HOURS - By Appointment only

Tuesday – Friday | 11am - 6pm
Saturday | 11am – 5pm

CONTACT

07913 686 692
kevin@stairwaytokevin.com

Tottenham Court Road tube station is just around the corner with Northern line and Central line services stopping daily. There are many local bus services as well to all parts of London

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Re-String

This includes the changing, stretching, and tuning of new strings, cleaning & oiling the fretboard, clean & polishing, tighten machine heads, cleaning the electronics. I don’t sell strings here as there are many guitars shops on the street that do, so please bring along a set that you would like me to fit.

Setups

A setup is one of the most commonly needed adjustments for guitars and musical instruments. A good setup should fine-tune your instrument so it plays just how you want it. The work we do here is carefully assessed, measured, and corrected for perfect balance. That way you get exactly what you want! There are three levels of service to choose from click to find out more

Bone Nuts & Saddles

One of the most common upgrades to a Guitar or Bass that will certainly improve its sound. If they are even available, most over-the-counter replacements will not fit without work. We size, cut, and polish each one to ensure the best fit and sound. 

Frets

Frets are an intricate and very important part of any instrument. This is the main point of contact in your interaction with any fretted instrument. The size and material will have a great impact on your sound and the feel of your guitar. A high-quality job is imperative for both the playability of the guitar and the life of the frets. All our fretwork includes the cost of a full setup to ensure maximum service & playability. 

Bridges

It doesn't matter what kind of stringed instrument you have, the bridge is where they make contact with the body. It is one of the most important points of contact where much of the tone and sustain will develop. There are various types of upgrades available and should your instrument be in the unfortunate position of requiring repair then there are solutions. Don’t forget this often neglected part of your instrument! You can lose a lot of tone here, especially with archtop and floating bridge options, if not looked after properly

Headstock Breaks

Accidents happen, and we can help with all sorts of headstock damage. I've had hundreds of distressed people over the years arrive with their instruments in pieces and leave with a smile on their faces after collecting their repaired guitar, knowing it will have many years more faithful service. Repairs can cost as little as £80 but will need to be inspected in person to determine what will be necessary to get the job done right.

Cracks

It’s true that even with great care, sometimes things can happen to an instrument that will need more in-depth examination and repair. There are all sorts of things that can happen from temperature or seasonal climate shifts to sudden impacts that can form cracks and splits in your guitar or other wooden instruments.

Amplifier & Pedal Repair

Although I don’t repair any guitar amps or pedals I share the floorspace with Frank from JPF Amps, who is most able to fix many of these things for you!

Pickguards

Pickguards can be a tricky one. Sometimes a new one will just drop right in place, typically they might need some trimming and fine-tuning, and occasionally a whole new one will need to be cut by hand! Clearly, the more time we spend fitting or making a pickguard will affect the final cost and I don’t like to cut corners (hahaha) to ensure the final product is top-notch.

Consultations

Starting now I have a new personal online consultation service! Looking for video help with your guitar? Stuck on a repair or adjusting it somewhere? Tired of scrolling through forums for info, and guessing if it’s right? Or just need some advice on selecting the right parts from the wide variety out there? Well, you can now get one-on-one advice from me from anywhere in the world :)

I’ve spent most of my life around guitars and other musical instruments, and in that time I’ve seen a lot, learned a lot, and gained a great deal of information on what is out there. What’s good, and what isn’t. While I can’t claim to know everything, I’ll certainly be honest if I don’t think I can help. It’s only £15 per appointment and we’re pretty friendly, so if you’re tired of waiting or want to take the guesswork out of guitar work, book a consultation and see if we can assist!

Pickup Installation

We install both acoustic and electric pickups in a variety of instruments and have extensive knowledge to help you get the most out of amplifying your gear. So if you want peace of mind that knowing your pickups are installed and balanced correctly will give you, come on down! Book an appointment to get your pickups installed correctly, the first time.

Active pickup systems often require changing the wiring harness and possibly adding a battery and are evaluated individually. 

Electronics

Upgrading your electronics is an economical way to get a great-sounding guitar on a budget. Many of my customers come in looking to improve the sound or reliability of their instruments and we can wire up nearly anything you want. (No smoke machines. I've been asked, really) 

We see tons of broken, worn-out, and abused components that can be repaired or replaced as required. Bad electronics work is something I see come in daily for repair and we hold ourselves to the highest standards when it comes to soldering. Rest assured that if we wire something up for you, it'll be ready for a world tour.

Interference (humming or buzzing) is everywhere these days with screens, lights, dirty power supplies, and more. Every year more people come to me needing their guitars shielded from these elements. A properly shielded guitar will virtually eliminate most interference.  

Routing

I get asked quite a bit to do modifications to instruments that require routing. Whether it’s pickups, tremolos or bridges, neck reinforcement, or even that new bolt-on neck that just doesn’t quite fit, we can handle many requests that involve precision routing!

Bracing & Bridge Plates

Bracing is the strength, the skeleton if you will, that holds most instruments together and plays a pivotal role in shaping the tone of any acoustic instrument. Braces can come unglued, pop off, and sometimes even break and when that happens it’s important to glue it back on correctly so the tone is maintained. There are many different styles and types of bracing out there, so please do get in touch if you need help

Paint & Finishing

One of the very few limitations in my workshop is the ability to do paintwork and full refinishing. We operate in a very limited space in Central London which also carries certain environmental and emissions regulations as you might imagine so no spray booth here (sad face). Certain small finish repairs and correction work is sometimes possible but please contact me first so we can properly assess your individual needs.

Parts

I keep a small stock of the most commonly used parts but I can order the correct materials once I've examined the instrument and know what is required for the job. I may be able to point you in the right direction but I will only discuss parts in detail with a job being booked in. As much as I'd love to help everyone, it is the responsibility of the shop or person selling you the part to provide answers to your questions. I must devote my time and energy to serve my current clients best. 

Come say hello and see the all latest goings on in the workshop! 

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