Recent repairs & setups
Work from the workshop
A selection of repairs, setups, and restorations — with notes on what was done and why.
A selection of repairs, setups, and restorations — with notes on what was done and why.
Using StewMac tools, the bridge was carefully heated and removed without tearing wood or lacquer. The bridge and body were cleaned and reshaped where needed. Originally the bridge had been glued to both bare wood and lacquer — a common cause of failure. With surplus lacquer removed, it was re-clamped using a bridge caul from the inside and outside. Restrung to the same gauge and tuning. No more belly bulge, solid as new.
The customer supplied replacement Dimarzio D-Sonic pickups, but the original mounting was direct to the guitar body with no height adjustment. Gary soldered a nut underneath each pickup to give the screws something to bite — making height fully adjustable and keeping the mod completely reversible if the owner wants to change them out in the future.
This Warwick had never been set up from new. The owner was initially cautious due to the instrument's significant value — they've quadrupled in price. All muck and tarnish was carefully removed from the frets, and the action was brought down to a very low, comfortable playing height with zero fret buzz. The owner was so impressed they left a 5★ review and followed up by email with how much better it plays.
On this older Super Strat the customer wanted to upgrade from stock tuners to locking tuners for improved tuning stability. The existing holes needed to be slightly widened — Gary used a reamer to open them just enough to allow a snug fit for the new tuner bushings, without over-drilling. Clean, precise, and fully functional.
The nut on this SG was damaged during a commute and the owner brought it in for a replacement and full setup. Gary fitted a TUSQ-XL nut, sanded down to the exact width of the original, then hand-filed each slot for the optimum height at the first fret. Better tuning stability and improved feel compared to the original plastic nut.
This Telecaster had been played most days for around 20 years. From the nut to the ninth fret, there were deep grooves across the fret tops. Gary and the owner discussed a full refret, but there was just enough material left to level instead — saving significant cost. Every fret was levelled, recrowned, and polished to a mirror finish. Full setup on completion.
Get in touch for a free quote within 24 hours. No obligation, no fuss.