Glasgow keeps an unusually dense cluster of independent benches, including Bill Finlayson's workshop tucked inside the guitarguitar store on Trongate. Seven shops span the city, from The Wee Guitar Repair Shop on the Southside, appointment-only at £60 a setup, to West End fixtures like Jimmy Egypt & Sons. Full fret-dress services run to roughly £125-140.
Glasgow guitar shops that do setups
Every listing below was checked against the shop's own website or a current public source. Call ahead for exact pricing and turnaround.
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The Wee Guitar Repair Shop
Southside · Suite 2/2, McCormick House, 50 Darnley Street · Glasgow G41 2SEOperating by appointment only from the Southside, The Wee Guitar Repair Shop publishes a fixed price list covering restrings, full setups and fret levelling for electric, acoustic, classical and bass guitars.
Setup £60 (full service and setup) / £125 (plus fret level, crown and dress) -
The Guitar Workshop
Govan · Unit 59, Elderpark Workspace, 100 Elderpark Street · Glasgow G51 3TREstablished in 2015 by luthier Ian Dickinson, who trained at Anniesland College and now lectures on its instrument-making course, The Guitar Workshop handles everything from setups to full refrets and structural neck repairs from its Govan workshop.
Setup £65 (setup) / £140 (fret dress and setup, incl. strings) -
Koivisto Guitars & Repair
Dennistoun · Top Floor, GreenCity Studios, 23 Fleming Street · Glasgow G31 1PQSami Koivisto has built and serviced stringed instruments for 20 years from a workshop at GreenCity Studios, combining guitar setups and refret work with custom flamenco and steel-string guitar building.
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Jimmy Egypt & Sons
West End · 615 Great Western Road · Glasgow G12 8HXA West End institution founded by guitar maker Jimmy Egypt, this family-run shop provides a full personalised setup on every guitar sold and offers separate paid setup, refret and electronics repair services to the public.
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CC Music Shop (Iain's Guitar Repairs)
West End · 33 Otago Street · Glasgow G12 8JJThe repair centre inside CC Music on Otago Street is run by Iain of 'Iain's Guitar Repairs', covering classical, acoustic and electric guitars as well as banjos, ukuleles and mandolins, with a published price list for restrings and full setups.
Setup £50 (acoustic) / £60 (electric) -
Finlayson Guitars & Repairs
City Centre · 36 Trongate · Glasgow G1 5ESBill Finlayson, a London Guild Hall-trained luthier with over a decade of experience, runs his own independent repair and servicing workshop for stringed instruments from inside the guitarguitar store on Trongate.
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Merchant City Music
Merchant City · 60 London Road · Glasgow G1 5NBTrading since 1992 as Merchant City Music and online as guitar.co.uk, this independent London Road shop runs its own repair workshop and gives every guitar it sells a full technician setup before dispatch.
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What a guitar setup costs in Glasgow
UK benchmarks, checked July 2026. A full setup with fret level and dress runs £100-£130, a restring alone £15-£25 plus strings.
| Provider | Standard setup | Turnaround | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent shop or luthier | £48-£110 | 2-3 days, often 1-2 weeks waitlist | Basic setup around £48, full setup with fret dress £100-£130. Strings extra. |
| guitarguitar (chain) | Quote in store | Not published | No published prices; service booked as a 30-minute in-store appointment. |
| Andertons (Guildford) | £70/hour | 7-10 working days | Labour rate after assessment. Plek full service from £170. |
| DIY with proper tools | One-time tool cost | About an evening | Tools pay for themselves after 1-2 setups and last for decades. |
Or set it up yourself in an evening
A pro setup in Glasgow costs £48-£110 and most players need two per year. With precision tools you do the same three adjustments (neck relief, action, intonation) on your own bench, whenever your guitar needs it. FRTLZR precision tools pay for themselves after the first setup.
FRTLZR® Checkcard String Action GaugeMeasure and dial in your string action
Precision Feeler Gauges SetCheck neck relief at the truss rod stage
FRTLZR® Radius GaugeMatch saddle heights to your fretboard radius
FRTLZR® Fret Polishing Kit PREMIUMBring dull frets back to a mirror shine
Guitar setup in Glasgow: common questions
How much does a guitar setup cost in Glasgow?
Glasgow's independents publish clear prices: CC Music on Otago Street charges £50 for an acoustic and £60 for an electric setup, The Wee Guitar Repair Shop lists £60 for a full service and £125 with a fret level, crown and dress, and The Guitar Workshop in Govan runs £65, rising to £140 for a fret dress and setup with strings. As a UK guide, independents charge around £48 for a basic setup and £100-130 for a full setup with fret dress; guitarguitar quotes in store, Andertons charges £70/hour with Plek from £170, and a restring alone runs £15-25 plus strings.
Which Glasgow shop is best for fretwork or a refret?
The Guitar Workshop in Govan is run by luthier Ian Dickinson, who trained at Anniesland College and now lectures on its instrument-making course, and handles full refrets and structural neck repairs. Koivisto Guitars in Dennistoun and Bill Finlayson's workshop on Trongate are also well suited to fret levelling and refret work.
Do I need an appointment for a guitar setup?
Many of Glasgow's best benches are appointment-only, including The Wee Guitar Repair Shop and The Guitar Workshop, so it pays to book rather than turn up. The Wee Guitar Repair Shop does offer same-day and evening or weekend slots when available. Shop-based benches in the West End and Merchant City can sometimes take work in person.
How often should I get my guitar set up?
Once or twice a year suits most players, and a setup is well worth booking after a big seasonal change in temperature or humidity, which moves the neck. Switching to a different string gauge also calls for a fresh setup, since it changes neck tension and action. Gigging and touring instruments are usually checked more often.
What is included in a professional guitar setup?
A full setup covers truss rod and neck relief adjustment, action height at the nut and bridge, and intonation so the guitar plays in tune along the neck. Most workshops also dress and lubricate the nut, check the tuners and clean and polish the frets. A fresh set of strings is normally fitted as part of the service.
