Stay at the Workbench While Your VA Handles Repair Queues, Custom Build Inquiries & Parts Sourcing.
Luthiers lose 15+ hours each week answering endless setup quotes, tracking tonewood shipments, chasing parts backorders, and scheduling customer drop-offs. Delegate intake tickets, StewMac/Allparts purchasing, repair status updates, build waitlist deposits, and shipping insurance claims to a trained assistant supervised by a dedicated Project Manager at $0 extra management fee.
$6 - $7 / Hour
Pure productive shop hours
Guitar & Orchestral
Fretted, violins, archtops, basses
Free Project Manager
Daily shop SOP & task audits
Eliminate Workshop Admin Friction
Protect your carving, voicing, fretwork, and French polishing hours. Your remote assistant handles client inquiries and procurement so you can craft instruments in peace.
- Intake & Job Card Creation: Logging instrument specs, serial numbers, customer action requests, damage photos, and estimated turnaround dates in your repair tracking software.
- Hardware & Tonewood Procurement: Ordering fretwire, pickups, truss rods, tuning machines, bone blanks, and hide glue from StewMac, Allparts, Mojotone, and wood vendors.
- Custom Build Waitlist Management: Collecting 20–50% non-refundable commission deposits via Stripe/Square, sending build phase photo updates, and managing delivery timelines.
- High-Value Shipping & Insured Courier: Booking temperature-regulated, fully insured air/freight labels via Flightline, Heritage, or PirateShip, and preparing CITES paperwork.
+15 Hrs
Weekly Bench Time Recovered
More time dedicated to fine fret leveling, neck resets, carving, and voicing
70%
Operations Cost Savings
Compared to hiring on-site retail shop managers or counter receptionists
$0
Management Fee
Dedicated Project Manager monitors parts queues and client emails for free
< 15 Min
Client Quote Response Speed
Capture lucrative custom instrument commissions and high-end restorations
What Your Luthier & Instrument Shop VA Manages
Your true mastery lies in woodwork, acoustic resonance, precision joinery, and tonal calibration. Here is the operational workflow your assistant runs seamlessly in the background.
Repair Intake & Job Card Scheduling
Never miss a repair lead. Your VA qualifies incoming inquiries (refrets, neck resets, crack cleats, headstock repairs, Plek setups), collects high-res photos, generates digital job tickets, and schedules instrument drop-off appointments in Acuity or Calendly.
- Logging instrument serials, makes, models & condition
- Managing pickup notifications when work is completed
Custom Build Waitlists & Milestone Billing
Keep your order book structured. Your assistant sends out build specification questionnaires (scale length, nut width, tonewood selections, bracing patterns, pickup winds), issues deposit invoices, and schedules staged payments as the build progresses through milestones.
- Managing multi-year custom build waitlists
- Invoicing 33% deposit, 33% carve/bind, 34% pre-delivery
Luthier Hardware & Parts Sourcing
Stop stopping mid-project for missing screws or binding tape. Your VA tracks shop consumables (sandpaper grits, Titebond, nitrocellulose lacquer, cyanoacrylate, fretwire) and places purchase orders with StewMac, LMI, Allparts, Gotoh, Hipshot, and specialty tonewood dealers.
- PO placement & backorder tracking across vendors
- Tonewood moisture verification & billet provenance logs
Instrument Shipping, Insurance & CITES Paperwork
Safeguard rare Brazilian rosewood, abalone inlays, and priceless vintage acoustics. Your VA generates third-party musical instrument insurance certificates (Heritage, Clarion), books white-glove courier shipping, and compiles CITES documentation for export.
- Preparing customs declarations & botanical CITES permits
- Filing carrier transit damage & shock-watch claims
Reverb Listings, Shopify & Build Progress Updates
Showcase your artisanal craftsmanship to players worldwide. Your VA crops and organizes bench photography, uploads custom specs to Reverb and your Shopify catalog, posts sawdust/shavings reels to Instagram, and emails clients high-res photos of their instrument's progress.
- Reverb storefront management & buyer messaging
- Bi-weekly client build progress photo logs
Bookkeeping, Labor Hours & Inventory Costing
Know your exact profit margin on every build and restoration. Your assistant matches parts receipts in QuickBooks/Xero, calculates shop labor and overhead allocation per serial number, and files digital sales tax records on local retail and out-of-state shipments.
- Categorizing tonewood, tool sharpening & hardware expenses
- Reconciling Square, Stripe & wire transfers
Software, Repair Portals & Supplier Systems Our VAs Master
Zero training lag. Our assistants arrive experienced in musical instrument point-of-sale platforms, repair scheduling software, e-commerce channels, and supplier accounts.
Reverb.com
Listings & OffersShopify
Custom Instrument CatalogRepairShopr
Workbench Job TicketsSquare POS
Counter & InvoicingStewMac / Allparts
Wholesale AccountsAirtable / Notion
Custom Build TrackersPirateShip / EasyPost
Insured Shipping LabelsQuickBooks / Xero
COGS & Parts MatchingAcuity / Calendly
Consultation BookingsInstagram & YouTube
Workshop Visual ContentWhatsApp Business
Player Messaging Desk1Password / Bitwarden
Secure Access VaultsTurnkey Lutherie Operations With Free Project Management
Never waste precious days teaching an unvetted generalist the difference between a truss rod adjustment, a neck re-set, radiused fretboards, or hide glue vs. Titebond. We match you with an assistant trained in shop workflows overseen daily by a Project Manager at zero extra charge.
Submit Requirements
Share your primary focus (custom boutique builds vs. high-volume repair shop), active platforms (Shopify, Reverb, RepairShopr), supplier accounts, and weekly inquiry volume.
Finalise the Deal
Your assigned Project Manager documents your shop pricing menu, sets up repair intake templates, secures software credentials in Bitwarden, and executes an enforceable NDA.
Expert Execution
Your VA answers client repair questions, orders components, handles build deposit collections, and manages insured shipping labels. Your PM conducts daily quality audits.
Pay Only for Output
You are billed strictly for your virtual assistant's productive operations hours. Your Project Manager's daily supervision, audit reports, and backup plans are 100% free.
Your Dedicated Project Manager Protects Workshop Focus & Workflow Quality
Managing both custom heirloom commissions and daily repair turnover? Your dedicated PM audits client correspondence, verifies accurate parts SKU numbers before orders are placed, and ensures quotes align with your bench labor rates so you never lose margin.
Unvetted Freelancers vs. The Managed Choice: SageDoer
Why master luthiers, restoration specialists, and guitar builders partner with SageDoer instead of wasting bench time training generic platform freelancers.
| Key Operational Factor | Generic Freelance Boards & Call Centers | The Smart Choice: SageDoer |
|---|---|---|
| Lutherie & Instrument Understanding | Unfamiliar with lutherie terminology: confuses scale length, radius gauges, intonation, pickup windings, and tonewood varieties | Pre-trained on repair intake workflows, common hardware parts catalogs, and luthiery terminology |
| Workshop & E-Commerce Software Fluency | Requires endless training on Reverb merchant dashboards, Shopify product variations, and repair shop scheduling apps | Day-one familiarity with Reverb, Shopify, RepairShopr, Square POS, and Airtable custom build logs |
| Dedicated Supervision & QA Oversight | Zero supervision. You must stop carving or refretting to verify every client email and supplier purchase order | Dedicated Project Manager audits email tone, monitors parts shipments, and reviews invoices for free |
| Confidentiality & Trade Secrets | No enforceable protection for your proprietary bracing patterns, finish formulas, or client roster data | Legally binding bilateral NDAs safeguarding your proprietary voicing methods, drawings, and customer lists |
| Pricing Transparency & Cost Structure | High platform transaction markups (up to 20%), currency exchange fees, and unpredictable billing spikes | Predictable flat $6–$7/hr billed strictly for productive output. Zero management fees, setup costs, or platform taxes. |
| Operational Continuity & Coverage | Freelancer suddenly disappears during peak holiday guitar sales or NAMM show prep, stalling your client desk | Guaranteed internal backup coverage cross-trained on your shop SOPs, parts accounts, and client templates |
Predictable Hourly Rates for Luthiers & Repair Shops
Select the exact operational support your workshop requires. Pay strictly for productive hours with zero contract lock-ins.
Part-Time
Est. $560 USD / Month (4 Weeks)
Ideal for independent custom guitar builders, violinmakers, and solo repair tech benches needing dedicated support for customer emails, parts ordering, and drop-off scheduling.
- Pay only for hours of pure productive work
- Dedicated Project Manager included
- Reverb, Shopify, StewMac & RepairShopr workflows
- Zero setup or onboarding fees
- No long-term commitments or lock-ins
- Strict workshop NDA confidentiality protocols
Full-Time
Est. $960 USD / Month (4 Weeks)
Engineered for busy stringed instrument restoration shops, boutique custom guitar brands, and multi-bench lutherie facilities managing high inquiry volume and complex parts procurement.
- Pay only for hours of pure productive work
- Dedicated Project Manager included
- Continuous repair triage, parts ordering & client updates
- Zero setup or onboarding fees
- No long-term commitments required
- Guaranteed internal backup coverage
Trusted by Custom Guitar Builders & Master Restorers
See how craftspeople reclaimed their bench hours, eliminated supply bottlenecks, and scaled custom instrument orders with SageDoer.
"I used to lose half of my day answering emails from players asking about scale length, nut widths, and build slots. My SageDoer VA handles our custom build questionnaire, collects deposits on Stripe, and updates our build queue in Notion. I gained back 15 hours of pure bench time every single week."
David Walsh
Founder, Walsh Handmade Guitars
"Parts sourcing was our biggest headache. When a customer brings in a 1959 Les Paul Junior, hunting original spec pots, vintage capacitors, and correct fretwire takes hours. Our assistant sources components, tracks StewMac and Allparts orders, and ensures parts are at the bench before the job starts."
Marcus Cole
Master Tech, Cumberland Vintage Repairs
"The free Project Manager oversight gave me total confidence. She reviewed our intake SOPs, helped set up our Acuity appointment scheduler for orchestral student setups, and makes sure repair job cards in RepairShopr are completed with photographic records before players pick up their instruments."
Elena Becker
Proprietor, Becker Violins & Bows
"Shipping $6,000 custom 5-string basses internationally used to terrify me. Our SageDoer assistant prepares our CITES documentation, coordinates third-party musical instrument transit insurance, and tracks every parcel until delivered. At $6/hr with a dedicated PM, it's an incredible bargain."
Jason Hayes
Lead Builder, Pacific Crest Basses
"I used to lose half of my day answering emails from players asking about scale length, nut widths, and build slots. My SageDoer VA handles our custom build questionnaire, collects deposits on Stripe, and updates our build queue in Notion. I gained back 15 hours of pure bench time every single week."
David Walsh
Founder, Walsh Handmade Guitars
Questions About Hiring a Luthier Virtual Assistant?
Clear answers regarding client communications, lutherie technical terminology, parts ordering, and dedicated Project Manager supervision.
Put Your Workshop Admin on Autopilot
Tell us about your workshop volume, active software (Reverb, Shopify, RepairShopr), parts suppliers, or client communication bottlenecks. Our dedicated Project Manager will review your requirements and provide a tailored lutherie staffing proposal within 2 hours.
Direct Calendar Booking
Schedule 30-Min Strategy Call
Instant Chat & Voice Notes
+91 8017067191 (WhatsApp)
Direct Inquiries
info@sagedoer.com
Request Your Luthier Staffing Proposal
Submit your shop details, active platforms, and primary operational needs below.