Repair benches across Greater Manchester range from Deansgate to Stockport, Bolton and Rochdale. Forsyths on Deansgate has traded since 1857 and keeps a multi-floor guitar department, while Jack Ellis of Jack's Instrument Services has built a reputation well beyond Cheetham Hill for setups, refrets and Floyd Rose work. Rigby Music in Stockport lists setups from £75.
Manchester 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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Jack's Instrument Services
Cheetham Hill · 15 Collingham Street, Cheetham Hill · Manchester M8 8RRRun by Jack Ellis from a Cheetham Hill workshop, this independent Manchester shop handles everything from full setups to headstock breaks, pickup winding and Floyd Rose work on electric, bass and acoustic guitars.
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Manchester Guitar Repair
Stockport · 48 Briarfield Road · Manchester SK4 5HZRun by South Thames College-trained luthiers Leigh and Allan, this Stockport-based workshop serves Manchester, Oldham, Hyde, Denton, Cheadle and Salford with guitar and bass setups, repairs and resprays, booked by appointment only.
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Forsyths
Deansgate · 126 Deansgate · Manchester M3 2GRForsyths is Manchester's oldest music shop, trading on Deansgate since 1857, with a dedicated multi-floor guitar department workshop handling everything from setups to major structural repairs on acoustic and classical guitars.
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Matt Ryan Guitars
Milnrow, Rochdale · 28 Severn Drive, Milnrow · Manchester OL16 3EUMatt Ryan brings 30 years of experience, including 14 years running a high-profile retail guitar department, and carries out warranty repairs for Fender, Gibson, Taylor and PRS from his Milnrow workshop near Rochdale.
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Rigby Music
Stockport · 175 Heaton Lane · Manchester SK4 1AQAn independent Stockport guitar shop, workshop and music school combined under one roof, publishing setup prices of £75 for electric/bass and £85 for acoustic, up to a £150 deluxe strip-down setup.
Setup £75 (electric/bass); £85 (acoustic); £150 (deluxe strip-down) -
Phil Hartley Guitar Repairs
Bolton · 10 Florence Avenue · Manchester BL1 8RGPhil Hartley is an approved retrofitter of the Buzz Feiten intonation tuning system and personally carries out all repairs himself, with no subcontracting, from his Bolton workshop serving music shops and individual customers across the Northwest.
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The Guitar Repair Workshop
Ardwick · Apsley Grove, Ardwick · Manchester M12 6AWEstablished over 25 years ago and authorised as a Gibson and Taylor service centre, this workshop has a Manchester city-centre base in Ardwick as well as its original Hyde location, offering full setups for £55 excluding strings.
Setup £55 (excl. strings); £99 (fret dress and setup)
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What a guitar setup costs in Manchester
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 Manchester 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 Manchester: common questions
How much does a guitar setup cost in Manchester?
Setups in Manchester generally start in the £55 to £85 range. The Guitar Repair Workshop in Ardwick charges £55 for a setup excluding strings and £99 for a fret dress and setup, while Rigby Music in Stockport lists £75 for electric or bass, £85 for acoustic and £150 for a deluxe strip-down. Nationally, independents charge around £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 Manchester shop is best for fretwork or a refret?
Jack's Instrument Services in Cheetham Hill handles refrets, fret dressing and nut work, and is well regarded across the region. Matt Ryan Guitars near Rochdale offers refretting and fret skimming with 30 years' experience and carries out warranty work for Fender, Gibson, Taylor and PRS. Phil Hartley in Bolton is an approved Buzz Feiten retrofitter and does all fretwork personally.
Do I need an appointment for a guitar setup?
Some Manchester shops work strictly by appointment. Manchester Guitar Repair in Stockport takes bookings by appointment only, as does much of the independent trade, so it is best to ring or email first. Walk-in shops with a shop counter, such as Forsyths on Deansgate, can usually take instruments in during opening hours.
What is included in a professional guitar setup?
A professional setup adjusts the truss rod to set neck relief, sets string action at the nut and bridge, and corrects intonation so the guitar stays in tune up the neck. Techs also level or dress frets where needed, fit fresh strings and set pickup height. The Guitar Repair Workshop separates a plain setup from its fret dress and setup package for this reason.
Can I do a guitar setup myself instead?
Basic maintenance is achievable at home if you buy the right measuring tools: a string action gauge, a set of feeler gauges, and a radius gauge. With these you can measure neck relief, action and intonation as numbers, so adjustments are repeatable rather than guesswork. Structural jobs and fretwork, however, are best left to a professional, and many players prefer to pay a shop for a reliable result.
