Repairs & Restorations

 

From an heirloom pre-war Martin or Gibson to a Squire or ESP and everything in between, Driftwood Music has the expertise to get your instrument back to its best. We stand behind our time-tested methods while following industry innovations pioneered by brilliant luthiers. Where other repairs have failed, we will make it right.

We take pride in our work and stand behind each job as our customer’s satisfaction is the highest priority. See why Saint Charles trusts us!

Now offering Taylor Guitars Warranty Service!

We proudly serve
St. Charles, St. Louis, Bridgeton, St. Peters, Earth City, Maryland Heights, Overland, Creve Couer, Ladue, Kirkwood, Brentwood, Town and Country, Wentzville, Wildwood, Kansas City, Washington, Eureka, O' Fallon, Des Peres, Chesterfield, Ballwin, and more.


We are your one stop shop for guitar repair and restoration!

Starting Rates

These prices serve as a starting point for your own estimation as exact costs can vary depending on the work needed for a particular project. Our most accurate estimates are given when the instrument is in our shop and we are able to look it over, these are free and we are more than happy to write up a quote.

Restring (plus cost of strings):
These are usually completed same-day, we recommend you call ahead and let us know you are coming
6 String: $30
locking bridge (Floyd or Kahler) +$15
Classical: $45
12 String: $45
Mandolin, Banjo, Violin: $35

Setups (plus cost of strings):
A Driftwood Music setup is a must-have for bringing your instrument to the pinnacle of its ability, we’ve built our reputation on it. Even brand new guitars are set up much too poorly from the factory and it can be discouraging to, especially, new players. Our customers are always thrilled when they receive their instrument back and we’re happy to set it up to your desired specs. If you would like to provide your own strings, we will be happy to use them at no extra charge.
Acoustic Guitar: $80
Electric Guitar: $90
Electric Guitar with locking trem (Floyd Rose, Kahler, ect...): $125
12-String: $90
Bass Guitar: $80
Resonator Guitar: $80
Mandolin: $80
Banjo: $80
Our setups involve polishing the frets, cleaning the fingerboard, adjusting the action to your play style, verifying intonation on a strobe tuner, adjusting the truss rod to the thousandth of an inch, refining existing nut slots (we will fill and recut up to two nut slots if necessary), and cleaning any scratchy or intermittent electronics. We can, on request, clean the body of an instrument with specialized polishes but an additional fee may apply if an instrument is especially dirty or potentially hazardous to our health.

Hardware Installation:
Electric Pickguard Swap: $25 for Les Paul, $40 for Strat, case-by-case for others
Acoustic Pickguard Reglue: Case by Case
Tuning Machines: $55 for a direct swap
Additional drilling or reaming: +$10-30
Replace Tuner Buttons: $15 per button + parts
String Tree: $15 + parts
Strap Button: $15 + parts
Plug and redrill: $30
Strap Locks: $30 + parts

Nuts and Saddles:
Our standard materials are bleached and unbleached bone blanks for their exceptional properties of smoothness, strength, and tonal transfer. We can also fabricate our of nylon, horn, brass, wood, or just about any provided material.

4-String Bone Nut: $85 + cost of blank
6-String Bone Nut: $100 + cost of blank
12-String Bone Nut: $150 + cost of blank
Bone Saddle: $85 + cost of blank
(A setup may be required)


Fretwork:
Fret Level And Crown (includes setup): $250
File Sharp Fret Ends: $80
Refret on Rosewood/Ebony Board (Unlacquered): $400
Refret on Maple Board (lacquered): $500
Refret with Binding: Add $100
Refret with Stainless Steel fretwire: Add $100
Partial Refret: $250 for level-crown-polish + $30 per fret

Pickup Installations:
Electric Guitar: $65 (+$15 if mounted to a pickguard)
Hollow Body w/o Access Plate: +$15
(+ $15 for each additional pickup)
Routing Cavities: $80 per pickup
Acoustic Pickup (K&K Mini / LR Baggs Lyric): $70
Acoustic Under Saddle Piezo Pickup: $85


Electronics:
We only stock highest quality components from CTS and Switchcraft but can order and install nearly anything
Hollow Body Guitars - Add an additional $15 unless marked otherwise
Replace Toggle Switch: $45 + parts (+$5 for pickguard removal)
Replace Potentiometer: $40 (+$15 for each additional) + parts
Installing Push/Pull Potentiometer: $65 (+$20 for each additional) + parts
Replace Output Jack: $30 + parts
Full Rewire: $150 + parts (+$40 for hollow body guitar)


Structural Repair:
Intensive restorations of heavily damaged, neglected, or antique instruments are best judged in person, give us a call.
Bridge Refitting and Reglue: $200
Add $100 if the bridge is only glued to the top finish (mostly found on budget, import instruments)
Brace Regluing: Starting at $60, depends on location and severity
Bridge Plate Reinforcement: $75
Crack Repair: $25 per inch
Broken Headstock (No Finish Touch up): $150
Broken Headstock (W/ Finish Touch up): $300
Broken Headstock with splines or backstop: $500
Hole Patching: Case by Case, contact us
Fitting Archtop Bridge: $75
Loose binding (common on Martin guitars): $100 per side +$10 per inch)
Neck Reset:
Martin Style (Neck and body finished separately) $500
Gibson Style (Neck glued to body then finished) $700

Finish Work:
Finish Drop Fill: $60-120

Part Fabrication:
We are just as much woodworkers as we are luthiers, we have a full wood shop with plenty of domestic and exotic wood species to create what you are looking for. We also utilize our CNC machine for creating exact replicas, if needed.
Acoustic Bridge (plus install): $400-550 depending on the complexity of the bridge

We offer many more services that are quoted on a job by job basis. Just swing on by or contact us for a quote!