West LA Musical Instrument Repair: $100 Setups Back Next Day

Roady Repair is the opposite of a big-box repair counter. It is one technician, Steven Tuminello, working by appointment out of 3723 South Sepulveda Boulevard in Palms, a few hundred feet from the corner of Sepulveda and Venice Boulevard. The shop keeps hours of 11 am to 5 pm, Monday to Saturday, it takes no walk-ins, and its headline promise is simple: a $100 complete setup that is usually back in your hands the next day.

Tuminello founded the shop in 2021 after years of working in guitar retail and repair, and his about section describes the idea plainly: transparent pricing, direct communication and the attention to detail that comes from doing every job yourself rather than handing it between departments. He calls himself a musician first. The practical effect is that the person who answers when you call is the person who will hold the fret file, so you can describe a buzz once and have it understood.

There is one modern twist. The site is upfront that scheduling, estimates and follow-ups are handled with the help of an AI assistant, while the guitars are his alone. That makes the booking side quick, and it frees the bench hours for actual work. The shop shows a 5.0 rating on Google from 34 reviews on its homepage, which is a small but consistent track record for a five-year-old business.

The complete setup is a flat $100 for electric, acoustic and bass guitars. The FAQ lists what it includes: action adjustment, intonation, neck relief, an electronics check, cleaning, and fresh strings when applicable. That last point matters, because many shops quote a setup price and then add strings at retail. Here they are folded in, so the number you hear on the phone is close to the number you pay for a straightforward job.

Most setups come back the next day, according to both the homepage and the FAQ. That turnaround is what makes the shop useful for working players on the Westside, who might drop a guitar on a Tuesday and need it for a Wednesday session. Book the morning slot near the 11 am opening, and ask whether a next-day return is realistic for your instrument before you leave it.

Electronics work starts from $50, with the final price depending on the wiring job, covering output jacks, pots, shielding and the like. Pickup installation is $150 for one pickup or $200 for multiple pickups, and a full rewire is $250. All three of those prices include a setup, so swapping a set of humbuckers does not mean paying twice to get the guitar playing well afterwards.

Custom bone nut or saddle work is $175 with a setup, aimed at better tone, intonation and tuning stability. Fretwork, from fret end dressing and leveling to crowning, polishing and complete refrets, starts at $250 and also includes a setup and fresh strings. Structural repairs such as headstock breaks, bridge lift and cracks are quoted only after Tuminello has seen the instrument, which is the honest approach for jobs where the damage is often deeper than it looks.

The homepage has an estimate calculator where you tick the services your guitar needs and it adds them up. It also flags when one repair already includes another, for example a pickup install that already carries a setup, so you do not double-count. Run it before you call. Arriving with a target number and a list of symptoms makes a short appointment more productive, and it helps you decide whether a $250 fret level is worth it on a budget guitar.

Bass players get the same framework. The FAQ says bass guitars receive the same setups, fretwork, electronics and structural repairs, under the same pricing. Fretwork and structural jobs take longer than setups, and the timeline for those is set when you drop the instrument off. Basic electronics work is usually finished within a few days.

Repairs are by appointment only, so do not turn up unannounced. Describe the problem, say which tuning and string gauge you use, and mention any upgrades you are considering, so the setup can be built around them rather than redone a month later. The site says the shop serves musicians in West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Culver City and nearby.

A setup is only as good as the information behind it. Before the appointment, play the guitar for ten minutes and note where it misbehaves: buzzing above a certain fret, chords that sound sour higher up the neck, a high E string that slips off the fretboard edge. Bring the strap and the capo you actually use, and if you have a favourite string brand, say so, since the setup includes fresh strings. When you collect the guitar, play it in the shop for a few minutes so any small tweak to the action can be made while you are still standing at the bench.

Palms is a dense, practical neighborhood, and the shop's corner is a busy one. Venice Boulevard, a short walk south, is lined with small restaurants and coffee counters that make an easy stop while you wait for a quick electronics fix. For something green, Mar Vista Recreation Center, about a kilometer away, has shaded paths and ball fields. Without a car, the Metro E Line's Expo/Sepulveda station sits a little over a mile north on Sepulveda, and buses run along Venice Boulevard.

Roady Repair, 3723 South Sepulveda Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90034 (Palms, West Los Angeles). Hours: Monday to Saturday 11 am to 5 pm, by appointment only, closed Sunday, no walk-ins. Prices from the official site: complete setup $100 including fresh strings, electronics from $50, one pickup install $150, multiple pickups $200, full rewire $250, bone nut or saddle $175 with setup, fretwork from $250 with setup. Structural repairs are quoted after inspection. Most setups are back the next day.