Welcome
Ottawa's guitar repair shop
Update: Now accepting Visa and MasterCard and BBB Accredited - Video bellow -
Welcome to Weston Instruments, Ottawa's guitar repair centre. A place where neglected, old, worn and broken instruments find a new life thanks to Ian Weston, Luthier, member of the Guild of American Luthiers.
With over 6000 repairs and over 25 builds of experience, I can fix, modify, setup, tune up or build your treasured instrument. You can read my resume in the About section of this website. In the world of guitars and basses, its the smallest adjustments that make the hugest difference. And when it comes to years of use, I can make your treasured guitar new again. With a healthy blend of art and science, I can give your musical instrument a life you might have never discovered.
FOLLOW THE FACEBOOK PAGE TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE SHOP! YOU WILL FIND HUNDREDS OF PHOTOS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF PAST AND CURRENT WORK.
Have fun perusing through the website. There are a bunch of articles about the science behind guitars, old patents, univeristy reasearch papers and more in the Article and Blog section.
Weston Instruments services guitars, basses, mandolins, banjos, bouzoukis and many other instruments in the Ottawa, Kanata, Ashton, Stitsville, Richmond, Almonte and Carleton place region. And if you need a custom build, I will ship worldwide.
As for major repairs, these things can happen. Headstocks break, tops can split, braces come unglued, frets get worn out. Whatever you need for a major repair, or modification, bring me your guitar and I will make it sing again.
My philosophy: Every pre-fabricated guitar, bass, mandolin, bouzouki or other instrument is a wonderful base that needs to be adapted to your playing style, they just need a little help. Everyone is different and everyone needs something different. Sometimes the musician needs to learn a new trick to be able to play a certain lick, but most times, the guitar hasn't been prepared to play for you.
Are you sure you're using the string gauge that suits you best? Are your frets the ideal size for you?
Are you benefiting from Direct Coupling? Are your harmonics in check, yet the guitar still a bit off? Do you feel any pain in your hand or forearm after an hour of playing? When is the last time you had a Luthier ask you to demonstrate your playing before making any suggestions?
These are just a few of the questions I ask before setting up an instrument. Because you and your guitar are a team, someone has to prepare the musician (not me), and someone needs to prepare the guitar for the musician (me).
Give me a call, schedule an appointment, or e-mail me to see what can be done.
String Gauges
Talkin’ About Strings
Often in discussion with my customers they ask me about string gauges and what are the best strings on the market. Opinions vary, of course, on which manufacturer produces the best strings. But let me approach this subject with you in a generic way. There is a lot of physics involved, and I go over that later in the article, but here are some key points to remember when choosing your string sets:
Choosing your very first guitar
Making the right choice when it comes to choosing your first guitar will help you enjoy learning how to play the instrument. Even though all new instruments need a setup, there are things to look out for in the first instrument you will ever play.
Bigger strings sound better
Its true isn't it? If you have every played around with string gauges on your electric guitar, you probably noticed a considerable tonal difference between light gauge strings and heavy gauge strings. A set of 11's or even 12's on a strat, or LP, just sounds truer, louder and clearer than 9's or 10's.
