Finding a guitar tech can be a daunting process. Have you ever gone into a music store as a newbie and asked a question about something about your guitar, only to be met with a snarky response? This is quite a common occurrence in the guitar world, sadly. I remember buying a BC Rich Warlock NJ Series guitar (with a Floyd Rose) as one of my first guitars and was met with a snarky response at the local guitar repair shop when I needed help restringing it; that first interaction scarred me for a long time. Not to mention, depending on your geographical location, the local support for these kinds of things can be lacking, even in 2022. What if you want to install some new pickups? Where do you go?

In this article, we will discuss the different things to consider that will answer ‘how to find the best guitar tech.” After working as shop manager of a local esteemed guitar repair shop for about five years, it was my job to intake instruments, assess their issues, get them on the calendar, and get a quote for the customer. You would be surprised at how that process alone would simply mystify players of all skill levels and backgrounds, which encouraged me to write this article, in hopes of helping fellow Seymour Duncan enthusiasts find the right guitar tech for them. If you don’t want to install guitar pickups yourself, you should be able to have a relatively pain-free experience when finding someone to work with.

Use Review Sites Sparingly

Yelp and Google Reviews have made our world a lot easier when it comes to shopping for mechanics, haircuts, and yes, even massages. This should usually be the first place you come to when you need a qualified technician. While your buddy’s friend-of-a-friend may have done a few setups in their time, maybe you need some new Rickenbacker pickups installed into your Rick bass, and you also need to fix some egregious fret buzz.

Has your buddy’s friend-of-a-friend diagnosed a Rick before? Do they know that many Rick fretboards are sprayed over with lacquer, just making fret levels next to near impossible? This is where the review sites shine. You are looking for techs that do quality work and can give you some semblance of when you will get your instrument back. Pictures are a bonus here. Be aware that some customers can be difficult and will leave corresponding negative reviews, so these review sites should be used sparingly, but you can use this as a baseline to hopefully give you a better idea of what the shop or tech you are looking into is like.

Garage-Based Repair Shops Can Be a Godsend…or a Nightmare

Not every guitar tech will have the money for a big shop. But there are a few things to look out for in a garage shop. Is their workspace cluttered? Do they have appropriate tooling? Check out some of StewMac’s videos and see what kind of tools you might expect to see in a guitar shop. Are those things present in your tech’s space? It’s one thing to be a weekend guitar tech but tooling can make a small space into a seasoned professional work environment. Having at least the minimal amount of tooling will ensure the person you are trusting your dad’s 1965 D-28 to is at least serious about what they do.

Heavily tooled shops can be great as well. If you walk into a clean shop with a dust collection system, know that you have found yourself in a very special place! We recently interviewed master luthier Geoff Luttrell of San Francisco Guitarworks/Sonoma County Guitarworks and from the video, you can get an idea of the types of tools they’ve opted to prioritize and how they set up their workbenches. This is a great example of a shop that takes themselves seriously.

You Deserve to be Treated with Respect

The stories we’ve heard from some of you fine people out there would make your skin crawl. Everything from being laughed at to being questioned – it’s all made its way into this profession sadly. But don’t allow yourself to be treated this way. The tech or their shop manager should be able to ask questions to get to the root of your problems, help you devise a solution, and give you a quote for the labor and parts. One thing I have always told customers in the past is the most important thing when determining the answer to “is this repair worth it?” entirely depends on sentimental value, not monetary value.

So, if you bring in the cheap-o Squier you got in high school but love it to death and want to upgrade it with the highly sought-after Hot Rodded Humbucker set, who am I to judge you for that? The point of playing guitar is to have fun, no matter what kind of guitar you have. As long as the guitar is in physically sound enough shape to be worked on, why not?

Additionally, you need a return date. The shop needs to give you a realistic time of when they can return your instrument to you. Whether it’s a big project that will take a year (including sending the guitar out for finishing), or a simple setup that will take a week, a rough ballpark of time is crucial to building trust. Estimates are also crucial. Being tackled with surprise charges is not fun for everyone – but if the tech calls you to let you know that there is additional work that needs to be done to get your guitar playing sweet, their honesty is a sign of a good craftsperson.

There are Great Techs Out There!

If you have been burned in the past or are just looking for the first time, be not afraid. The lutherie community is talented and vast, with many fine craftspeople all over the globe. Ask your favorite guitar stores or your bandmates or other local professional guitarists. It’s a guarantee that you’ll hear of the best people through word-of-mouth, maybe some of which don’t advertise on the internet.

And of course, should you decide to install your pickups yourself, give our free pickup installation guide a shot!