Leith and the Southside hold much of the city's repair talent, from Cheyne Guitars, whose luthier has over 30 years at the bench, to McIntyre Guitars off Leith Walk. JA Guitar Repairs in Sighthill carries a rare 5.0 rating across 182 Google reviews and charges £60 for a full setup. Seven workshops serve the city, with fret-dress services around £120.
Edinburgh 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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JA Guitar Repairs
Sighthill · 31 Sighthill Street · Edinburgh EH11 4QQRun solely by luthier John, JA Guitar Repairs is a completely independent Sighthill workshop charging £60 for a full guitar or bass setup that includes tremolo adjustment, truss rod inspection, intonation and fret polishing.
Setup £60 -
McIntyre Guitars
Leith Walk · Unit 5B, Albion Business Centre, 78 Albion Road · Edinburgh EH7 5QZChris McIntyre's Albion Road workshop combines custom guitar building with repair work, publishing a full price list running from £65 setups to neck resets starting at £650, and takes clients by appointment only.
Setup £65 (setup) / £120 (fret stone, crowning and setup) -
Cheyne Guitars
Leith · 70 Trafalgar Lane · Edinburgh EH6 4DQGavin Cheyne has worked as a guitar tech and luthier for more than 30 years, running a small independent Leith workshop that offers setups from £30 and can often turn work around the same day.
Setup From £30 -
Edinburgh Axe Management
Merchiston · 3 Merchiston Mews · Edinburgh EH10 4PERun by technician Martin Decades near Tollcross, Edinburgh Axe Management covers both guitar setups from around £20-£30 and amplifier repair, including valve re-tubing and bias work, with same-day turnaround often possible.
Setup From £20-£30 (basic setup) -
Edinburgh Music Centre
Juniper Green · 563 Lanark Road, Juniper Green · Edinburgh EH14 5DBEdinburgh Music Centre runs a dedicated repair workshop in Juniper Green offering free assessments before carrying out fretwork, electronics and hardware upgrades on acoustic, electric and bass guitars.
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Scayles Music
Southside · 50 St Patrick Square · Edinburgh EH8 9EZTrading in Edinburgh for over 25 years and now operating under the Hobgoblin Music group since 2019, Scayles Music keeps an in-store workshop with a resident luthier handling everything from basic setups to full refrets, billed at a £20 half-hour labour rate.
Setup £20 per half-hour labour -
guitarguitar Edinburgh
Corstorphine · 283-287 St Johns Road · Edinburgh EH12 7XFAs the founding branch of the guitarguitar chain, this Corstorphine store runs a 30-minute in-house repair and setup service on top of its large guitar, amp and pedal showroom.
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What a guitar setup costs in Edinburgh
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 Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh: common questions
How much does a guitar setup cost in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh prices span a wide range: Edinburgh Axe Management offers basic setups from around £20-£30, Scayles Music bills labour at £20 per half hour, JA Guitar Repairs charges £60 for a full setup, and McIntyre Guitars lists £65, rising to £120 with a fret stone, crowning and setup. Across the UK, 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 Edinburgh shop is best for fretwork or a refret?
McIntyre Guitars off Leith Walk is a custom builder who lists a £120 fret stone, crowning and setup and takes on neck resets and refrets. Cheyne Guitars in Leith, run by a luthier with over 30 years of experience, handles fret dressing and refret work, often with same-day turnaround, and JA Guitar Repairs also covers refrets.
How long does a guitar setup take in Edinburgh?
A standard setup is frequently a same-day job at Edinburgh workshops, with Cheyne Guitars and Edinburgh Axe Management both noting quick turnaround. Fret levelling, refrets and neck repairs take longer and are booked in advance. Because several benches are one-person operations, it is worth calling ahead to check the queue.
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 shops also dress and lubricate the nut, check the tuners and clean and polish the frets. Fresh strings are normally fitted as part of the service.
Can I do a guitar setup myself instead?
You can handle the basics with a few inexpensive tools: a string action gauge, a set of feeler gauges and a radius gauge. These make neck relief, action and intonation measurable and repeatable rather than trial and error. Fretwork and nut cutting are the exception, needing proper files and practice, so most players leave levelling and refrets to a workshop like JA Guitar Repairs.
