ABOUT US
Who We Are
Started in 2017 by Chris Saunders, CJS Guitars offers only the highest quality guitar tech services.
With over 15 years of experience, we have worked on thousands of instruments in our workshop just outside Newport. We can do just about anything guitar-related and will always put you and your needs as the customer first.
Our clients have included: IV - Sleep Token, Those Damn Crows, Gloryhammer, Casey, Punk Rock Factory, Venom Prison, The Nightmares, Raider, Torchbearer, FORT, Collapse The Void, Raised by Sharks, That Which Ate The Moon and Many More.
OUR SERVICES
From Restringing to Refretting and Everything in between.
Standard Setup - From £50
Your Instruments M.O.T.
Having your Instrument setup regularly is a crucial step in maintaining your instrument.
Our setup service is a 5-step process that we use to make sure your instrument is playing well.
1. Neck adjustment - Using the truss Rod, we check and adjust neck straightness according to the desired outcome.
2. Bridge Adjustment - Here we set an appropriate saddle height and radius for maximum comfort and playability.
3. Nut Height Adjustment - We check the height of the strings at the nut and alter accordingly using specially designed Nut Slotting Files.
4. Intonation - By changing the overall length of each string at the bridge we either shorten or lengthen each strings scale in order to keep all the notes of the instrument as in tune as possible.
5. Electronics setup - Lastly we’ll carefully set pickup heights to ensure even volume across all pickups
It is generally recommended by Manufacturers and Technicians that your instrument should be setup at least every 6 months in order to maintain the quality of your instrument.
*Steps 4&5 only apply to Electric Instruments.
(+£20 for Floating Tremolos)
(+£10 for Heel Access Truss Rods that require neck removal for adjustment)
Price does not include Strings.
Deluxe Setup - From £70
A little bit of TLC.
Our Deluxe Setup service includes everything in the Standard Setup, but there's just a little bit more!
1. Fret Clean and Polish - We clean the frets to a shine for the easiest bends and the best tone your instrument can produce.
2. Fretboard Clean and Conditioning - Using specially formulated cleaners we remove any build-up on the fretboard and condition it with an oil or wax-based product of your choosing.
(Lacquered Fretboards can't really be conditioned, but will be cleaned and then polished)
3. Electronics and hardware cleaning - Here we clean and shine up all the hardware on the guitar, as well as cleaning any pots and switches with Contact Cleaner.
4. A final Polish - Lastly we go over the whole body and neck of the instrument to ensure a smooth shiny finish.
(+£20 for Floating Tremolos)
(+£10 for Heel Access Truss Rods that require neck removal for adjustment)
Price does not Include strings.
Fret Level and Dress - From £150
Do your frets look like a train has been driving over them?
Or do you ever get a nasty buzz, notes fretting out that you just can't get rid of?
Even without any of those problems, the vast majority of guitars or basses that are under £1500 brand new are almost guaranteed to have uneven frets from the factory!
This may be down to neck or fretboard deformation, frets not being seated correctly in the factory, frets that have popped up over time, traumatic damage or just general wear from playing.
Unless your frets are spot on (or incredibly close), you will never be able to get your instrument to play as well as it could.
This step is one of the things that makes the biggest difference between budget and higher-end instruments.
Fret Reseating comes at an extra cost depending on how many frets need reseating. Price includes a Deluxe Setup.
(+£20 for Floating Tremolos)
(+£10 for Heel Access Truss Rods that require neck removal for adjustment)
Price does not Include strings.
Nut Installation -
From £40 + Price of Nut
Buzzing around the 1st fret?
Or an open string?
It's probably time for a new nut.
Nut materials vary considerably and all offer different tonal styles and aesthetics. We make sure the nut is flush to the instrument and the slots are cut to the correct depth.
Contact us for advice on nut materials.
Pickup Installation - From £30
Looking for something a little bit different?
In the world of guitar pickups, there is an almost infinite amount of options and tonal varieties.
We can install a like-for-like pickup in your instrument. Any modifications are available at extra cost.
Multiple pickup installations come at a discounted rate.
Feel free to message us for advice on choosing a new pickup.
Restringing - From £15
If it’s not something you’re up to doing, that’s no problem at all. We can get you rocking with some fresh strings in no time.
Please note that it is not always possible to just change strings. For example, if you’re changing string gauges (either going thicker or thinner), you will need to have the instrument setup rather than just a change of strings.
Price does not include strings.
Full Refret - From £250
There comes a time in an instrument's life when a Fret Level doesn't help anymore.
Either because the frets are too low, there's a problem with the neck or fretboard, or you just want wider, thinner, or taller frets. In this case, they will need replacing.
If you don't have any specific preference for fret wire, we will find new fret wire that is the closest in width to your existing frets but with just more height.
Then we install new frets into your instrument, in order to bring it back to its former glory. So that it can play even better than when it came out of the factory!
It is usually necessary to also change, shim, or fill the slots in the nut since adding more fret height means that the nut slots may be the incorrect depth. However, this will vary from instrument to instrument.
(+£50 for Stainless Steel frets)
Contact for information on partial refrets.
Electronics, Woodworking, and other Technical Services - Charged at a £25 an hour bench rate.
If you can't see what you need above, feel free to message us to discuss your needs.
Whether this is making Wiring Looms for you to install yourself, regluing acoustic guitar braces, Hardware replacements, or anything you may need.
We can do just about anything guitar related, and even if we cant we'll make sure we point you to the best person we know for the job. So please make sure to get in touch.
CONTACT
Based in Abercarn, South Wales. (About 15 minutes from Newport)
Please contact to book an appointment. Address available upon request. Pickup and drop off services available.
We aim to respond to all messages within 24 hours. So if you haven’t received a response, please make sure to check your spam folder!
Abercarn, Newport, NP11
07538112270