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Professional Guitar and Stringed Instrument Repair.
Player-Focused Guitar Setups, Repairs & Modifications forĀ  the Musicians of Knoxville & East Tenneessee

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Making Your Guitar Play the Way It Should.

The Southland Setup

Action too high? Fret buzz? Tuning stability problems?

Is your instrument just not playing the way it should?

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Bring it in for my signature Southland Setup.

A precision setup tailored to the instrument and the player.

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Every Southland Setup Includes:

Complete Instrument Inspection​

Neck relief measurement & adjustment

Action measurement and adjustment

Nut Evaluation

Intonation Inspection

Fret Evaluation & Polishing

Pickup Height Evaluation

Hardware Inspection

Electronics Inspection

Cleaning and Conditioning

Final Playability Test

Player-Specific Adjustments

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90-day Playability Guarantee

If your instrument isn't playing the way it should within the first 90 days, bring it back and I'll make adjustments at no additional charge.

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Give Your Instrument A Southland Setup!

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Professional Setup
Hand-carved Bone Nut

Expert Care for Every Stringed Instrument.

My philosophy at Southland Strings Lutherie is:

Perosnal, Tailored Precision Matters.

There is no "one-size-fits-all" approach to working on an instrument.

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Every instrument receives the highest level of attention to detail and expert care to guarantee it plays at its best.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my guitar sound out of tune when I play chords after I just tuned it?

Ā  Ā  Ā The intonation is set incorrectly causing the strings to be slightly out of tune.

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The guitar makes a buzzing sound when I play in certain spots on the neck, why?

Ā  Ā  Ā There are some high frets that will need to be leveled and recrowned.

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Does a new guitar really need a setup?

Ā  Ā  Ā Yes! Manufacturers ship guitars with the action high to allow for wood movement.

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My guitar isn't expensive, is it worth the cost to get a setup, fret dressing, electronics upgrades, etc.?

Ā  Ā  Ā Absolutely! The price of the instrument isn't as important as how it makes you feel when you play it. If it inspires you and you like making music with it, it is worth it. A properly set up $300 guitar can play just as well as a $1000 guitar.

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How long will my repair take?

Ā  Ā  Ā Some will take a day or two, while bigger repairs like fixing cracks could take a couple of months depending on the severity of the issue. I typically can get most repairs completed within a week.

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