The Ten Questions You Should Ask a Shop Owner?
What guitar repair shop questions should I ask a shop owner?
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How long have you played guitar?
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If the answer, is I do not play, thank the person for the call and hang up
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You do not want a tech that does not have the commitment to be as good of a guitarist as possible
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An exception is if it is a large repair business with many technicians and he is the business partner
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Ask for the lead technician in that case after a short discussion with the owner​
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How long have you had your shop?
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Time in service is an important criterion, but not a showstopper
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Newly opened shops can offer better turnaround time and more personalized service when properly vetted
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​What is your average turnaround time?
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Give the owner your current repair issue and note the backlog time
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A good shop will have at least a week's backlog but ways to get pushed to the front of the repair queue
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Do you have a “Priority or Expedited Repair Fee”?
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Ask for the fee amount: Generally $50 - $75
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Ask how much time it buys with your current repair issue
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What is your repair warranty period?
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What is generally covered? Use the advanced guitar repair items as examples
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When returning for warranty work, asked if it would be addressed while you wait, if possible
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How do you price repairs?
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Get an idea of what services listed in this blog are completed at a flat rate and which ones are on an hourly rate
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Get the hourly rate
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Ask for the hourly rate for the owner when requested as the preferred repair tech
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An employee tech’s hourly rate
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If your current repair issue requires an hourly rate
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Get an estimate of the work on the assessment call
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Once a delivery has been made, ask if you would get a call to discuss the repair cost to get your approval to complete the repair
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What guitars do you own?
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Ask them to talk about the guitars that they own
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This is important to understand their expertise with guitars in various genres
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If they mainly own acoustics, you can feel comfortable in their acoustic work
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If their guitars are made for hard rock and metal, you can be assured that string lock-down technologies, “Wammy Bars”, and low action are skills they posses
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Do you have repair specialists on staff?
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This is important for some advanced repairs:
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Fret replacement
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Warped necks
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Head stock breaks
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Some fretwork like crowning, edge rolling, and buzz removal
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Ask if the specialists get a premium rate
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Is the rate an Add-On, a fixed rate, or a percentage of the standard rate
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Are you a factory-authorized repair shop for any guitar manufacturer?
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Guitar manufacturers require certification training for a shop to work on their instruments as a representative of their company
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This is a nice to have but not a showstopper
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Factory authorized shops get product insights that could be of value to you if you own their guitars
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Factory repairs are fixed-priced and generally lower than an equivalent in-shop repair
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The reasons a shop would want to become a warrant shop:
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Relationship with a major player in the industry
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Recognition as an expert in their field
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Access to issues that they can pass on to their customers
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Get first-time customers that will bring in full revenue in the future
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Reduce cost on parts for out-of-warranty instruments
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Do you play in a band, do any studio recording work, or maintain your own home studio?
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It is important to get a sense of their life commitment to the guitar
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A shop owner that treats his ownership as a “Job” is not a place you want “Guitar Babies” to spend any time
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