REPAIRS
Everything Your Guitar Needs
Marcovis Guitars focuses on stringed instrument repairs, upgrades, and servicing. Located in Urbandale, Iowa, Marcovis offers experienced, trained work, that will keep your guitar or other stringed instrument in the absolute best playing condition, and help you get the most out of your investment.
Instrument Restoration
Reviving and restoring vintage or damaged instruments to their original glory, while maintaining their historical value. This can include repairing cracks, refinishing, and re-gluing joints, as well as fixing or replacing hardware and structural parts.
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Common Restorations: Cracks and splits in the wood, neck resets, re-fretting, varnish touch-ups, repairing or replacing bridges, and restoring aged tonal qualities.
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Specialty: Restoring instruments with historical or sentimental value, ensuring the preservation of their original sound and appearance.
Instrument Repair
Repairs for both minor and major issues with stringed instruments. This service is essential for maintaining the performance and longevity of an instrument. Repairs are typically done to restore functionality without compromising the instrument’s sound quality.
Common Repairs:
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Neck resets and adjustments
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Crack repairs
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Fretwork (levelling, crowning, and polishing frets)
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Bridge and saddle repairs
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Pickups and electronics repair
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Replacement of tuning machines or hardware
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Structural repairs (gluing loose seams, fixing headstocks)
Setup and Maintenance
A setup involves adjusting the instrument for optimal playability, ensuring it feels comfortable and plays with ease. Maintenance services keep the instrument in peak condition.
Common Repairs
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Truss rod adjustment (neck relief)
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Action adjustment (string height)
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Intonation setup (accurate tuning along the fretboard)
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Nut and saddle adjustments
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String replacement
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Electronics cleaning and maintenance
Tone and Playability Adjustments
This service focuses on refining the instrument’s sound and feel, which could include adjusting the setup for specific genres or playing styles, improving projection, and tweaking tonal qualities.
Services Include:
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Adjusting action and string height for faster playing
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Improving sustain or reducing fret buzz
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Enhancing tone by adjusting pickups
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Adjusting internal bracing (for acoustic instruments) to optimize resonance and tone quality
Fretwork
Fretwork is the process of repairing, leveling, crowning, and polishing the frets to ensure smooth playability and reduce fret buzz. This can also involve replacing worn-out frets.
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Fret Replacements: For instruments with heavily worn or damaged frets.
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Refretting: Involves replacing frets and adjusting the fingerboard to accommodate new frets.
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Fret Leveling & Polishing: Ensures smooth playability and a consistent feel across the neck.
Bridge and Saddle Work
Adjusting or repairing the bridge and saddle is crucial for maintaining the tonal quality and playability of an instrument, particularly on acoustic guitars.
Common Services:
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Repairing cracked or loose bridges
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Adjusting saddle height and intonation
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Replacing or adjusting bridge pins (acoustic guitars)
Custom Inlays and Artwork
Creating unique inlays for the fretboard, headstock, or body of the instrument, using materials such as mother-of-pearl, abalone, wood, or metal. Custom artwork can also be applied to the body of the instrument, adding a personal touch.
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Options: Custom fretboard inlays, headstock designs, body art, or logos.
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Personalization: Custom designs, like monograms, initials, or specific themes (e.g., floral, geometric, vintage, etc.).
Neck and Body Repairs
Repairing or replacing parts of the instrument’s neck or body, such as addressing cracks, warping, or structural issues that affect playability and sound.
Services:
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Neck resets or re-gluing
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Fixing cracked or splintered bodies
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Reinforcing neck joints
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Installing or replacing truss rods
Pickup Installation and Electronics Work (Electric Guitars)
For electric guitars, this service involves installing and wiring pickups, repairing or replacing faulty electronics, and upgrading the instrument’s sound system.
Services Include:
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Pickup installations (single-coil, humbucker, piezo)
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Wiring and soldering of controls and switches
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Potentiometer and jack replacements
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Active or passive electronics upgrades
Wood Selection and Tonewood Advice
Helping customers choose the right tonewoods for their custom instruments or repairs, based on the sound characteristics and aesthetic qualities desired.
Common Tonewoods:
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For acoustic guitars: Spruce, mahogany, rosewood, cedar, etc.
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For electric guitars: Maple, alder, ash, limba, walnut, etc.
String Replacement and Tuning
Routine maintenance service where strings are replaced, and the instrument is tuned to standard pitch or the musician’s preferred tuning.
Services:
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String changes (acoustic, electric, classical, etc.)
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Tuning to pitch (standard or custom tunings)
