefore, we recommend having your guitar or other stringed instrument set up and checked for structural issues at least once a year.
Electronics | Pickup Installation and Rewinding
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Install/resolder jack - $30
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Install/resolder jack, acoustic or archtop - $40
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Install undersaddle acoustic pickup (Fishman, ect) - $95
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Install sound board transducer (K&K) - $80
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Install one magnetic pickup - $60
+ $20 for each additional pickup
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Install/replace potentiometer - $40
+ $20 for each additional pot
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Install/replace switch - $60
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EMG/Active pickup installation - $100+
+ $60 archtop surcharge (excluding jack install/replacement)
Pickup installation cost does not include routing. If a pickup route needs to be cut or enlarged in order to perform a pickup installation, the additional labor for the routing will be billed at our hourly rate of $70/hr. Labor time for routing can vary from instrument to instrument, but in most cases comes out to about an hour.
Due to the time and complexity involved in carefully removing the wiring harness through the F holes of a semi-hollow body or arch top guitar, a $50 surcharge is applied to most electrical repairs on these instruments.
Sometimes, fixing a non-functional pickup is as simple as replacing a pickup lead that has shorted out. Other times, a full rewind may be required. Pickup rewinds start at $80, and go up depending on complexity. Keep in mind that some pickups, such as Bartolinis and EMGs, are epoxy potted, and can never be rewound. Our luthier Ian also custom winds his own pickups based on classic designs, and is open to experimentation as well. Email for estimates.
Fretwork
We offer standard 18% nickel silver fretwire, as well as stainless steel, and Evo gold fretwire, which is between nickel silver and stainless in hardness, and is a great choice cosmetically for instruments with gold hardware, as well as older Harmony and Silvertone guitars that would have originally come with brass frets. Fret dress and refret prices are generally billed at the above listed prices, but may be subject to higher labor rates in special cases (binding nibs, for example, or on 70's Fenders with maple boards, which are thickly finished with polyurethane that is highly prone to chipping). When refretting a neck with larger wire, it is occasionally necessary to install a new nut, as the old one may be too low after the new frets are installed. We offer nut installations at a discounted rate of $80 plus part when paired with a refret. Labor costs for fret dresses and refrets include a setup.
Ian also offers fretless bass conversions, which entails pulling the existing frets, and filling the slots with veneer. We can either use a veneer that closely matches the existing fingerboard wood for a cleaner look, or use a contrasting veneer or filler strip for reference lines. We do not recommend fretless conversions on maple fingerboards.
Structural Repairs
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Reglue acoustic bridge - $160+
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Fabricate and install new acoustic bridge - $350+
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Replace bridge plate - $300+
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Patch worn bridge plate - $90
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Headstock reglue - $100+
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Reglue loose brace - $90+
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Crack repair - $60+
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Neck reset - $475+
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Custom inlay - Email for estimate
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Finish touch up and repair - Email for estimate
Labor rates for bridge reglues and replacements are base prices only; prices may be subject to increase depending on complexity of job, or if additional work is required. For example, on many import guitars, the bridges are simply super glued directly to the finish. In order to ensure a proper bond, the finish beneath has to be carefully removed, in order to achieve a seamless joint. Sometimes, when a bridge pulls loose, it tears material from the top with it. These sections of missing wood may have to be patched, which can also increase labor time, and therefore, cost. A seamless fit between the bridge and top is crucial for proper transfer of string vibration to the sound board, so all old glue residue must be carefully scraped and removed prior to regluing a bridge. Our luthier prefers hot hide glue for most bridge reglues. While its short open time makes it difficult to work with, it dries harder and is less prone to cold creep than aliphatic resin or polyvinyl acetate wood glues. It also shrinks as it dries, pulling the bridge and sound board tightly together for good tonal transfer. Our luthier stocks Indian rosewood and ebony bridge blanks for fabricating replacement bridges, and also has a small stash of other wood options available for special projects.
Labor costs for repair work, including crack repairs and headstock reglues, do not include finish touch up. Finish touch ups are available for an additional cost, quoted on a case-by-case basis. In most cases, we do not offer full refinishes.
- Custom inlay - email Repairs@fivestarguitars.com for quote
- Finish touch up and repair - email Repairs@fivestarguitars.com for quote
About the luthier:
After years of modding and tinkering with his own instruments, Ian Pender built his first electric guitar from scratch when he was 17. In 2007, Ian attended Vermont Instruments, in Post Mills, Vermont, where he designed and built his first acoustic guitar, a concert sized Manzer wedge. Wanting to further his education in lutherie, Ian traveled to Big Rapids, Michigan, to attend the Galloup School of Lutherie. where he built four more instruments and received extensive training in instrument construction, musical acoustics, and guitar repair and restoration. After graduating from Galloup, Ian worked as a luthier at Saratoga Guitar, in Saratoga Springs, New York, doing minor repair and store stock setups, before relocating to the West Coast in 2011.
Ian has been the in-house luthier here at Five Star guitars since 2012, where he does everything from basic setups and electrical work to more involved projects including (but not limited to): pickup rewinding and building custom pickups to customer specs; structural repairs such as headstock reglues, bridge reglues, crack repairs, and neck resets; custom inlay; fret leveling and refretting, including a handful of 17 and 19 note microtonal conversions; and even custom building entire necks for mandolin/mandola conversions. When he's not working on customer repairs, Ian also designs and builds his own custom instruments. Ian is an FMIC certified warranty tech, Taylor warranty certified, certified Buzz Feiten tuning system installer, and is a member of the Guild of American Luthiers.