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Saturday: 11am - 5pm
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"...This former "Milk-Dud" of an amp has now been transformed by your shop, into a luscious confection of astounding subtlety and nuance..."
Tom Cvikota
A setup of your instrument is a great way to address and eliminate a variety of issues plaguing your guitar. It is also simply a way to make your instrument feel, play, and sound better. A poorly setup instrument can greatly affect your playing and approach to the guitar which, in turn affects your music. The action could be high, the strings could be buzzing, the electronics could be noisy etc. and as a result the instrument could simply feel uninspiring.
Our setups include going through the entire instrument:
Check all the electronics and clean if needed
Check/set the string/saddle heights/truss rod
Check/set nut heights
Check/set intonation
Clean/oil the fingerboard
Tighten all screws
Set optimal pickup heights
Give a general overview of recommendations such as replacing the nut, fret work, upgrading the electronics etc.
* Each player has a different style of playing. A guitarist may want a "properly" setup instrument tweeked to their personal preference. With this in mind, on all setups we perform we give the client the option of taking the instrument home, playing it and over the following 2 weeks bringing the instrument back in to us to have any adjustments made at no cost.
The right pickup selection can define a guitarists tone. Our shop carries some of the best pickups on the market. We are particularly fond of pickups made by Lindy Fralin, Jason Lollar, K & K, L.R. Baggs, and TV Jones.
We would be happy to assist you in selecting a pickup that would be in keeping with your desired tone and playing style.
We only stock products that we strongly believe in, products that we use in our own instruments. The only acoustic pickups that we stock are made by K & K and L.R. Baggs. We have several different models that we recommend depending on musical needs of each musician and will order anything we do not stock.
The nut on a guitar is not as simple a chunk of material as many may be led to believe… there are only two points where the guitar string makes constant contact with your instrument – at the bridge, and at the nut. Bridges can be easily swapped out, replaced, installed, etc. The nut is something that you cannot simply buy at your local Guitar Center, pull off your old nut, plop the new one on, have it fit perfectly right from the get-go. It will not fit, it won’t perfectly line up with the proper string spacing, it won’t have even and proper string height, it won’t fit the size of your strings, etc.
Material plays an extremely important part in the sound quality of your instrument. On the large majority, most instruments from manufacturers – stock – will put plastic or a composite material such as tusq in their instruments. That means that Gibson, Fender Custom Shop, Taylor, and/or Martin that you just picked up is nowhere near its full potential. This can also make a HUGE difference to a cheap overseas instrument that may be lacking in other areas as well. Aside from just the tonal advantage of switching to a better material, your nut slots also get worn down much, much faster, with material such as plastic and can start to cause buzzing when hitting the string open. A lot of manufacturers cut them so poorly and low to begin with that they require immediate replacement already when just bought! Infinite materials can be used for nuts – Bone, Horn, Fossilized Ivory, Brass, Graphite – the list goes on and on. Every material has its own special properties of tone and usefulness. Bone is for the majority of players out there since it is hard, durable, sounds great, and usually is not too binding in the slots on the strings. We can help find that perfect material for you!
No single guitar is an exact replica of another. Shape, size, and finish is always different, sometimes more subtly than with others. When mass producing an instrument, manufacturers can get relatively close enough that they can mass produce their nuts and usually install them before the instrument is even lacquered. This can make it difficult removing the nut unless properly trained to avoid causing unsightly finish damage, and in some cases you can even rip the end of your fingerboard completely off if not properly done! Each nut must be custom carved for each instrument out of a solid blank to fit first the nut slot. Then you must find the proper string spacing – every guitar differs, depending on the width of the fingerboard. The angle and health of the fret and fret ends of the instrument also contribute to this, so pulling the string right off the edge of the fingerboard can be avoided. This can also be tailored to player or playing style. One person who has larger fingers may want a little more space, somebody who plays blues or does a lot of bends may want more space from the edge so they’re not constantly losing the string on the edge of the neck. String height is incredibly important – when strings are too high they tend to feel spongy and uncomfortable, while too low will result in poor tone and string buzz. We measure our nut heights by the trained eye, holding the string down on the second fret, and then judging the distance between the string and the first fret to allow the ability to conform evenly with the fret which gives maximum ergonomic efficiency. This distance increases as you get closer to the bass side leaving more space for those larger strings to rotate more freely.
Improperly cut nut slots can result in a number of issues, and perhaps even more important than buzz or comfort, your tuning ability. It is more common to look at crappy tuners or the bridge when tuning becomes a problem with an instrument. The majority of the time the problem ends up being the nut. Strings get caught in the slots by friction when the angle isn’t correct or the slot isn’t cut large enough for the string that is resting in it, and also can be caused by material – plastic is very binding, while bone or graphite lend a ‘slippery’ nature. This friction causes a difference in tension between the string resting behind the nut by the tuners and the string between the nut and the bridge. You may tune up your instrument to perfect pitch, play it for a couple minutes and realize it’s already out of tune! Chances are you are getting binding in that slot, and your strumming or picking caused those differences in tension to change.
Replacing a nut is a very intricate process to create the proper balance between all these elements of playability and sound quality. For a professional, it is a relatively quick process that is one of the first that every luthier learns and spends years perfecting. Nothing leaves Schroeder Guitar Repair unless it is absolutely perfect – something that the average goer may not realize, but when compared to most other shops that cut corners it’s fairly evident. Uneven, too narrow, or too wide of spacing; poor string heights; poor fit; poorly polished. All of this affects everything. Everything affects everything in your instrument. This is one upgrade or modification that can be done for any instrument for a very reasonable cost, and is something that every instrument should have. This is a no-brainer – better tone, sound, and sustain; better feel, comfort, and happiness.
Schroeder Guitar Repair – best nuts in town!
Fine fret work is one of the services Schroeder Guitar Repair is widely known for.
While roughly half of the fretwork that we do is to rectify problems that arise out of regular wear and tear, many of our clients bring their new guitar straight to us from the store to have it re-fretted. The fact is that the big companies and even many small high-end boutique brands just don’t want to spend the money and time required to do a top notch fret job (more often then not they simply don’t have the highly skilled technicians on staff to deliver such a job).
When we re-fret an instrument we heat up the old frets with solder to carefully remove them. Then the fingerboard is planed straight and each fret slot is individually cleaned and resized to the proper width. We then install the new frets, bevel and taper the ends, level, crown and then polish them using a combination of labor intensive hand and machine work.
Our clients are always amazed with the results of new frets on their favorite instruments. New and level frets with proper crowns intonate better and are easier to play on. They solve buzzing issues, while allowing the player to adjust the action to the height that best suits their playing style. The tone of the instrument can also be affected by the size and nickel to silver ratio of the fret wire. Our shop has all of the sizes of wire that we offer mounted on a neck so that the player can feel the difference before committing to a size.
Upgrading the electronics inside your instrument can be an overlooked upgrade, but one that, when using high quality replacement parts, makes an amazing difference in tone.
The inside of the guitar is hidden. This is where many builders often cut corners to save a little money by using sub-standard electronics. Manufacturers get away with it because most guitarists don’t open up their guitars, or know what to look for if they did. Bad wiring, cheap parts and poor, or non existent shielding can cause many problems ranging from noise and shorting out issues, to weak tone.
Our upgrades range from installing premium quality tone capacitors to complete re-wiring and shielding. We use only the highest quality pots, wiring, jacks and switches.
Many people are surprised at the tonal changes when upgrading bridges, saddles, etc. There are many ergonomical and protective upgrades available as well. Lightweight bridges and tuning machines can help to reduce the weight of your instrument. Strap locks, locking tuning machines, locking bridges all add to the security of your instrument.
We are an authorized Buzz Feiten retro fitter. The proprietary shelf nut, in conjunction with patented pitch offset adjustment for the bridge, works to solve intonation problems on guitars that need it. Because intonation problems can come from a variety of sources, we can diagnose the instrument to see if the Buzz Feiten Tuning System can solve the intonation issues.
Proprietary Quick-Disconnect Strat Pickguards: For those who are experimenting with different sounds, we offer a variety of Strat pickguards with different pickups and electronic configurations. There is a vast array of possibilities with phasing, high output/low output pickups, push/pull pots, switches, etc. All of these are on a quick-disconnect pickguard, so that you can swap it out yourself if you have more than one combination that works for you. The possibilities are truly endless. Tell us what you’re going for and we can help you reach it.
If your amp is making strange noises, losing power, blowing fuses, or is simply acting strangely we recommend our basic Check & Clean. This service includes:
testing all voltages, wiring, solder joints, resistors, capacitors, tubes
cleaning/tightening the tube sockets, pots, jacks
checking/adjusting the bias
tightening all screws.
This service also serves as a diagnostic tool to assess what may be affecting the tone/performance of your amplifier. If more work needs to be done, or if we have any recommendations over and above this service we will promptly contact you so that you may make the best possible decision at the best time.
The average life of a vacuum power tube ranges from 6 months to a year and a half, depending on both the player and the amplifier. The lifespan of a tube can be affected by a number of conditions, but it all begins with the quality of the tube.
Biasing the power tubes in your amplifier is similar to setting the idle on a car engine. It will set how hot or cold the tubes run. It is necessary to have your amplifier biased EACH TIME you replace the power tubes for the security of the amplifier and the life of the tubes unless you are replacing the power tubes with the EXACT same rated tube. There is a wide spectrum of tonal characteristics that are in the “safe" range of biasing depending upon your taste. Biasing will ensure your amplifier is running at its best.
Electrolytic capacitors generally have a life expectancy of about 10-15 years. After that, the important dielectric begins to dry up and the capacitor loses its ability to hold a charge as it should.
Some of the benefits of replacing old capacitors with new ones are:
We at Schroeder Guitar Repair perform all different kinds of amplifier modifications from simple tone tweaks, to gain changes and much more. Some include:
Far more than tubes, speakers or other amp components, the transformers play a key role in shaping an amp's unique sound. Keep in mind that most guitar amplifiers are made with mass-produced components in order to cut building costs. As amp designers, techs and manufacturers are discovering, the practice of dumping generic, low-bidder transformers into their amps isn't cutting it any more. Today's players are more informed and demanding than ever before and the dynamic tonal difference of using a very high quality transformer is often overlooked, but unmistakable when heard.
Transformer sets are often misunderstood, yet vital musical components, integral to the nuances of your guitar amp's sound. If your amp is suffering from bland and unexciting tone then it's probably related to low-end transformers.
We at Schroeder Guitar Repair use and stand behind Mercury Magnetics transformers. Whether you are interested in a vintage transformer drop-in replacement, rebuilding an existing (and valuable!) vintage transformer, or you're looking to upgrade your modern tube amp, Mercury Magnetics will beat your tonal expectations -- going light-years beyond original manufacturer build quality.
Changing preamp tubes is one of the easiest ways a player can experiment with different tones coming from their amplifier. It requires no changing of wiring, or modifying of the circuit. Like power tubes, there are many types of preamp tubes to experiment with: 12AX7, 12AU7, 12AT7, 6SC7, 68N8...
Some tubes are warmer than others. Some work better, or are designed to work only in specific parts of the amplifier. Some have more gain, more output, more clarity, less midrange and so forth. And of course, there are many different grades of quality of the tube.
Preamp tubes generally have a longer life than power tubes. When they do start to give out the sound quality and performance of the amp suffers, often in ways of unwanted/strange noise.
At Schroeder Guitar Repair we use tubes that we can honestly stand behind. Tubes that have gone into the real world and have passed the test of gigging and the test of being pushed hard. If your amplifier is in need of tubes, or you would simply like to pursue different tonal characteristics, we will help guide you in your choice.
Tubes that we currently stock include:
We buy/sell NOS of many types (Mullard, RCA, Bugle Boy...)
TungSol
Mullard (reissue)
Sovtek
JJ
Svetlana Wing C
The Schroeder DB7 is a high headroom head of about 40 watts of clean headroom with sweet grind when pushed. The design is unique and incorporates an octal preamp. The tone is warm, smooth, clear, with a lot of bloom, incredible sustain, and wonderful harmonic content.
The first run of 10 sold for $1999.
The second run of 10 sold for $2400.
The third run will be selling for $2800.
Pedal boards are a great way to organize and set up your effects for ease of use and the ability to transport your pedals.
We build boards for casual players up to serious touring musicians. The boards all come in very different styles depending upon the players needs and are all very durable to be able to take on the rigors of the road. Speaking to the musician we determine the best way to accomplish what is required of the player be it different signal paths, various switching options, layout, adding buffers, and so forth. From there we can go about customizing a rock solid pedal board.
Before we even begin to set up the board we go through each pedal and perform any mods the player may want such as wiring for true bypass. The sky's the limit...
Many effect pedals can be modified to meet the needs of the player. From wiring true bypass to tweaking your fuzz to altering your Big Muff pedal we can perform a number of different modifications to get the most out of your effects.
