I have been able to carry out many repairs, and one thing that I have learned when performing repairs and maintenance, is That Perfection is always number 1! I strive for perfection, right is right, and wrong is starting over. I have been trained by one of the best repairers, and I can say with confidence that I have mastered my skills. I can do anything from simple set-ups, to complex repairs. I think it's important to keep you up-to-date with what I'm going to do about your guitar, and also during the process when I'm working on your guitar, through comprehensive information you deserve. So please contact me for further information and what I can do for you.
• Do you need repair or maintenance on your guitar. Please contact me at +31629301150 or
o.strijker@hotmail.com to make an appointment. Or to send the guitar to me.
• If you want to send the guitar by post, please put a bill in the case, where you will find out what needs to be done with your guitar, and your Address details. Make sure the guitar can't move in the case, fill in the airpieces with packing material (paper towels, cartoons).
• Make sure you put your guitar in a sturdy box with enough packing material so the guitar is locked in the box (can't move). You can put newspapers, bubble wrap, carton, kitchen roll.
• When your guitar is in my workshop. We'll discuss the repair a bit more. So that you get the justest care to your guitar.
• During the process I will keep you informed and send you pictures of your guitar.
• And when your guitar is ready I will contact you immediately!
Everything will be made/repaired by hand please note that this may take some time. Before your guitar is ready.
When you want a small set-up on your guitar. Is it possible to wait for your guitar. Usually a small set-up will take 30/60 minutes. Keep it in mind. As soon as more needs to be done on your guitar you will have to leave it behind.
Humidity and Heat plays a big role in the problems/adjustment of the guitars. Normally you would like to have 50% humidity for your guitars, but unfortunately this is not always possible. Because the humidity in the Netherlands (and other countries) is quite different.
My goal is to keep the humidity between 40% and 60%. By using humidifiers/dehumidifiers.
And Wood actually works just like a sponge. When water comes in a sponge, the sponge expands when it gets too dry and shrinks again. And that's exactly what happens to guitars. And because that happens a number of things can happen to your guitar.
If your guitar is too humid. You may notice that your guitar starts to play a bit heavier. This is probably due to the fact that your top has started to bulge (your top has started to expand). And that the volume of your guitar is a bit lower. If your guitar gets too much heat, it is possible that the glue of your guitar becomes softened, causing problems with the binding and loose bridges and more. But slight causes what happens to your guitar when your guitar is too humid.
• High action
• Swollen top
• Fretbuzz (Ski jump: the button on the top swells with the top sheet)
• Wet dense sound, soft sound.
• Loose binding
Too dry conditions, or lack of sufficient humidity, can be just as damaging to your guitar, causing the wood to shrink and crack. It can also cause a bad tone and incorrect intonation.
• Low Action
• Sharp fret ends (the wood only shrinks, the fret does not)
• Upcoming frets
• Fretbuzz
• Lacquer that has been sucked into the grain
• Strange lines in the top
• Cracks in the wood
• Lacquer cracks
Here in the Netherlands it usually gets 75% humid in the winter and 35% humid in the summer. And that's quite a big difference. The greatest danger of humidity and temperature arerapid or extreme changes. That's because different parts of the guitar shrink and expand at different rates. If, for example, the humidity drops rapidly on the spot, the guitar can't acclimatize evenly, causing cracks to appear or the glue joints in different parts of the guitar no longer function properly, while the guitar tries to " deal " with the dryness. The same applies, in the opposite way, at high humidity.
• Keep the guitar in the case when you're not playing it
• Do not hang the guitar on a wall stand
• Make sure the guitar is not near a door, heater or window.
• You can buy a hygrometer/thermometer so something only costs a few euros and then you know how humid it is with you.
• Use Oasis ''humidifier'' (which you can get at a local guitar store or on the internet).
• Plants in your home provide a more constant humidity.
• If your guitar is too humid use Bamboo ''dehumidifier'' bags (can be ordered online).
• You can purchase a small dehumidifier / humidifier.
I usually advise customers to come by once every six months for a small adjustment after the summer and after the winter. This is because, this is the best time to adjust your guitar to the next season (winter or summer).
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