Services Offered: So what does a luthier do?

At Keith MacMillan Stringed Instruments, all levels of repair and restoration to stringed instruments are carried out. For guitars, this includes set-ups and adjustment, broken neck repairs, crack repairs, refinishing work, all fret work including complete refretting, nut and saddle replacement, bridge re-gluing, neck replacement, pickup installation, tuner replacement, and restringing. Keith is authorized by Maton Guitars to perform warranty work on their instruments.

For the violin family, this includes set-up and adjustment, bridge and soundpost adjustment and replacement, restringing, re-gluing, crack repair from minor to serious, neck replacement, fingerboard correction, peg replacement and bushing, varnish retouching, pickup fitting, spike replacement for cello and double bass, and all of the small but important adjustments.

Electric guitars have most of the same issues as acoustic ones, and in addition may need pickup replacement or repair, cleaning or replacement of switches and potentiometers, electronic fault diagnosis, absolutely accurate adjustment of intonation, adjustment of floating tremolo bridges, and elimination of hum.

Banjos, normally little understood, have some quirky requirements of their own including replacement and adjustment of the vellum or head, tailpiece adjustment, bridge height tweaking, pickup installation, and some plain TLC to best bring out the qualities of each instrument.

And no accordions, please!