What's the difference between a setup and a restoration?

A setup optimizes what's already working. A restoration fixes what's broken. Conflating the two is how people end up disappointed — either paying restoration money for a setup problem, or expecting a $150 setup to fix something that needed surgery.

What a setup covers

Truss rod adjustment, action at the nut and saddle, intonation, nut slot depth, sometimes a fret level and polish. It's mechanical fine-tuning of a guitar that is structurally sound. Nothing is broken. Nothing needs to be rebuilt. You're just dialing in a machine that already works.

What a restoration covers

Structural repairs. Neck resets. Cracked tops. Bridge reglues. Refinishing. Replacing hardware that's failed, not just worn. Restoration is for guitars with a real problem — something a truss rod turn or a saddle shim cannot solve, because the issue is in the wood, the joints, or the finish itself.

Why this distinction actually matters to you

If your action is bad because of a warped top, a lifting bridge, or a neck joint that's given up, no setup will permanently fix that. You might get temporary relief — a lower saddle, a truss rod pushed further than it should go — but you're masking a structural issue, and it will come back, often worse.

On the flip side, if your guitar is structurally fine and just needs the mechanical pieces dialed in, you don't need to pay restoration prices. You need someone to actually measure the thing properly.

The honest answer to "which do I need" almost always requires someone to look at the guitar. Bring it in for a free evaluation, and I'll tell you which category you're actually in before you spend money on the wrong fix.