A professional set up on a guitar is crucial to the instrument functioning and feeling the best it possibly can. A Set Up at Smalls covers:

Adjusting neck relief - Set truss rod for optimal neck straightness, determined by string tension

Carving the nut (and saddle(s) where applicable) - Properly seat strings in slots for tuning stability and intonation, determined by string gauge

Intonating or compensating the bridge/saddles - Adjust or file saddle to ensure all notes are in tune with each other up and down the neck based on string gauge and scale length 

Testing and cleaning electronics - Assess your pick ups, knobs, switches, and jacks all work as they should, addressing any cleaning that may need to be done for full function

Polishing frets/cleaning fingerboard - Remove the gunk off your fingerboard and polish/buff frets

General cleaning of your instrument

Installing new strings - We carry a wide variety of strings, but customers can provide their own

Final testing 

A Set Up is a great way to get your instrument feeling and playing like new again. A Set Up also allows us to go over your instrument in detail to bring attention to anything you may want to address in the future 

Side Fret Dress - Often frets will present as sharp to the touch; this can happen due to the environment (“winter sprout”), manufacturing/shipping, or improper replacements. Addressing these sharp ends can make a huge difference in how your guitar feels to play

Shim existing nut or design/craft a new nut - The nut of a guitar is a wearable part. As the string vibrates in the nut slot, it digs deeper over time. Eventually the slot bottoms out leaving your guitar sounding buzzy when open stings are played. Shimming a nut allows for the height needed for clearance and can prolong the life of that nut. We suggest replacing a nut if it has already been shimmed or if it would be a material upgrade to your instrument

Smalls also provides a lot of other guitar tech and repair services including but not limited to:

Fret work (full and partial fret dressing, full and partial re-frets, side fret dressing, polishing)

Electronic work/rewiring (new pick ups, pot/switch/jack replacements, custom designs)

Routing (to fit electronics, new pick ups, weight relief) 

Parts replacement (anything you would like to upgrade or replace)

Acoustic instrument repair (top cracks, lifting bridge, loose or missing braces)

Headstock break repair (for Gibson owners)

This is a short list of some of the repair work we do - please get in contact with the shop if you have any questions.