Recommended Luthiers & Techs

NCo

ALMuti said:

hey folks, any pointers on Southeast London? Greenwich and similar. Feline is nominally in my area but over an hour to reach on public transport and I don't have a car. 

East London works as well because I work in Bethnal Green.

John Procter was local but if I'm not mistaken he moved to Beckenham. String King is highly regarded but my personal experience wasn't great.

I tried a few in the area as I am Greenwich based but always ended up at @FelineGuitars, it was a 45 minute drive each way, so 3 hour in total for drop-off and pickup, but it ended up cheaper and less time consuming than going to another person and coming to them to fix it.

Revolutions

NCo said:

ALMuti said:

hey folks, any pointers on Southeast London? Greenwich and similar. Feline is nominally in my area but over an hour to reach on public transport and I don't have a car. 

East London works as well because I work in Bethnal Green.

John Procter was local but if I'm not mistaken he moved to Beckenham. String King is highly regarded but my personal experience wasn't great.

I tried a few in the area as I am Greenwich based but always ended up at @FelineGuitars, it was a 45 minute drive each way, so 3 hour in total for drop-off and pickup, but it ended up cheaper and less time consuming than going to another person and coming to them to fix it.

The guy who owns Twang guitars in Penge is lovely & does setup/repair work.

John Procter never let me down, except by moving too far away. He’s near Norwood Junction now I think. Probably fairly close close to Twang although not been to his new shop.

Fairlaine guitars in Peckham are ace guys & talented luthiers. Pricey but worth it from my experiences with them.

alternatively, Tim Marten at Tottenham Court Road is never a bad option. His prices super competitive, which always surprised me with the central location & the fact he’s been tech to the stars for many years. 

I really should take my Les Pauls to @FelineGuitars for a setup sometime soon. Always friendly & helpful, seems to know his way around the LP shape, and of course the endless list of happy fretboard customers speaks volumes.

guitarblaster

Who would you say is the absolute best in the north? preferably north west! 

I’m learning of James Philip Porter, Phil Hartley? I know KGB and RLP. 

I wish I was closer to Feline! 

richardhomer

guitarblaster said:

Who would you say is the absolute best in the north? preferably north west! 

I’m learning of James Philip Porter, Phil Hartley? I know KGB and RLP. 

I wish I was closer to Feline! 

James Philip Porter is very, very good. I’ve had one guitar refreted (as part of replacing a truss rod - a ‘very’ big job) and another’s frets levelled. Both were top notch. He studied under the late Ted Lee who was considered to be one of the UK’s greatest repairers. 

Deijavoo

guitarblaster said:

Who would you say is the absolute best in the north? preferably north west! 

I’m learning of James Philip Porter, Phil Hartley? I know KGB and RLP. 

I wish I was closer to Feline! 

I can't recommend Haydn Williams any more highly: https://williamsguitars.co.uk/about/

guitarblaster

Thanks guys! 

Unimprobable

Hello, looking for recommendations for good guitar techs in Berkshire - Newbury/Reading. thx!

Unimprobable

has anyone used The Guitar Forge, Tadley? - if so, how did it go? Having some issues with tuning stability on a new LP - having eliminated the usual, intimated, changed strings, messed with the action and based on G string being sharp at first fret looks like nut needs some attention...

Unimprobable

Any recommendations at all?

Jonathangus

In Reading there's Mick Johnson https://www.mickjohnsonguitars.com/ or Richard Pilkington https://readingguitarrepairs.com/. ; No experience of the Guitar Forge; @maharg101 is in Tadley, so he may know.

maharg101

Yep, have had some minor works done at the Guitar Forge, and all went well. I'd usually make a trip to Reading to see Julian Mullen for anything significant.

Svartmetall

Has anyone used Leicestershire Luthiers recently, and are they good? I'm wanting to get my Haydn Williams basses overhauled and serviced and I'm after someone decent to do the job; Nottingham itself seems somewhat light on candidates. I've heard good things about them, but the reviews etc on their website all seem to be from a couple of years ago...

Unimprobable

thanks!

Technoholic_

hi all, I need a refret, is Feline still recommended for refret jobs? I am not after anything special, factory spec medium jumbos on a 1990 Strat Ultra, but want it to be done well. Or is there anywhere closer to the High Wycombe area? I'm not a fan of BBZ and I can get to Feline relatively easily so if that's still the best I'll give them a go. Thanks