How to Choose the Right Repairperson for Your Guitar

My beloved Martin D-18 needs work—the bridge is lifting, and there’s a small crack in the top. The trouble is, I just moved to a new town and don’t know anybody. I’m nervous to take it to an unknown repair shop, and I don’t know how to go about choosing the right person. How can I be sure that a shop will be up to the task? —Emily M.

This is a great question—I have had to correct more than a few questionable repairs over the years, many of which could have been avoided if the player took a bit of time to make sure they were making a good match between the job and the provider. It can be tricky at times to navigate this—frequently, some diplomacy is necessary—but it’s still much easier than managing the politics that inevitably follow after unsatisfactory repairs.

I’ll begin by stating the (hopefully) obvious: not every shop is suited for every job, and that is perfectly fine and reasonable. Many retail guitar stores offer some degree of setup, adjustment, or repair, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the shop is equipped to deal with extensive structural work, finish touchups, neck resets, or other big jobs. If 90 percent of the guitars in the store are neon-green electrics, they may not be the best choice for your Martin.

Similarly, though perhaps less obviously: I know a number of excellent guitar builders with little or no background in repair. Though the skill sets overlap a great deal, they are not entirely the same, and it’s perfectly possible to be an excellent builder of new guitars without needing some of the basic skills used in everyday acoustic repair. For example, much of repair work involves disassembling old glue joints, which many guitar builders never need to do. If considering a guitar builder as a repair provider, I would think about whether the specific job overlaps closely with the process of making a new instrument. Gluing a bridge would be a good example—I would trust most builders to do a good job of this since they do it on every new instrument they make. Repairing and touching up a crack is a different story—in a well-controlled shop environment, the builder of new guitars hopes never to face this issue.

So, how do we go about choosing the right repair shop? The first and best way is through word of mouth: go to open mics, farmer’s markets, open jam sessions—anywhere you can find other acoustic guitarists—and ask them who takes care of their guitars. I don’t advertise in my local area at all; most of my business comes through client referrals, which generally help new clients feel confident before they even walk through the door. If you had a trusted luthier in your old hometown, ask them if they know anyone—it’s a small and pretty close-knit community, and I frequently offer trusted referrals to long-distance clients who need a local option.

Once you have a couple of possible names, a phone call is a great next step. I’m always happy when clients ask questions—it gives me a chance to describe the kind of work I think is necessary and provide some detail about how I approach the job at hand. Some clients come into these conversations equipped with helpful knowledge, but, as is so often true these days, others have read things online that may not be entirely accurate or that they may have misinterpreted. My advice would be to let the repairperson lead with their evaluation and opinion, and then make your own judgment based on those. Most repairpeople, myself included, will want to actually see the instrument before making a final evaluation, but I think it is both courteous and practical to cover some of the basic points in advance—face-to-face time at the bench is a valuable commodity.

One point I like to bring up in these initial inquiries is warranty coverage. Many brands offer this for original owners, often including repair for many common issues (like your lifting bridge). I always encourage my clients to take advantage of warranty coverage if they can. I am not a warranty shop for any manufacturer, but I stay aware of the local warranty service providers for most major brands and feel it’s my obligation to make sure the client knows if they have the option. In many cases, they choose to pay out of pocket to have me do the work anyway rather than driving or shipping the guitar some longer distance—but warranty coverage is part of the price paid for a quality guitar, and the player deserves to benefit from its value if they can.

Pricing is always at the heart of the initial conversation. Many shops have flat rates for certain jobs, while others bill hourly. Personally, I prefer to stay away from flat rates since I’ve encountered too many unexpected surprises and noncompliant guitars that took way more time than they should. If someone quotes a price upfront before starting the job, be aware that unless it’s a very simple job, you may come back to find a higher price, an unhappy luthier, or both. Even the simplest-seeming jobs can sometimes hide deeper gremlins.

For example, let’s consider your D-18. The bridge is lifting, which is a very common issue with flattop guitars, even very well-made ones. Nearly anyone that repairs guitars has encountered lifting bridges, but the ways they are handled can vary widely. I’ve encountered everything from people putting hot water under the bridge to loosen and fully remove it, to people making thin wedges of wood to glue into the empty space, to some folks who just squeeze in some epoxy and clamp it back down with fingers crossed. All of these techniques are best avoided and, most importantly, they all overlook the possibility of a larger issue. Many bridges simply come unglued and need regluing, but others tear up at the fibers of the top and require a very careful removal to avoid further serious top damage.

Anytime I evaluate a guitar with a lifted bridge, I inspect the bridge plate (inside the guitar, underneath the bridge area). It’s not uncommon for a lifting bridge to be a symptom of a cracked or buckled bridge plate or even a cracked top, and in those cases, simply regluing the bridge will not be sufficient. I have removed more than a few bridges that looked at first like simple jobs, only to find veritable war zones of prior repairs underneath. (I once found a puddle of drywall spackle filling a hole that went clear through the top. Thankfully, no flat-rate price had been offered on that job!) If someone offers to reglue your bridge without first looking inside the guitar, I would suggest looking for another provider.

It’s not easy for guitar shops to keep the lights on and the bills paid. As a result, many of them will take in just about any job that comes through the door. Confidence and the adventurous spirit are admirable traits, but they don’t always serve the best interests of the customer or the guitar. It’s completely fair, and probably advisable, to ask how often the shop or luthier has dealt with issues like yours in the past. Simply asking them to walk you through how the repair is done can go a long way toward showing their own familiarity and comfort level with it. It also is a great chance to gauge their style of communication and bedside manner. If they are impatient, unpleasant, or dismissive of your questions, then consider how they will behave when faced with any potential issues.

Experience has taught me that good luthiers are usually pretty busy—good work at fair pricing encourages lots of word-of-mouth and repeat business. As a result, some amount of backlog can be a good sign. If someone offers to have your guitar done in 48 hours, it may be worth wondering why their schedule is clear enough to allow such a quick turnaround. I occasionally accommodate urgent clients who have gigs or sessions and need something done ASAP, but those cases are the exceptions.

Ultimately, all of these questions boil down to trust, and it can be a leap of faith leaving your beloved instrument with an unknown repairperson. In my experience, a good repairperson and a good client will appreciate each other equally and show each other respect and consideration. I always keep in mind that the instruments I work on are very important to their owners, and clients generally respond to that with gratitude, patience, and understanding. Take the time to find the right fit for you and your D-18—you’ll be glad you did.

This article originally appeared in the May/June 2025 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.