Hello everyone, my name is Marguerite Pastella, otherwise known as...Fret Not Guitar Repair Inc.
I am an individual luthier who repairs and cares for instruments from all over the U.S. as well as abroad.
And while I realize it is a rather novice attempt...I am also the webmaster. Acknowledging that my call is not web design I still chose to create my own site because it's me... my words, my works, my photographs.
I believe this gives others the opportunity to get to know me and my work.

 

How I Got Started

In the late 80's a move from York County to Smithfield Virginia opened the door to what would snowball into a full time career repairing instruments from around the nation and abroad.
Bill Colgan and his small staff at Isle of Wight Instruments were well known among local musicians and it was there that I was offered the opportunity to learn from the area's finest luthiers.
Unfortunately, in 1997 Bill began another serious battle with cancer, his third, and circumstances dictated that Isle Of Wight Instruments close.
After auctioning off what remained of the business Bill asked that I come to his home shop and finish the repairs still in progress. It was during that time I began to ponder my future and direction.

With great encouragement and a genuine belief that this was part of God's plan for my life,
 I opened my own shop in April of 1998.
 

Services I Offer

When I first opened I did my best to offer nearly all repair services but after years of managing very lengthy backlogs and 60+ hour work weeks I finally came to the conclusion that I could not possibly say "yes" to all request.
I organize my time so that a portion of my week is spent doing small repairs (refrets, bridges, cracks, set ups, electronics) and the other portion of the week concentrating on large or restoration type repairs. As a result musicians needing smaller repairs will not be put in line behind several months of instruments needing extensive repair. This is another reason appointments are necessary.

Because I am an individual I do specialize my services somewhat...I no longer offer instrument refinishing, I work only on fretted instruments (no fiddles, autoharps or amplifier repair) and I do not currently offer custom built instruments. Those who have visited my shop may catch a glimpse of instruments built here (or pieces of them) but at this time I do not offer to custom build (this includes necks).

The majority of instruments I service are high quality or collectible instruments, but I am not "brand prejudice". It is a simple fact that very inexpensive instruments are usually less expensive to replace than to repair. If your instrument is not worth the repairs (monetarily speaking) I would feel obligated to tell you, I am not here merely to take your money.

Authorized service center for: C.F. Martin, Taylor, Fender, Guild and others

I provide warranty services for several brands of instruments, but not all. While I am qualified to repair all fretted instruments there are certain factories that still offer very low reimbursement fees to their warranty centers. Factories set their own reimbursement schedule, and some are simply too low to consider. Other factories will require the owner to ship the instrument back to them to receive services free of charge.

Bluegrass and Martin lovers abound in this area and as a result, a good deal of my repair work is vintage Martin and other flat top guitars, but I service nearly all fretted instruments.
Neck resetting, refretting, crack repair, bridge repair and set ups are daily routine but if you take a good look around my site you will see that I offer a large variety of repair services.
Examples of repairs I have performed can be found throughout this website including before and after shots on the Pictures page.

Shipping Instruments For Repairs

While I do receive instruments for repair from all over the country as well as abroad (Japan, Spain, Italy etc.) I do not accept truly small repairs via mail, particularly when the packing and shipping time would be more time consuming than the actual repair. You must contact me prior to shipping any instrument for repair and if you desire to stop by the shop please make an appointment. More information about shipping your instrument to me can be found on the shipping page.

If you have questions about having your instrument repaired please feel free to email me.

Blessings,
Marguerite Pastella