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Repair Inquiry

Tell me about the guitar.

Or email pappenfusguitars@gmail.com . Call Jeremy
Workshop Repair

Setups, fretwork, and rescue in the Flathead Valley.

Acoustic guitar repair in Columbia Falls, Montana. The same hands that build the new guitars work on the ones already in the world. This is a guitar repair shop and one-luthier workshop: setups, fretwork, structural repair, and full restorations, in the Columbia Falls shop. Players from Kalispell, Whitefish, and across the Flathead Valley bring instruments here by appointment.

Mail-in welcome. Drop-off by appointment. Jeremy writes back within a week with an estimate.

Shop work available

Common services.

Full setup

Action, intonation, nut, saddle. The guitar leaves playing the way the builder intended.

$150

Fret level, crown, polish

Level, crown, and polish the existing frets. Restores a worn fretboard without a full refret.

$175

Refret

Full refret with nickel-silver wire. Stainless, non-standard scales, and fretboard leveling are add-ons.

From $350

Nut and saddle

Bone blanks shaped to the player and the guitar. Action drops, intonation lands.

From $130

Crack and structural repair

Top cracks, side cracks, separated bracing, loose binding. Restored with cleats and patches, not band-aids.

As quoted

Full restoration

Older instruments brought back to playable, with respect for the original work. Quotes after inspection.

From $900
Full price list

Repair prices, as of May 2026.

Prices do not include materials needed for the task. Specific items may include a full setup; ask in your inquiry for clarification.

Full setup
$150
Half setup
$80
Fret level, crown, polish
$175
Refret
$350
Refret with stainless steel
Add $100
Refret, non-standard (extra strings, multiscale)
Add $100
Refret with fretboard leveling
Add $100
Fret sprout correction
$75
Tuning machine replacement
$60
Nut fabrication from bone
$150
Saddle fabrication from bone
$130
Strap button installation
$50
Acoustic bridge repair and reglue
$450
Bridge fabrication
From $200, by material
Electronics repair or modification
Per job, $100/hr
Acoustic pickup install
$75-$250 by system
Headstock crack repair
As quoted after inspection
Traditional neck reset
$700
Bolt-on neck reset
$350
French polish shellac, top
$300
French polish shellac, entire instrument
$800
Crack repair
As quoted
Brace repair, including bridge plate
As quoted
Acoustic or classical re-top
From $1,200
Acoustic or classical back replacement
From $900
Other repairs as quoted
Shop rate $100/hr

Full setup includes

  • All hardware inspected, cleaned, and tightened
  • Electronics inspected and deoxidized, if applicable
  • Fretboard cleaned, or cleaned and conditioned for unfinished woods (ebony, rosewood)
  • Frets polished
  • Nut slot depths adjusted, if necessary
  • Nut lubricated
  • Saddle height adjusted
  • Action set at the 12th fret on most fretted instruments; 17th fret on bass; 1st fret on all
  • New strings installed
  • Pickup heights adjusted, if applicable
  • Intonation set, with compensating acoustic saddles where necessary
  • Entire instrument thoroughly cleaned

Half setup includes

  • Truss rod check and adjustment
  • Nut slot depth adjusted, if necessary
  • Saddle height adjusted
  • Action set at half scale location (normally 12th fret)
  • Intonation checked and adjusted
  • New strings installed

Final pricing depends on the instrument. Jeremy provides a firm estimate after seeing the guitar.