JUN CASTRO – Roadtone Guitar Clinic

[royc]

Akala ko dati pinakamahal na kay arie hehe.

Anyone who had their acoustic setup kay Jun? P7.7k lang ang travel acoustic ko kaya I'm only willing to spend max 1k for the setup. Unfortunately, ayaw nya magbigay ng standard rate sa txt

Edit: he still refuses to reply to my request for rates. I might just bring my guitars to micsis kahit out of the way.

[gnarly]

kailangan talaga makita niya in-person yung gitara kasi i-isahin niya yung mga problema. at mas okay sana kung may hard case din yung gitara mo.ang dami kasing mga gitara dun at least safe sa bumps. nagpa-setup ako sa kanaya dati ng 2 gitara.it took him a week to finish the works. but it's worth the wait.di ko naman masasabi na mura ang charge niya pero sulit din naman ang kinalabasan.  specialty niya ang intonation. 

[royc]

I told him that it is a new fender tele and cort travel guitar. Any respectable luthier will know what to do with a new guitar from a major guitar manufacturer. He knows that I will be coming from Lucena. Sorry, but even Arie gives a standard quote for basic setup.

Btw I have a tweed hard case. Does that qualify?

[jannten]

ganyan din ung price nya nung pina check ko ung guitar ko. 2.8 din ata.. e SX tele lang ung guitar ko. kaya mejo di sulit para sakin. hehe. kaya sabi ko bone nut nalang.
isang tricycle lang kasi sila sa apartment ko kaya walang hassle..

[jannten]

oops. sorry

[royc]

ganyan din ung price nya nung pina check ko ung guitar ko. 2.8 din ata.. e SX tele lang ung guitar ko. kaya mejo di sulit para sakin. hehe. kaya sabi ko bone nut nalang.
isang tricycle lang kasi sila sa apartment ko kaya walang hassle..

Yeah, imagine me coming from a city 130 km away, choosing him to do the basic setup for my guitars, and he refuses to give his basic rate until he sees the guitars. That would have been acceptable if I was bringing japanese surplus guitars.

No, I'm not complaining about his rate. I just find it unjustified not to give a basic setup rate.

[Gerrit]

Yeah, imagine me coming from a city 130 km away, choosing him to do the basic setup for my guitars, and he refuses to give his basic rate until he sees the guitars. That would have been acceptable if I was bringing japanese surplus guitars.

No, I'm not complaining about his rate. I just find it unjustified not to give a basic setup rate.

Ako nga e kababata na hindi niya rin binigyan ng rate hanggat hindi niya nakikita ang gitara ko and I think it is just alright and proper.  Parang medical doctor yan, bakit ako magbibigay ng prescription kung hindi ko pa nakikita ang pasyente.

[free2rock]

I think it's 2.8k AFAIK

[gainsucker]

Ako nga e kababata na hindi niya rin binigyan ng rate hanggat hindi niya nakikita ang gitara ko and I think it is just alright and proper.  Parang medical doctor yan, bakit ako magbibigay ng prescription kung hindi ko pa nakikita ang pasyente.

Pwede naman sabihin kung magkano ang intonation, ang string action setup, ang pag ayos ng fret buzz.

If the guitar is new And you know na ang problem for sure eh intonation at string height/ action, kelangan mo pa ba makita yung gitara?

A doctor needs to investigate what is wrong with a patient, kase patient mismo eh di nya alam ang sakit nya. Not like a guitarist who knows his intonation is off, or he feels that his 3rd fret high e string is buzzing.

[royc]

Yes, that would be the case if I will bring a broken guitar for repair. Unfortunately, mine was bought brand new so he should know that it needs adjustment on the saddle height, pickup height, intonation, and truss rod. I expected him to give the basic rate for that, then charge me extra for everything else.

[Al_Librero]

Unfortunately, mine was bought brand new so he should know that it needs adjustment on the saddle height, pickup height, intonation, and truss rod.

That's the thing. He doesn't. He's seen brand new guitars that were already set up properly off the shelf (a rarity, I know), while on the other end, he's seen nice looking new ones that were actually in horrible condition (incorrect fret spacing and scale, twisted neck, broken truss rod, etc). It's the latter extreme that he watches out for.

He appreciates full well how assumption can be the mother of all fu(kup$. And that is something I totally respect.

I expected him to give the basic rate for that, then charge me extra for everything else.

It's really not his style to do so (see above). He wouldn't even give his "standard" rates to me when I was maintaining his website. I'm not saying it's right or wrong. But without going in too much detail trying to explain, I will say that it's something borne out of experience, which works fine for him. The perpetual pile of guitar cases in his little shop is proof of that.

For what it's worth, I don't blame you for your hesitation. But he is regularly visited by clients all over the country. Me from Laguna or you from Quezon... our distance is nothing compared to those who have to ride a plane, a ferry or a bus for 5-10 hours just to get their instruments to him. Among those whom I've actually met, they always go back home happy.

[royc]

Perhaps we should differentiate basic setup from repair. A basic setup involves adjustment for maximum playability. It assumes that there are no factory defects. That is the quote that I am asking for.

On the other hand, what you listed (incorrect fret spacing and scale, twisted neck, broken truss rod, etc) falls under repair, requires actual inspection to evaluate, and should be billed separately on top of the setup rate.

Anyway, I will move on and bring my guitars to another luthier. My apologies for the rant.

[Al_Librero]

Perhaps we should differentiate basic setup from repair. A basic setup involves adjustment for maximum playability. It assumes that there are no factory defects. That is the quote that I am asking for.

On the other hand, what you listed (incorrect fret spacing and scale, twisted neck, broken truss rod, etc) falls under repair, requires actual inspection to evaluate, and should be billed separately on top of the setup rate.

Anyway, I will move on and bring my guitars to another luthier. My apologies for the rant.

Repair? A brand new guitar? Yeah, that always sits well with the proud owners. And that is one of my points.

Good for you if you can make such distinctions. But again, not everyone can.

[royc]

Repair? A brand new guitar? Yeah, that always sits well with the proud owners. And that is one of my points.

Good for you if you can make such distinctions. But again, not everyone can.

What has he got to lose if he states the basic rate and it turns out that the owner is lying and it really needs repair? Nothing, coz he can refuse to work on it. What can the owner gain if he lies about the real condition of the guitar? Nothing coz the luthier will see the real problem of the guitar and charge accordingly anyway.

Who is the loser here? Not the luthier coz he did not waste time and money traveling. It is the customer who realizes that paying 2.8k to setup an 8k guitar is not worth it. Yet the customer feels compelled to agree after spending time and money.

In this age, people maximize resources by using technology to find the best deals for their requirements. Our local luthiers are too far away from each other. Do you expect all customers to go to each of these luthiers to ask for a basic rate? We are not talking about choosing guitars from several stores inside a mall. We are talking about luthiers who live in Quezon City, Sta Ana, Sucat, Rizal, Ermita, and other places.

I am a satisfied customer of Arie and Micsis. Both of them gave me quotes before I brought my guitars. I want to try Jun coz he is near the place where I will stay in Makati.

You believe that he is doing the right thing? Good for you. I used to be with sales and I used to be a product manager. I know how to treat customers and I know about pricing. Perhaps that is the reason why I don't like the way he works.

This is how I believe luthiers should indicate their rates:

Luthier A Basic setup: P x,xxx.00
Includes:
  Saddle height adjustment
  Pickup height adjustment
  Intonation
  Nut adjustment
  Fret leveling
  Truss rod adjustment
Replacement parts and additional services will be charged accordingly

Luthier B Basic setup: P xxx.00
Includes:
  Saddle height adjustment
  Pickup height adjustment
  Intonation
Replacement parts and additional services will be charged accordingly

[pankist]

Naalala ko nung pina set-up  ko JB Schinder ko sa kanya.
Bago ako pumunta excited, pero pagdating, nahiya ako kasi halos puro high-end nakikita kong gitara.
Naisip ko di bale nalang. Sabi ng kasama ko ok lang daw yun.
Nung nahawakan ni Mang Jun gitara ko, pinaliwanag niya lahat ng problema.
Parang doctor kung mag diagnose ng problema.
Payed 2.3k kasi may sarili akong set ng strings.
Up to this day, gusto kong bimili ng gitara para lang makadalaw dun.
Wala naman pa kasing problema yung pinaayos ko sa kanya hanggang ngayon.
And that was 3 years ago.

[chazkidlat]

Guys.. i need help...May nakapag rewire na ba sa kanya dito ng gitara? Modification. Rewiring? Kabit new pups, pots? Magkano inaabot ng labor pag ganun? Sana may idea ang ako para alam ko magkano iipunin ko na budget. Thanks guys

[jeba_03]

Guys.. i need help...May nakapag rewire na ba sa kanya dito ng gitara? Modification. Rewiring? Kabit new pups, pots? Magkano inaabot ng labor pag ganun? Sana may idea ang ako para alam ko magkano iipunin ko na budget. Thanks guys

Prepare 2-4k

[marcus_gloom]

Akala ko costly na yung fee sa Sta Mesa at Paranaque.  . The guy must be really, really good with set-ups. Good thing Sir Royc gave a heads up here, I sympathize with him coz' I'd be also coming from Lucena City. Imagine, the travel time and cost of just getting there galing sa amin then not knowing at least the ballpark figure of the job. I'm not saying that its not worth it coz I haven't had experience with Sir Juns work. As i said, he really must be that good.

[fretboard]

^ he is 

but costly hahaha

then iwan mo gear mo dun 3 days --> kaya lipat bakod ako sa guitar 1 and micsis

magaling din naman sila

sorry zero intention--> thread jacking

[Al_Librero]

At 2-4k for just a rewiring job, I don't think even Jun charges that high. It's really best to call him directly and tell him exactly what you want done. But for what it's worth, kung electronics work rin lang naman, madaming magaling tumira. And most of them will charge you for less.

I myself don't go to him for electronics work. I do it myself. The only part of this aspect which I can't hold my own against him is pickup balancing. Luckily, I can close the gap with my own guitars because all but one of my guitars have blade pickups.

[jeba_03]

4k will include intonation, pickup pole balancing, fret leveling, circuit normalization, truss rod adjustment, etc. (may include pots and jack hardware replacement or even partial refret).

That's just based on my experience. Twisted neck cost more or less 4k also. Lesser the job done, the lesser the cost.

If you're from qc, he also has a shop there. You need to call or text in advance so you will know where he is or schedule a specific date.

[one_note_per_minute]

hi guys how much pa set up nyo kay sir jun? sometimes nafefeel ko kasi parang masyadong mataas na  yung rate nya ito kasi rate nya sakin last month

2,700 for setup lang action and intonation my guitar is a floydrose guitar

ang ayaw ko lang kasi sakanya yung wala syang fix rate or parang price list ng service nya. but dont get me wrong i really like his work a lot. nag papasetup ako every year sa kanya, im one of his pioneer customer lol. just wanted to know kung ganyan din ba sya mag rate sa iba

[red lights]

ang mahal naman para sa set-up ng action, kahit floyded pa yun

[Freak]

Kaya ako, i thought myself how to do the "BASICS" as it will save me lotsa money. Hello guys, there's a lot of videos in youtube. I only bring my guitars to luthiers when the condition is beyond my control or lack of tools.

[Al_Librero]

ang mahal naman para sa set-up ng action, kahit floyded pa yun

I believe it's setup and intonation.

Kaya ako, i thought myself how to do the "BASICS" as it will save me lotsa money. Hello guys, there's a lot of videos in youtube. I only bring my guitars to luthiers when the condition is beyond my control or lack of tools.

Videos indeed help. But it's tough to say how good you really are unless you go to someone reputable right after you do your thing and have him or her evaluate your work. It's what I do, and results, so far, have been disappointing as far as action and intonation go.