Several of Leeds' guitar techs trained at the city's own Leeds College of Music, and the local trade skews towards dedicated repair benches. Jim's Guitar Workshop in Woodlesford charges £45 to £65 for a setup, with an £85 Full Beans option, and holds more than 400 five-star Google reviews. Ackworth Guitar Setups runs its own Leeds workshop, with a £65 standard setup and a £90 deluxe.
Leeds 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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Jim's Guitar Workshop
Woodlesford · 3 Eaton Grange, Aberford Road · Leeds LS26 8SNRun by Jim Croisdale, who has repaired guitars since 1992, the workshop offers standard setups from 45 to 65 pounds and a signature Full Beans setup for 85 pounds, backed by over 400 five-star Google reviews.
Setup £45-£65 (Full Beans setup £85) -
Laverack Guitars
The Nave Studios, Britannia Street · Leeds LS28 6NRLaverack Guitars operates from The Nave Studios in Leeds, offering setups, re-frets, and bespoke custom builds alongside hand-wound pickups after more than 18 years in the luthier trade.
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Fraser Callum (FC Strings)
Bramley · The Other Studio, Unit 5, Swinnow Grange Mills · Leeds LS13 4EPFraser Callum has run this appointment-only, fully insured workshop since 2007, focusing on re-frets and setups for acoustic and electric guitars and basses after training in Musical Instrument Technology at Leeds College of Music.
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Single Coil Guitar Repairs
Holbeck · Old Chapel Studios, 1 Crossland Court, Czar Street · Leeds LS11 9PRGordon White runs Single Coil Guitar Repairs from Old Chapel Studios in Holbeck, offering setups, fret dressing, pickup upgrades, and truss rod work, and commits to contacting customers before carrying out any extra work beyond the original quote.
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Ackworth Guitar Setups (Leeds)
The Chapel Works, Stocks Street · Leeds LS7 2AUAckworth Guitar Setups is a specialist repair chain with its own Leeds workshop at The Chapel Works, offering a 65 pound standard setup and a 90 pound deluxe setup that adds fret buffing and pickup height optimization, plus refrets and amplifier repair.
Setup £65 standard / £90 deluxe (plus cost of strings) -
Northern Guitars
41 Call Lane · Leeds LS1 7BTTrading pre-loved and collectors guitars since 1989, Northern Guitars combines a city-centre guitar shop upstairs from its live-music bar with in-house guitar and valve-amplifier repair work.
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What a guitar setup costs in Leeds
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 Leeds 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 Leeds: common questions
How much does a guitar setup cost in Leeds?
Guitar setups in Leeds generally cost between £45 and £90. Jim's Guitar Workshop in Woodlesford lists standard setups from £45 to £65 and a signature Full Beans setup at £85, while Ackworth Guitar Setups charges £65 for a standard setup and £90 for a deluxe that adds fret buffing and pickup height optimisation, plus the cost of strings. Across the UK, independents charge about £48 for a basic setup and £100 to £130 for a full setup with fret dress; guitarguitar quotes in store, Andertons charges £70 per hour with Plek from £170, and a restring alone is £15 to £25 plus strings.
Which Leeds shop is best for fretwork or a refret?
Fraser Callum of FC Strings in Bramley is a refret and setup specialist trained in Musical Instrument Technology at Leeds College of Music, offering fret leveling, crowning, polishing and full or partial refrets. Laverack Guitars also carries out re-frets after more than 18 years in the trade, and Jim's Guitar Workshop handles fret leveling, dressing and refrets.
What is included in a professional guitar setup?
A professional setup sets neck relief via the truss rod, adjusts string action at the nut and bridge, and corrects intonation so the guitar plays in tune along the neck. Techs typically also dress or clean the frets, fit fresh strings and set pickup height. Ackworth's deluxe setup goes further, adding fret buffing and pickup height optimisation.
How often should I get my guitar set up?
Most guitars benefit from a setup once or twice a year, and particularly after seasonal humidity and temperature swings that shift the neck. It is also worth a setup whenever you change string gauge or tuning, as both alter the tension on the neck. Fresh strings between visits help keep tuning and intonation stable.
Can I do a guitar setup myself instead?
A basic setup is achievable at home once you own the right measuring tools: a string action gauge, feeler gauges and a radius gauge. These let you measure neck relief, action and intonation as repeatable numbers rather than working by feel. Fretwork and structural repairs, though, need specialist tools and experience, so many players leave those to a Leeds workshop such as FC Strings.
