Fee for guitar restring

[Dave in Olympia]

Not trying to be snarky, but if you don't restring your own guitar, you deserve to pay whatever the shop charges. Personally, I find restringing my instruments to be kind of therapeutic. It relaxes me. Well, except for the *#%^ing slothead.

[AMW]

We get a TON of simple string changes in every week, it is not a long time on the bench but it can muck up the works and make the repair pile very unwieldy for unknown amounts of time. Some people are quicker to drop off than they are to pick up! We charge $20 labor plus strings, so average person pays $30-$35 plus tax (we don't carry Elixer anymore)

We also always clean and condition the fingerboard and wipe down the guitar, as a courtesy. Anything involving actual fret work automatically bumps a job up to "set up" which of course costs more and is more involved in every way... though we will usually check neck relief during a string change and make sure that we might not want to do a little tweak, if it will help the guitar out in any small way.

[abn556]

My luthier only charges $45 for a setup, so yes $40 to change strings sounds high to me. I can change a set of strings in minutes if that is all I am doing.

[Bluenose]

If I had to pay for all the string changes I've done I'd be broke.

[dilver]

That’s ridiculous. You should learn how to restring a guitar yourself as it’s really not difficult. I don’t know where you are located but if you were near me, I’d change your strings for free and show you how.

[rstaight]

The price for the Elixir strings isn't to bad. I paid $16 about 2 months ago.

The shop I go to charges $45 for the labor to change strings. But they do a thorough cleaning. Oil the fret board if required and polish the frets. They will also adjust the truss rod and shim the saddle if needed.

They go over and above on service.

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by jimmybcool

I think the biggest mistake is they should have warned me.

Or you could have asked. Like you I’ve been around the sun more than a few times. One of the many lessons I’ve learned is to constantly keep track of any jeopardy I put my wallet in.

[upsidedown]

While I agree with the replies above - especially the one that says "do your own darn string change!" - I can't help but agree with you; $40 is too much. A token "feel sorry for the guy who can't change his own strings" fee should be like, $20. Especially if they want your business going forward.

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by upsidedown

While I agree with the replies above - especially the one that says "do your own darn string change!" - I can't help but agree with you; $40 is too much. A token "feel sorry for the guy who can't change his own strings" fee should be like, $20. Especially if they want your business going forward.

I don't get the sense in that. If you work for $_ per-hour, you should take half that out of sympathy, and hope to continue to get paid half of what you are worth in the future?

[blindboyjimi]

I’ve never paid for a string change as I string 20 guitars every 4 months on a Saturday morning and it takes me 3 hours. On the other hand, I pay $40 to wash my car and that takes virtually no skill and about the same time as restringing a guitar, so I have no problem with a skilled tech changing $40 for something that takes up bench space and bumps other repairs.i also agree to ship your guitar back to Taylor and get it done by them.

[jimmybcool]

Originally Posted by dilver

That’s ridiculous. You should learn how to restring a guitar yourself as it’s really not difficult. I don’t know where you are located but if you were near me, I’d change your strings for free and show you how.

I do know how to string a guitar. I had called ahead to have a minor setup done which on arrival I was told was not something he could do there. So, since I had called ahead I had him restring it to see if lighter strings would cure the setup. It didn't.

Seems many on here are confirming $40 isn't crazy. Next you're all gonna tell me something like it costs more than $20 to go out for a steak dinner.

[tinnitus]

That seems high to me, too, at first anyhow.

But then I seldom spend any less than 1/2 hour at it even with my trusty power winder. Once the old strings are off and the guitar is naked:
- Clean the headstock and soundboard
- De-grime and furniture-polish the fretboard
- Apply a tiny bead of graphite powder/olive oil mud in each nut slot with a toothpick (I bend notes brutally and like to stay in tune).

Sure, #3 above is my own "custom" step, but does the shop do any of that stuff?

Whether they do or not, it's a professional courtesy to disclose the price up front.

But I also believe in caveat emptor, as in ask first.

[Railroad Bum]

My advice is to learn how to do everything you can yourself. I can do complete setups at this point. The only thing I haven't tackled is fret work. I have found that it's best to do your own work because you actually care about your instruments, and most of the shops I have dealt with in my life ultimately do some hack work because they are in a hurry or for whatever reason.

As far as $40 for a string change, that's twice what you would pay in my market (Raleigh, NC).

[Seb_274]

Originally Posted by ScottSD

Are you the original owner? If so neck resets are free from Taylor. Even if you aren't the original owner it would be well worth the $240 to have it done; your R. Taylor would get a complete spa day including a fret dress, nut/saddle adjustment and new strings....

One of the joys of owning a Taylor with the NT neck is never having to live with a guitar with a neck angle that's off.

Best of Luck!

Scott

Just last week I handed in my Taylor for a Neck reset. I am the original owner, but reset is not free (in my case ~100€) and he will put on some new strings...for free Charging 40$ for string change I find quite stiff. Not sure that qualifies as good customer care...

[JayBee1404]

The day I pay someone else to change strings on my guitar will be the day they have to pry the money for it from my cold, dead hand…

I taught myself to change strings back when I was 14 years old and just starting out on guitar. I remember clearly doing one string at a time, and copying the way to thread and secure a string by studying the ones already on the guitar. I’ve done every change since then myself - must be in the thousands by now - and, 63 years later, I’m not about to start paying someone else to do it.

If a 14-year-old, green-as-grass kid could work it out, anybody can.