4 Tips for Finding a Guitar Repair Tech You Can Trust

If you're a guitarist, you'll undoubtedly deal with guitar repairs at some point. Guitar repairs are like car repairs--they can be costly, complicated, and if you don't know much about how your guitar works, you can get overcharged. Luckily, the music business is a relatively friendly industry, and most guitar repair techs know that if they treat their customers fairly, the customers will keep coming back. Even so, it's best to be sure. Here are a few tips for checking the credentials of a guitar tech before handing him your axe for repairs.

Talk to other musicians. If you don't know where to find a reputable guitar repair shop, talk to guitarists, bassists, and other accomplished musicians that you know. Ask them where they go and what they're usually charged. Find out how long it takes them to get their instruments back after a repair. Word of mouth counts for a lot, and you might find out something that drives you to--or away from--a particular guitar store.

Ask for prices on a few minor repairs . When you've narrowed your search down to a few repair shops, ask them for price estimates on little stuff. Ask what they'd charge to switch out pickups, to file frets, or for other common repairs. You'll quickly figure out if a certain shop is overpriced, but remember not to automatically go for the cheapest shop. You're trusting them with your guitar for repair, so you want quality over cost.

Ask for references. Many guitar repair shops will happily provide you with a few references or at least a list of their certifications (which are provided by guitar manufacturers like Gibson and Fender). These can give you a lot of peace of mind. Avoid any shop that seems insulted when asking for references. They should be professional enough to at least provide an answer as to why they won't provide you with evidence that they do good work.

Look at the guitars in the store. Most guitar repair shops are also guitar stores, so learn a bit about guitars and look at some of the axes in the store. If they have a large number of warped guitars with bad electronics, they've either got a really busy guitar repair tech or they simply don't care too much about quality. Take your business elsewhere.

Do you have any other tips for finding a great guitar repair tech? Post in our comments section below.