Acoustic Guitars
Electric Guitars
Resonator Guitars
Basses
Ukeleles
Banjos
Mandolins

Necks – neck resets, broken truss rod repairs, fretboard repair, inlay work
Bridges – re-glues, rebuilding, saddle replacement, saddle re-slotting, bridge-plate repair and replacement
Bodies – repair broken and loose braces, loose tops and backs, mend cracks, and damage from accidents
Headstocks – repair broken headstocks, tuning machine installation
Binding – re-gluing loose binding, broken binding removal and restoration
Electronics – pickup installation and rewinding, rewiring, jack, potentiometer and switch replacement or cleaning
Fretwork – fret crowning and polishing, re-fretting, stabilizing loose frets
Set-ups – fix intonation issues, optimize action, eliminate fret buzz, pick-up balancing, adjusting nut and saddle height, adjusting neck relief for the style and demands of your technique.

S.B. MacDonald Custom Instruments also offers full service repair and restoration for other fretted instruments such as mandolins, lap steels, resophonic instruments such as Dobro, National and Weissenborn Hawaiian Guitars.

My studio contains a wide array of machinery, fixtures and tools. From machinery like a classic Clausing vertical mill, to hand-made fixtures I designed and built myself, I have everything covered in a way that is fun for me, and provides great results. The entire facility is climate-controlled and matches the humidity levels at major manufacturing companies to provide the proper environment for stable repair, restoration and custom guitar building.

About half of my work involves instruments shipped to me by customers who are out of state or out of the country. Shipping an expensive guitar can make folks uneasy, but in my experience it is safer than giving a precious guitar to an unqualified or inexperienced repair person. In 26 years of shipping instruments, only two have ever been damaged and that was because the customer didn’t follow the recommended packing and shipping procedure.

I’ve repaired instruments from every major manufacturer, many custom instrument, as well as antique and vintage instruments. Regardless of the brand, I treat every guitar repair individually and with full attention to detail.

Martin
Taylor
Gibson
Fender
Guild
Collings
Santa Cruz
Gretsch
Larrivee
Dobro
National
Ovation
G&L
and many others

I am a dealer for most pick-up brands, tuning machines, strings, cases and guitar accessories. Additionally, I can generally get dealer prices or better from most manufacturers. I do whatever we can to make sure you’re happy with your instrument.

Fishman Transducers
LR Baggs Pickups
Lindy Fralin Pickups
Music Nomad products
Martin accessories and parts
Gibson accessories and parts
Fender accessories and parts
Reunion Blues cases and gig bags
D’Addario Strings and accessories

I am also a banjo and ukulele historian and have many parts dating back to the 1800s. I’ve repaired and restored a great many of these instruments using vintage or reproduction parts to preserve their originality and spirit.

S.B. MacDonald Custom Instruments also offers repair and restoration for other fretted instruments such as mandolins, lap steels, resophonic instruments, and Weissenborn Hawaiian Guitars.