Guitar players across the Twin Cities have unusually deep options for setup work. Eleven shops span Minneapolis and St. Paul, from Twin Town Guitars on Lyndale Avenue at $65 to appointment-only Overman Guitars with fully itemized pricing. Willie's American Guitars, a vintage institution since 1989, and Hoffman Guitars, building since 1971, anchor a scene shaped by Prince and First Avenue.
Minneapolis 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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Twin Town Guitars
3400 Lyndale Avenue South · Minneapolis, MN 55408Twin Town Guitars is a Minneapolis music store on Lyndale Avenue offering electric and acoustic setups for $65, including cleaning, fingerboard treatment, restringing and an electronics check. Locking-tremolo setups run $100 and 12-string setups $75.
Setup $65-$100 -
St. Paul Guitar Repair
1101 7th St W · St. Paul, MN 55102St. Paul Guitar Repair is a factory-authorized warranty repair center for Martin, Taylor, Guild and Cordoba, handling work ranging from simple restrings to complete restorations. The shop also builds custom acoustic and lap steel guitars under its own HepCat and Ron Tracy brands.
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Stevie's Guitars (Guitars.net)
7601 Washington Ave S · Edina, MN 55439Stevie's Guitars is a members-only pro shop in Edina, just southwest of Minneapolis, where in-house luthiers set up every guitar before it ships out or leaves the store. The shop deals primarily in high-end and vintage instruments, amps and accessories.
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Vig Guitar Shop
595 Snelling Ave N · St. Paul, MN 55104Vig Guitar Shop is an Indigenous-owned, luthier-run repair and customization shop in St. Paul, known for owner Ted Vig's custom handwound pickups. Setups and repairs typically run a 2-3 week lead time, with rush service available.
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Overman Guitars
550 Vandalia Street, Suite 208 · St. Paul, MN 55114Overman Guitars is an appointment-only repair shop in St. Paul with fully itemized published pricing, from $95 acoustic or electric setups to $425-plus refrets. Customers enrolled in its loyalty program get a free setup after ten paid services.
Setup $95-$140 -
Brown's Guitar Factory
7482 Concord Blvd · Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076Brown's Guitar Factory in Inver Grove Heights specializes in vintage guitar restoration, refinishing and custom-wound pickups alongside general repair and building. The shop, open by appointment, also performs Acousti-MIDI conversions and Buzz Feiten tuning retrofits.
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Vintage Strings & Musical Instrument Co.
4309 E. 54th St. · Minneapolis, MN 55417Vintage Strings publishes an itemized repair price list, from a $20 restring-and-tune up to a $75-$85 full setup and dress, and $225-$335 refrets. The Minneapolis shop keeps afternoon and evening hours, open Wednesday through Saturday.
Setup $30-$85 -
Willie's American Guitars
1381 Eustis St · St. Paul, MN 55108Willie's American Guitars, established in 1989, handles everything from setups to full refrets, neck resets and bracing and bridge work on acoustic, electric and resonator instruments. Staff member Kari Larson trained directly with National Reso-Phonic as the shop's resonator specialist.
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Hoffman Guitars
Seward · 2219 E Franklin Ave · Minneapolis, MN 55404Hoffman Guitars has built and repaired acoustic and electric guitars, banjos, mandolins and ukuleles in Minneapolis's Seward neighborhood since 1971. The shop is a factory-authorized warranty service center for Martin, Gibson, Guild, Fender, Taylor and Jim Olson.
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Guitar Center Bloomington
7971 Southtown Center · Bloomington, MN 55431This location is part of the national Guitar Center chain, serving the Minneapolis metro from Bloomington with a standardized 22-point Signature Setup and a premium tier that adds deep cleaning and polishing.
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Groth Music
8056 Nicollet Ave S · Bloomington, MN 55420Groth Music has served Twin Cities musicians since 1939 from its 21,000-square-foot Bloomington store, offering guitar setup and repair alongside its band and orchestral instrument service department. Walk-ins are welcome for evaluations and minor while-you-wait repairs.
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What a guitar setup costs in Minneapolis
US benchmarks, checked July 2026. A fret level and crown adds $85-$150, a restring alone runs about $25.
| Provider | Standard setup | Turnaround | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent local shop | $45-$90 | 2-3 days typical | Often the best value. Prices vary by shop and city. |
| Guitar Center | $60-$75 | Up to 1 week | Signature Setup with restring. Platinum tier runs $150+. |
| Sweetwater | $99 | Ship-in service | Plek Pro setup from $200. Parts and strings extra. |
| 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 Minneapolis costs $45-$99 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 Minneapolis: common questions
How much does a guitar setup cost in Minneapolis?
Published rates range from about $65 for an electric or acoustic setup at Twin Town Guitars to $75-$85 for a full setup and dress at Vintage Strings, and $95-$140 at Overman Guitars. For comparison, Guitar Center charges roughly $60-$75 and Sweetwater $99. A fret level and crown adds $85-$150, and a restring on its own runs about $25.
Which Minneapolis shop is best for fretwork or a refret?
For fretwork and refrets, Vintage Strings lists refrets at $225-$335 and Overman Guitars quotes $425 and up, both with itemized pricing. Willie's American Guitars handles full refrets, neck resets, and bracing work, while Brown's Guitar Factory specializes in vintage restoration and custom-wound pickups. Choose based on whether you want a flat rate or vintage-specific expertise.
How long does a guitar setup take in Minneapolis?
Turnaround varies by shop and backlog. Vig Guitar Shop typically quotes a 2-3 week lead time with rush service available, while Groth Music welcomes walk-ins for evaluations and minor while-you-wait repairs. The setup itself is usually a few hours of bench work, but most shops schedule it into a queue, so call ahead for current wait times.
Do I need an appointment for a guitar setup?
It depends on the shop. Overman Guitars and Brown's Guitar Factory are appointment-only, and Stevie's Guitars in Edina is a members-only pro shop. In contrast, Groth Music and the Guitar Center in Bloomington accept walk-ins for setups and minor repairs. Calling ahead is always safest, especially for the smaller luthier-run shops.
Can I do a guitar setup myself instead?
You can, and many players handle their own maintenance. The core tools are a string action gauge, feeler gauges for neck relief, and a radius gauge. Neck relief, string action, and intonation are all measurable and repeatable, so with patience you can dial them in. Fretwork and nut cutting are harder to reverse, which is why most players leave those to a shop.
