Setups & Repair

Setup & Maintenance

Standard Setup: £50

Guitar will be cleaned, fretboard re-conditioned & frets polished. Restring, truss rod adjustment, action at the bridge & nut, intonation and pickup height as well as clean and inspection of electronics (if present).

Fret level, crown and polish: £100

Over time, frets become unevenly worn, causing buzzing and interference that cannot be fixed with a setup alone. Service will reset frets to "better than new" - standard setup included.

Floyd Rose +£10

12 String +£10

All prices exclude the cost of strings & any replacement parts / hardware

Repairs

Re-fretting: £200

Frets can become too worn down to be functional, or otherwise be unseated from their slot. All frets will be replaced, levelled and crowned. Partial re-fretting is also available. Setup & new nut included. (+£40 for stainless)

Chips & Dents: £50+

Accidents happen. Some like the character of mistakes, some want to forget they ever happened. Price will vary depending on the total area of damages to repair.

Headstock break: £80+

Big accidents happen. Everybody wants to forget. All care will be taken to reanimate your instrument from the dead, however each break is different so final quotes will vary.

Replacement nut / saddle / tuners: £40

Neck reset & advanced repairs - please enquire

Electronics & Mods

Pickup replacement: £30 + £15 per ad.

Acoustic pickup installation: £45

Jack / Pot / Switches: £20 + £5 per ad.

For when the contact cleaner won't cut it.

General modifications: £25 + hr rate

Full rewire / troubleshooting: £25 + hr rate

Hunting down that buzzing noise from a faulty ground *somewhere*

Far-fetched, unusual or hair-brained ideas: Enquire within!

Drums

Full Service: £85

Deep clean and polish, hardware restored, basic parts replaced as required (washers, small nuts), heads restored or replaced as required, bearing edge cleaned and a full tune.

Price based on 4 piece kit - surcharge applies for additional drums

Tuning (full kit): £55

Tuning will be based on customer preference (open/closed resonance, high/medium/low, etc)

Tuning (one drum): £15

Bearing edge repair: £25+

Dents lifted, rough spots repaired, edges levelled - prices vary depending on damage and drum size.

General repairs and servicing: £25 + hr rate

Pedals serviced, springs replaced, etc.

All prices exclude the cost of heads & any replacement parts / hardware

Cymbals

Body crack repair: £35 + £10 per ad.

Usually around the bell area, the crack will be removed and prevented from spreading further. When caught early, the tone of the cymbal can be largely intact.

Edge crack repair: £25 + £10 per ad.

Clean, polish and buff: £15 per cymbal

Whilst every care will be taken to preserve the character of your cymbal, these repairs always carry a risk of change - but repaired is better than shattered down the line!

Cello

Bridge Replacement: £70

A bridge will be sourced with the correct grain orientation & characteristics for your instrument. It will then be shaped and fit to the arching and set to your action requirements.

Sound-post adjustment: £60

Placement and good fitment of the sound post is crucial for the best sound out of your instrument.

Peg fitting: £60

For the remediation of slipping or worn pegs.

Nut replacement: £60

All prices exclude the cost of strings & any replacement parts

Violin

Bridge Replacement: £50

A bridge will be sourced with the correct grain orientation & characteristics for your instrument. It will then be shaped and fit to the arching and set to your action requirements.

Sound-post adjustment: £40

Placement and good fitment of the sound post is crucial for the best sound out of your instrument.

Peg fitting: £40

For the remediation of slipping or worn pegs.

Nut replacement: £40

All prices exclude the cost of strings & any replacement parts

Others

Bow re-hairing: £60+

All crack / dent / finish repairs: Enquire

Double Bass repairs can be discussed, though I am limited by my workshop size.

Repair & adjustment of electric violin / cello also undertaken.

Other bowed instruments: see "Folk & Historical"

Historical & Early Muisc

Viol de Gamba, Viol de Amore & etc.

I studied at West Dean College, the last specialist lutherie school in Europe for Viol de Gamba. Due to the uncommon nature of the instruments, I am unable to list set prices for services, but all setups and adjustments can be catered for.

Lute & Archlute

Any and all work will be considered, however if I am unable to assist you with your setup or repair requirements, I will be able to point you in the right direction of lute specialists who can.

Other historical instruments

I specialise in the obscure and unknown, with my final project at West Dean recreating an almost extinct arpeggione, or "bowed guitar". Rest assured, your opharion, cittern or tromba marina will be thoroughly researched and safe in my hands, whatever the requirement.

Folk - Plucked

Sitar & saz family

Fret adjustment and replacement, crack repairs, re-stringing, peg fitting and general set-ups

Bozouki, mandolin, ukulele, banjo, etc.

All services offered for acoustic guitar available, plus banjo + similar instrument drum skin replacement

Oud & other bowl-backed instruments

As with lute, all work will be considered, but anything beyond my remit can be referred on to specialists

Lap harps, lyres, dulcimers, psaltry & zithers

Restringing, hardware TLC, repairs and restoration

Pricing: all on a case-by case basis

Folk - Bowed

Erhu

Qiān jin (nut) replacement / installation, general setup, restring

Tagelharpa / Jouhikko

Tailor-made synthetic strings, bridge replacement / creation, general setup, restring

Others

If your instrument is not listed here... I am even more interested in working on it.

I carry out extensive background research on the correct practices and culture behind setup and repair for any new instrument I encounter.

This is part of my passion for musical instruments!

As a sole trader, my hourly rate reflects not only my time and expertise but also the need to cover essentials like sickness and holiday pay. I believe in transparent pricing to build trust and break down taboos around money - unfortunately we can't avoid it!

I'm also open to alternative payment systems and happy to discuss work in kind or reciprocal arrangements—let’s chat if you have something in mind!

Please note that the prices listed are estimates, not fixed rates. Costs may vary depending on the complexity of the job, but I’ll always provide a fair quote before starting any work.