INSTRUMENT CARE

Instrument care is an ESSENTIAL part of being a musician but is often overlooked or never touched upon. Just like you need to get an oil change for your car, cleaning and maintaining a household or your annual physical at the Doctors fretted instruments need care and regular maintenance.


Restrings: Should be done at least every 1-3 months (once a quarter).
Why? : Dirt, grime, sweat and grease accumulate on your strings when you play. Strings are made of metal and not only corrode but lose their brightness/tone over time. Having acidic sweat or neglecting good instrument etiquette can expedite this even faster. Using a micro fiber cloth to wipe down your guitar after you play and keeping it in the case can help extend string life. Regularly changing your strings will not only make your guitar sound better, but it will feel amazing and have better tuning stability. We recommend using D’addario NYXL strings.

Full Set up: Needs to be done on brand new instruments (Should be done once a year or when you change string gauges/tunings).
Why? : To save on costs, manufacturers usually don’t take the time to have instruments fully set up unless it’s a custom guitar or your premium $2k+ guitar states it will come set up. This means out of the box it will be playable but probably not optimal (or comfortable). You should at least have a tech give you an assessment of what work and adjustments need to be done. Factors such as climate, play time and degradation of parts can shift things on guitars. Floating tremolo systems such as the Floyd Rose are more complicated and take extra time, hence the additional fee. Changing string gauges and/or tunings will require a set up because you’ll be changing the overall tension applied to the guitar neck, it’s science!
You can get the basic tools and cleaning supplies for $200-$300 or so from Music Nomad or Stew Mac, but if you’re too young or don’t have the time or knowledge on how to set up your instrument just take it to your local guitar tech.

Our students here at the RKA not only get special pricing, but your work will be done by experienced and trained professionals so quality and satisfaction are GUARANTEED!

LIST OF SERVICES

  • Black electric guitar with white trim and chrome hardware resting on a flight case, surrounded by tools and equipment in a workshop or studio setting.

    Restring - Fixed Bridge

    $25

    Restring + Light Cleaning
    (Not Including strings)

    *Restrings should be done every 1-3 months (or once a quarter)

  • A young girl with wavy blonde hair, wearing a black and white checkered hoodie, gives a thumbs-up while sitting at a table with a guitar covered in colorful stickers. The stickers include brands, logos, and phrases like "Supreme," "No Music, No Life," and "Levi's." The background features black leather couches and a concrete floor.

    Full Set up + Cleaning

    $75

    Tuning, neck relief, action, intonation, cleaning, etc.
    (Not including strings)

    *Set ups should be done once a year, when you change string gauges/tunings or if your guitar feels unplayable i.e. fret buzz, dead spots or unecesary discomfort

  • An electric guitar with a white and black design on a stand, with posters and signs in the background including a poster of a guitarist, and a banner for The Ataris' reunion tour 2014, along with a frame with a photograph of a band.

    Floating Tremelo System

    Additional +$25 on top of services