Guitar players around Nottingham can choose from independent workshops spread across West Bridgford, Mapperley, Chilwell and the Lace Market. JG Guitars in West Bridgford publishes a clear price list, with full setups from £50 to £75, while The Guitar Doctor in Chilwell spends two to three hours on a single expert fret dress. Xperience Guitars has worked from Mapperley since 1987.
Nottingham 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 Music Inn
28-34 Alfreton Road · Nottingham NG7 3NGThis Alfreton Road music shop runs a full in-house repair centre for guitars, basses and other instruments, offering professional setups, restringing and Floyd Rose servicing with quick turnaround and guaranteed work.
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Nottingham City Guitars
Lace Market · 7 Woolpack Lane, Lace Market · Nottingham NG1 1GAPrimarily a handbuilt-guitar workshop in Nottingham's Lace Market, Nottingham City Guitars occasionally accepts customer repair and alteration jobs subject to availability, though it does not offer restringing or refinishing.
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Xperience Guitars
Mapperley · 256B Porchester Road, Mapperley · Nottingham NG3 6HEOperating from Mapperley since 1987, Xperience Guitars combines a guitar-lesson studio with a full luthiery workshop offering setups, refrets, hand-wound pickups and neck-break repairs.
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JG Guitars
West Bridgford · 7 Abbey Road, West Bridgford · Nottingham NG2 5HBBased in West Bridgford just south of Nottingham, JG Guitars publishes a detailed price list with full setups from £50 to £75 including fretwork, and a £200 flat rate for a refret with full setup included.
Setup £50 (no fretwork) - £75 (full setup incl. fretwork and strings) -
The Guitar Doctor
Chilwell, Beeston · 42 Clumber Avenue, Chilwell, Beeston · Nottingham NG9 4BJEstablished in 2003 and run by Robin Asher from Chilwell near Nottingham, The Guitar Doctor specialises in expert fret dressing work alongside general guitar setup and repair services.
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What a guitar setup costs in Nottingham
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 Nottingham 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 Nottingham: common questions
How much does a guitar setup cost in Nottingham?
A basic guitar setup in Nottingham typically starts around £50. JG Guitars in West Bridgford lists full setups from £50 without fretwork to £75 including fretwork and strings, working to a flat £25 per hour labour rate. Across the UK, independents generally charge about £48 for a basic setup and £100 to £130 for a full setup with a fret dress; guitarguitar quotes in store, Andertons charges £70 per hour with Plek work from £170, and a restring on its own runs £15 to £25 plus strings.
Which Nottingham shop is best for fretwork or a refret?
The Guitar Doctor in Chilwell specialises in fret dressing, spending two to three hours on each expert fret dress. JG Guitars offers a refret with a full setup included for a flat £200, while Xperience Guitars in Mapperley carries out fret honing and refrets alongside neck-break repairs and hand-wound pickups.
How long does a guitar setup take in Nottingham?
A standard setup usually takes a few hours of bench time, though turnaround depends on the shop's workload and whether parts or fretwork are needed. The Music Inn on Alfreton Road advertises a quick turnaround on setups and restrings, while more involved jobs such as a refret take considerably longer. It is worth ringing ahead to confirm current lead times.
What is included in a professional guitar setup?
A professional setup covers truss rod adjustment to set neck relief, string action at the nut and bridge, and intonation so the guitar plays in tune along the neck. Most shops also check and clean the frets, fit fresh strings, and adjust pickup height. Shops such as JG Guitars include fretwork in their higher-tier setups.
How often should I get my guitar set up?
Most players benefit from a setup once or twice a year, and especially after big seasonal humidity or temperature changes, which move the neck. A setup is also worth booking whenever you switch to a different string gauge or tuning, since both alter neck tension. Between visits, keeping strings fresh reduces tuning and intonation problems.
