Rush Guitar Repairs in Calgary: Gig This Weekend?

Gig on Monday, guitar dies on Friday. Every working musician knows the feeling, and it is exactly what rush service is for. Not all shops offer it. Some that do charge double rate. Our take is simpler: the main thing we enjoy about this work is the people we get to work with, so when a local musician is stuck, we do our best to get their instrument on the bench right away. Music paying your bills should not stop because of a bad solder joint.

The Friday to Monday job in the video

This one came in on a Friday with the owner booked to play Monday. It needed a complete electronics overhaul: everything gutted and reinstalled. Somewhere along the line the quick connect system had developed a problem in one of the connections, the kind of fault that shows up as a guitar cutting out mid song, which is about the worst place a fault can show up. Rather than patch the connector, we pulled it apart and hardwired the whole circuit. That stabilises the system for the life of the guitar, not just for Monday night.

How to get a rush job in

Call first: 403-253-9006. Tell us what the guitar is doing and when the gig is. We can almost always get it on the bench and get you taken care of right away, and if a repair genuinely cannot happen in time, we will tell you straight on the phone rather than have you find out at pickup. You can also get in touch through the site if it is less urgent.

Keep the music going

We have been keeping Calgary players on stage since 2005. If it has strings and a deadline, bring it by.

Common questions

How fast can you turn a repair around?

Depends on the job and the bench, but for working musicians we can almost always get it looked at right away. Call first at 403-253-9006 and tell us when the gig is, and we will tell you honestly what is possible.

Do you charge extra for rush jobs?

Some shops charge double rate for rush work. Call us, tell us what is going on, and we will sort out what makes sense. The goal is you on stage with a working guitar.

What are the most common pre-gig emergencies?

Electronics letting go: crackling pots, dying jacks, loose wiring, pickups cutting out. Broken nuts and setup problems after a string gauge change are the other regulars. Most of them are faster fixes than people fear.

My guitar cuts out mid song. What is that?

Usually a failing connection somewhere in the circuit, a cold solder joint, a worn jack, or a quick connect plug letting go. Hardwiring the circuit is the permanent fix, and it is exactly what this video shows.

For the odd bit of advice from the bench between emergencies, join the Repair Bench mailing list and get $25 off your next repair or setup.