new nut / set up, how much was your last one

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panoramic
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new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by panoramic » Thu Feb 23, 2023 10:54 am

I had my couch guitar (1989 mim squier strat ) set up and a new nut installed recently. I just got invoiced $196 fucking dollars for it.
HOLY SHIT, has this stuff gone up that much since like 2016?
$196, i mean, I could have just bought an MIK version of this same guitar and threw this one on reverb. this is insane
I used to be cool, now I just complain about prices.

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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by Telliot » Thu Feb 23, 2023 10:59 am

It's been a few years since I've had a new nut cut, but I recall with a setup it ran me about $90 or so. I don't know why your bill is so high, unless the nut material was more expensive or they decided to raise their hourly rates to make up for inflation. Are you sure you aren't being charged for a service you didn't get?
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

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panoramic
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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by panoramic » Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:00 am

Telliot wrote:
Thu Feb 23, 2023 10:59 am
It's been a few years since I've had a new nut cut, but I recall with a setup it ran me about $90 or so. I don't know why your bill is so high, unless the nut material was more expensive or they decided to raise their hourly rates to make up for inflation. Are you sure you aren't being charged for a service you didn't get?
it was really just for a nut/set up. I didn't have anything else done to it and the set up is supposed to be part of getting a new nut anyhow.
I'm over the way techs are pricing stuff these days. I guess I'll go back to doing the work myself on weekends.
I used to be cool, now I just complain about prices.

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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by parry » Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:02 am

Telliot wrote:
Thu Feb 23, 2023 10:59 am
Are you sure you aren't being charged for a service you didn't get?
It definitely sounds like he got serviced in a way he didn't ask for... :whistle:
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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by Telliot » Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:03 am

That sucks, sorry to hear that. Everything is more expensive these days (almost entirely unnecessarily so, but that's probably a different subject for a different thread) and I think we feel it most when it comes to the service industries.

parry wrote:
Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:02 am
Telliot wrote:
Thu Feb 23, 2023 10:59 am
Are you sure you aren't being charged for a service you didn't get?
It definitely sounds like he got serviced in a way he didn't ask for... :whistle:
Hey-ohhhh! :w00t:
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by GreenKnee » Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:03 am

Does the invoice give an itemised list of all work done? Setup possibly included fret dress, recrowning etc. which takes time and could therefore justify the price.

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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by Jonesie » Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:11 am

I paid $150 for a new nut and a full setup a couple of months back.

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panoramic
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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by panoramic » Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:14 am

GreenKnee wrote:
Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:03 am
Does the invoice give an itemised list of all work done? Setup possibly included fret dress, recrowning etc. which takes time and could therefore justify the price.
that shit isn't on the invoice. it's just set up and new nut, the frets weren't dressed or crowned as I do that stuff myself typically to my personal liking so I declined it. I suck as installing nuts or I would have done this job myself.
Setup
A full guitar detail.
adjust the action at the Nut, saddle/bridge. -Truss rod/neck relief.
Clean and polish fretboard/frets.
Electronic inspection and cleaning.
General basic cleaning of the guitar.
Check all fasteners and secure all hardware. -Inspection and diagnosis of any issues.
I used to be cool, now I just complain about prices.

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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by GreenKnee » Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:22 am

panoramic wrote:
Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:14 am
Wow yeah that seems like a lot of money for that. £100 tops would be about right going off recent work I've had invoiced.

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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by Scout » Thu Feb 23, 2023 12:57 pm

You should have asked for pricing before the fact, especially if it’s an unknown tech.
Lesson learned.

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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by JSett » Thu Feb 23, 2023 1:28 pm

On the rare occasions I take one of mine to a tech I take it to Guitar Village here in the UK. They are a notoriously pricey shop but a setup is £80 including strings and a setup with fret dress is £100. I think a new nut install is probably another 20-30 on top.

New nut and just a setup (no fret dress) definitely should NOT be that expensive. Pay it, leave a shitty online review and never go back.
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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by panoramic » Fri Feb 24, 2023 8:18 am

Scout wrote:
Thu Feb 23, 2023 12:57 pm
You should have asked for pricing before the fact, especially if it’s an unknown tech.
Lesson learned.
I've used this guy for amps and he was affordable/quick I am surprised the guitar came back this expensive.
I'll just use him for amps from here on in. I did ask for pricing up front but he didn't include some of the extra BS and I thought $140 or so, the extra $60 was like WTF?
This whole thing only happened because my regular guy has been bogged down and I was hoping to leave him alone until we do my mustang refret.
LESSON LEARNED.
I used to be cool, now I just complain about prices.

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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by Scout » Fri Feb 24, 2023 9:42 am

Amp tech, guitar tech, really different disciplines with some overlap.
I get it that you didn’t want to tackle a new nut, you need a set of gauged files
and a little more finesse than just a set-up. I don’t think you should bash him, everything
is stupid expensive especially for a small repair shop, he has to shop at the same overpriced
supermarkets that you do.
I have my own service business and if it’s not a service call I feel obligated to tell people what
the particular service costs before the fact, shame on him for not doing that.
Hopefully it was a stellar set-up. :)

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panoramic
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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by panoramic » Fri Feb 24, 2023 10:30 am

Scout wrote:
Fri Feb 24, 2023 9:42 am
Amp tech, guitar tech, really different disciplines with some overlap.
I get it that you didn’t want to tackle a new nut, you need a set of gauged files
and a little more finesse than just a set-up. I don’t think you should bash him, everything
is stupid expensive especially for a small repair shop, he has to shop at the same overpriced
supermarkets that you do.
I have my own service business and if it’s not a service call I feel obligated to tell people what
the particular service costs before the fact, shame on him for not doing that.
Hopefully it was a stellar set-up. :)
I haven't picked it up yet but I sure as hell hope it is.
I used to be cool, now I just complain about prices.

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panoramic
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Re: new nut / set up, how much was your last one

Post by panoramic » Wed Mar 01, 2023 7:58 am

well i picked it up and it plays real nice but no better than it was before really. I won't be using this person for guitar work ever again
I will never pay a tech to set up a squier again either
I used to be cool, now I just complain about prices.

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