Repair

Set Up

A set up ensures that your guitar works the way it's supposed to and that the action on the guitar is appropriate for style of play and comfort. Includes neck adjustment, saddle adjustment, and nut adjustment (see Nut Replacement), and basic string change. String upgrades available at low prices. Express service is available for a fee.

Nut Replacement

Sometimes after many years of wear, or from a previous improper adjustment, the strings will begin to buzz even when the strings are played open. This is how you know you are going to need a new nut. Changing the material a nut is made of will also change the sound of a guitar, especially in acoustics. We offer plastic, bone, graphite and brass custom and pre-made nuts. Nut replacement requires that a set up be performed, and the price reflects that.

Electronics

Lots of things can go wrong when moving parts and electronic components are combined. At Gabriel's, we do everything from diagnosing the problem to replacing individual components to routing and installing new pickups to completely rewiring your guitar for your own custom needs.

Sometimes, its just a little noise glitch that just really bothers you; like when you turn your volume knob up it seems to go from inaudible to blasting your eardrums out with only the slightest of turns. Or maybe you just aren't getting a warm enough tone from your tone pot.

Other times its more serious like, "My guitar has no output at all," or, "Every time I plug in, all I hear is this insanely loud hissing!"

Whatever the problem is, we can fix it. And on the slight chance that we can't, we will not charge you for service. You can't lose with Gabriel's.

We carry several brands of pickups in-store and can custom order pickups at discounted prices. We are proud to carry Seymour Duncan, EMG, Fishman, B-Band, and Dimarzio brand pickups.

Amp / Pedal / Electronics Repair / Customization

Gabriel's now offers Amp repair, effects pedal repair and customization by electronics technician David Rivas. Gabriel's is the only place in Tucson that offers complete customization and enhancement of your system in addition to being able to restore your gear to factory specs.

All Amp/Pedal repairs require a non-refundable $50 diagnosis fee, which will be applied to your total repair cost if the repair exceeds $50. David holds hours in-shop on Fridays between 10am and 2pm, but also works by appointment. To make an appointment, contact us and follow the instructions.

Humidification

We have an entire room devoted to re-humidifying guitars for work involving crack repair, general guitar maintenance, and preventative care. Plus, the whole shop is humidified, so you can be sure your guitar is being well taken care of. Humidification can take several weeks. Costs are on a weekly basis.

Crack Repair

Cracks are especially present out here in the desert. In the dry heat of Arizona, it is often difficult to keep a guitar properly humidified. As water leaves the organic wood, cracks form. Almost all crack repairs begin with humidification. Many cracks will actually seal themselves in the right environment. Many guitar repair shops use bulky pieces of wood to repair cracks so they will not come apart again. Especially when there is a crack in the top, customers complain that their guitars sound different after a crack repair. At Gabriel's we use smaller, stronger pieces of wood that are engineered to do their job of holding a crack together without impairing the sound. We have multiple techniques to seal cracks for good while minimizing the effect on the sound of the guitar. Each crack is unique and is dealt with uniquely.

There is no way to know exactly how a crack repair will affect a guitar's sound until it is complete and the guitar is strung up again. We can guarantee, however, that we use the latest scientific knowledge to minimize the effect on its sound. We are comfortable working on vintage acoustics and repair them in a way that limits their depreciation.

Bridge Repair / Replacement

We offer a wide range of ready-made bridges for acoustics and electrics. Gabriel's Guitar Services also offers custom-made bridges for vintage acoustics and for those of you who want to make a real statement with your acoustic guitar! Wood varieties and sizes available. Prices vary.

Level, Crown, and Polish (LCP)

Often frets develop wear marks from the stings either from aggressive, frequent playing or over a long period of time from average or even light amount of playing on some smaller frets (ex. 1). We have a secret and far superior method to crowning and polishing frets at Gabriel's Guitars (ex. 2). Not only will your frets have crisp, clean peaks but we put a mirror finish on every one. You can say goodbye to unwanted buzzing and fix your hair at the same time. Frets that are too badly worn will need to be replaced (ex. 3).

A set up ensures that your guitar works the way it's supposed to and that the action on the guitar is appropriate for style of play and comfort. Includes neck adjustment, saddle adjustment, and nut adjustment (see Nut Replacement), and basic string change. String upgrades available at low prices. Express service is available for a fee.

Fret Replacement / Partial Refret

If your frets are so badly worn or just too small to give them the old LCP, they will need to be replaced. Sometimes, a partial re-fret can be accomplished. These are issues which can only be deciphered by a certified repairman.

Refinishing / Finish Repair

Gabriel's is proud to offer a full spectrum of finish repairs and full refinishes. Dings, dents, cracks, we do them all. Want to put a sunburst on that strat? We can do that too! Lacquer, oil, or even french polish, we will be glad to assist you with whatever your finishing needs might be.

Headstock Reglue

It's one of the most heart-breaking moments for any guitar player. Maybe you were just stringing up the guitar and the headstock just broke off. Maybe you left the guitar plugged in leaning up against a wall, forgot about it, and later tripped over the cord and fell into the guitar breaking your headstock clean off...either way, we can fix it. Prices vary on how bad of a break it is, and usually these things look a lot worse than they actually are. Different levels of repair are available (structural only, structural and refinishing, the "make it look like it never happened" repair, etc.) and prices vary widely. For an accurate estimate, please bring in the guitar so we can see it!

Neck Reset

The neck reset is among the holy grail of guitar repairs because it is by far the most difficult and extensive guitar repair in any repairman's repertoire. Because of that, it is also the most expensive repair. To add to these conditions, neck resets are not always successful (there is approximately a 30% chance of irreparable damage to the guitar). For that reason, most repairmen do not even offer it as a service. Unfortunately, most guitars that truly need a neck reset are not worth the amount of money required to do the operation, and the owner would be better off buying a new guitar. It is fairly rare that a high-end guitar will ever need one unless it has been kept in poor conditions for many years. As for the low-end guitars, a neck reset is something you will have to seriously think about. Does this guitar have particular sentimental value to you? If so, it may be worth it for you to have a neck reset performed. Otherwise, it is probably a better investment to buy a new guitar. There are many decent mid-range guitars on the market for the approximate same price as having a neck reset performed.

Intonation, Plug and Re-cut (acoustics)

"Man, my guitar just will not stay in tune! I tune it with an electronic tuner, and everything checks out...I play a G chord, and it sounds fine...then I play a C and it sounds TERRIBLE!! What's going on?!?!"

Well, you have an intonation problem. An easy way to check if your intonation is out is to tune your guitars open strings using a tuner and then check the 12th fret. The 12th fret is the octave of the open string and so it should be exactly on pitch to the open string note. If the octave is sharp or flat of the open string, then your intonation is out and will need to be reset. On electrics, this is something that is taken care of during a set up; however, on acoustics its a bit more of a serious problem...

On an acoustic, the proper repair is called a plug and re-cut. Whereas the saddles of an electric are usually individually adjustable, on an acoustic there is (usually) just one saddle that is permanently stationary. So in order to adjust the intonation, we must plug the old saddle slot and cut a new one in the exact right location. This is a fairly inexpensive repair, and simple in nature, but if done incorrectly can do some serious damage to a guitar. So make sure you take it to your local experts at Gabriel's!