Personal Luthier
For the Love of Your Guitar

Last updated: March 11, 2023

Hourly Bench Rate: $95.1
All prices do not include taxes or parts.

5% labor discount on 3–5 instruments serviced together; 10% labor discount on 6+ instruments serviced together; 10% labor discount for students, members of the military, and veterans with valid ID.2

All in-home repairs are subject a minimum of invoice of $45; exact rates and additional charges vary based on location, service, and materials. For more accurate quotes, please include your location (zip code or town/city name is sufficient) when requesting service. 3

A deposit of 50% is required once in-home service is scheduled to hold your reservation. Please see our in-home service terms below for more information. 4

Base Rates by Service

The rates below are estimated service prices.5 Actual prices may require inspection of your guitar for proper quoting.

• Restringing6

  • $20; $30 for classical, 12-string, or locking tremolo models.

• Setup7

  • 6-string (acoustic or electric) or 4-string bass: $75

  • Classical: $75

  • 12-string: $95

  • Tremolo: $80

  • Locking tremolo: $90

• Nut or saddle adjustments/repairs

  • billed hourly

• Nut or saddle replacement

  • Nut: $85; $110 for 12-string (prefab plastic, bone, or horn with minor adjustments), includes setup

  • Saddle: $95 (prefab plastic, bone, or horn with minor adjustments), includes setup

  • New nut or saddle from blank: $120. Please inquire for specific pricing and material availability.

• Rewire existing (functional) components

• $25 per component

• Replace with new components

• $40 per component

• Install pickups (into existing wiring harness)

• $50 per pickup

• Install acoustic, under-saddle element (w/ new jack; w/o new jack)

• $120; $60

• Complete rewire8

• starting at $150; add $30 for semi-hollow bodied guitars without cavity access

• Fret dressing

  • Partial: $15 per fret

  • Complete: starting at $150; $165, with bound or finished fretboard

• Acoustic crack repairs

  • By the inch and/or the hour; $40 minimum; In-home repair customers please note: some repairs may require multiple visits or may require bench time.

• Other acoustic repairs (loose braces, plate separation, bridge work)

  • Billed hourly. In-home repair customers please note: some repairs may require multiple visits or may require bench time.

• Buzz location and mitigation

  • Billed hourly

• Tone refining and/or sculpting

  • Billed hourly

In-Home Service Terms

Effective: October 2, 2021
Last modified: October 29, 2023

Personal Luthier In-Home Repair Services, including but not limited to instrument repairs, consultations, and/or Guitar Fittings (known hereinafter as “In-Home Service(s)”), is a service provided to clients (known hereinafter as “you”) by Personal Luthier (known hereinafter as “us”) and as such is bound by our Terms of Service. The following specific terms apply to any Personal Luthier In-Home Service and by using our In-Home Services you agree to the following terms. We reserve the right to modify, at any time and at our sole discretion, any part of these terms. It remains your sole responsibility to read, understand, and acknowledge these terms and your continued use of any In-Home Service shall constitute your acceptance of these terms.

Please direct all questions regarding these terms to PersonalLuthier (at) Gmail.com.

1. Hourly Bench Rate: Personal Luthier applies, at our sole discretion and as we deem necessary for providing any service, a standard hourly rate of service of $95 USD. Personal Luthier applies this to non-routine repairs and/or additional services as outlined on our Booking Page and in our Terms of Service.

2. Discounts: Personal Luthier offers discounted labor rates when clients (i) have three to five instruments serviced as part of the same appointment; (ii) have six or more instruments serviced at the same appointment; or (iii) are a student, member of the military, or veteran and presenting valid ID at the time of service. Discounts are as follows: 5% discount for total labor cost of servicing three to five instruments in one appointment; 10% discount for total labor cost of servicing 6 or more instruments in one appointment; or 10% discount for total labor costs for students, military members, or veterans. Discounts are applied prior to any applicable tax and never include parts or materials. Multiple discounts cannot be applied together and in cases where multiple discounts are available, and none are explicitly selected by the client, Personal Luthier reserves the right to select and apply the lesser of any available discounts. Personal Luthier reserves the right to amend, modify, or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, and at our sole discretion with or without prior notice, any discount offered to any product or service. It remains the responsibility of the client to be aware of, and explicitly request, any discounts for which you are eligible. Any failure on your behalf to request any discount, nor any failure on our behalf to inform you of such eligibility for any discount, does not entitle you to use any discount on any future product or service or any refund.

3. Minimum Charges and Rates: For all in-home services, including but not limited instrument repairs, consultations, instrument fitting (known elsewhere on our site as Guitar Fitting), Personal Luthier charges a minimum of $45. Additional rates including but not limited to travel, service, parts, and/or materials may be applied to any product or service. Personal Luthier uses the following standard invoice structure: labor (service) + parts/materials + applicable taxes and fees = total invoice. Personal Luthier uses a minimum charge of $45 USD and an hourly bench rate of $95 USD to calculate total estimated costs for individual service requests.

4. Deposits, Billing, and Cancellations: Personal Luthier provides the following information regarding quotes, deposits, and cancellations.

   1. Personal Luthier provides price quotes for In-Home Services at no cost to customers. Quotes for In-Home Services, including but not limited instrument repairs and/or instrument fitting (known elsewhere on our site as Guitar Fitting) are considered separate from a new client’s free initial consultation as described in our Terms of Service.

   2. To secure an appointment for In-Home Service, Personal Luthier may require a deposit of 50% of the estimated total invoice for the services requested as quoted by us and agreed to by you. The balance of the invoice is due upon delivery.

   3. Clients can cancel or reschedule In-Home Service appointments via email at PersonalLuthier (at) Gmail.com. Cancellations made within 24 hours of an appointment are nonrefundable. Rescheduling within 12 hours shall be considered a missed appointment and is nonrefundable. Missed appointments must be rescheduled with a new deposit. Personal Luthier acknowledges that life, at times, presents extreme or uncontrollable circumstances that may interfere with or prevent a client from keeping an appointment. If such an event occurs, please contact Personal Luthier via email at PersonalLuthier (at) Gmail.com at your earliest convenience to discuss potential exemptions to this provision.

5. Estimates: All of the pricing information on this site, or as appearing in any correspondence or other content from Personal Luthier is an estimate only. As such, Personal Luthier endeavors to provide clients with a range of reasonable expenses for quoted or unquoted products or services. Personal Luthier makes no guarantee that the final invoice will match or align, in any way, with any estimate or expectation held by you or any of your associates. All estimates are given in “good faith” and provided “as-is.” You are entitled to an itemized estimate for any In-Home Service prior to paying any deposit.

6. Restringing Service: Personal Luthier offers instrument restringing that includes removal and replacement of strings of a standard size of your choosing (brand and/or composition varies, and you may always choose to provide your own strings), cleaning and conditioning of fretboard (where applicable), tightening tuning machine bushings, and cleaning and polishing of instrument. Personal Luthier makes no claim of any improved musicality, usability, longevity, or other material or intangible trait of any instrument receiving this service.

7. Setup Service: Personal Luthier offers instrument setup services that include restringing, cleaning and light polishing, setting tremolo, bridge position setting relief, nut action, saddle action, intonation check, and electronics checks. All adjustments are made where possible and within the limits of the instrument in service. You acknowledge that some guitars, due to nature of construction, material defects, age, or other issues beyond our control, may be limited in their adjustability and such limits may further limit the musicality or usability of said instrument. Personal Luthier makes no claim of any improved musicality, usability, longevity, or other material or intangible trait of any instrument receiving this service.

8. Electronics Service: Personal Luthier offers electronics repair services that include complete rewiring. Rewiring includes replacement of all components (less pickups) of standard wiring harnesses. Personal Luthier adds $20 to any single electronics service performed on semi-hollow bodied instruments without cavity access (F holes or sound hole access only) and $30 to complete rewiring on such instruments. Non-standard wiring harnesses, or derivatives of standard wiring harnesses require individual quotes and are subject to additional charges based on difficulty of service, availability of parts, and/or additional time to complete said service. Personal Luthier makes no claim of any improved musicality, usability, longevity, or other material or intangible trait of any instrument receiving this service. Examples of Standard wiring harnesses are as follows:

   1. three single-coil pickups, five-way selector switch, one volume and two tone controls.

   2. two humbucking pickups, three-way selector switch, two volume and two tone controls.

9. Parts and Materials: Personal Luthier reserves the right to resell parts and/or materials, at a fair market rate, to clients as permitted by law. Clients reserve the right to supply their own parts and/or materials. Personal Luthier reserves the sole right to determine the suitability or usability of any client-provided parts or materials. Personal Luthier makes no guarantee on any parts or materials provided by clients, and further makes no guarantee on parts or materials we provide beyond those guarantees provided by the original manufacturer. Personal Luthier makes no claim of any improved musicality, usability, longevity, or other material or intangible trait of any instrument receiving any part or material.

10. Client Responsibility of Care: It is your sole responsibility as, (i) the owner of; (ii) an agent or associate acting legally on behalf of the owner of; or (iii) the parent, legal guardian, or other guardian of any minor in your care who owns or possesses, any guitar(s) serviced by Personal Luthier to provide proper, safe, reliable, and consistent care to said instrument(s). Proper care includes but is not limited to (i) maintaining a safe, weathertight environment for instrument storage and use that prevents majors highs or lows of temperature, relative humidity, salinity, or other environmental factors that may negatively affect a stringed instrument; (ii) maintaining relative humidity levels as accepted industry-wide through the use of passive or active humidifiers and/or dehumidifiers for guitars, rooms, and/or buildings; (iii) protecting an instrument from fire, flood, theft, or any other event potentially covered by a home-owner’s or renter’s insurance policy; (iv) preventing any use deemed destructive, detrimental, or hazardous and/or dangerous to any individual, being, or object; (v) preventing any misuse; and (vi) any other act of negligence, willful or otherwise, that negatively affects said instrument, its components or accessories, and any repair or service (including the viability and longevity of said service) completed by Personal Luthier.

11. Limitations of Liability: Personal Luthier shall not be liable for any loss or damage of any kind directly or indirectly resulting from, or related to in any way, any In-Home Service provided by us or any of our associates, and you agree to hold harmless, defend, and indemnify Personal Luthier and all our other associates against any claims relating to such service. You agree that, should you seek and have just cause for a refund, you shall be limited to an amount equal to, but never exceeding, the base rate for any service you receive as provided on your invoice. Further, should any pre-existing, manufacturer’s or others, warranty on your instruments, instruments in your care, and/or instruments for which you are authorized to receive service become void or altered in any way due, in part or completely, directly or indirectly, to Personal Luthier products and/or services, you agree to accept sole responsibility for said termination or alteration of said warranty and agree to hold harmless, defend any indemnify Personal Luthier, and all of our associates, against any related claim.

12. Complete Terms of Service: Personal Luthier reminds you that the above-mentioned terms pertaining to In-Home Services are specific to such services, and because our services are subject to our complete Terms of Service, these services are therefor subject to the complete Personal Luthier Terms of Service. Your continued use of our In-Home Services shall constitute your acceptance of the most recent version of all of our terms of service, including these terms. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use our services.