ALS Guitar Services Ltd

05/09/2026

The Three Amigos!

FG 355a, FG 160 (Japan) and FG 180 ( Japan red label)

That’s a whole lotta soul!

All salvaged from scrap and playing mint with a second lease of life!

05/09/2026

60+ years old — and brought back to life. 🎸

Watch the clip till the end and you’ll hear her tone that she know for, even though my ham fi**ed playing! 😂

This Yamaha FG-180 came into the workshop needing some serious attention around the neck/body joint and fretboard.

A fair bit of careful repair, preparation, gluing, shaping and fretwork later, she’s back where she belongs.

She isn’t going to win any beauty contests — she’s a player’s guitar. She’s got 60-plus years of use written all over her.

But guitars aren’t made to sit in beauty contests. They’re made to sound and play.

And that’s the bit that makes all the effort worthwhile. ❤️🎸

Another old guitar brought back to life at Al’s Guitar Services.

04/09/2026

Gibson Les Paul Standard – Slash / Guns N’ Roses Model 🎸

This one got the full treatment!

This video, we focus on two of the most important parts of the job:

Full fret level, crown & polish — bringing the frets back to a smooth, accurate and highly playable condition.

Fretboard clean, soothe & condition — removing years of grime and buildup before conditioning the board to bring the wood back to life.

The complete service also included:

• Full electronic service & inspection
• New D’Addario .009–.042 strings fitted
• Intonation accurately set to the new string gauge
• Full professional guitar setup
• Complete clean & detailed inspection
• Final playability & electronic check

🛠️ Products & tools used:
Crimson Guitars
StewMac
MusicNomad Equipment Care
Dr. Duck’s
Milehouse Studios
Monty's Guitars

The result? Smooth frets, a beautifully refreshed fretboard and a Les Paul ready to sing again. 🎶🔥

03/09/2026

🎸 GOT A GUITAR THAT NEEDS SOME LOVE? 🎸

I’ve got a rare couple of weeks at home, so ALS Guitar Services is open for business — and I’ve got space for a few more jobs!

Setup?
Fretwork?
Restring?
Electronics?
Repair?
Upgrade?
Or just a guitar that doesn’t feel quite right?

Bring it through. Let’s get it playing properly again. 🔧🎸

I’ve already got a few jobs booked in, but the more the merrier over the next couple of weeks before I’m back out working from the 21st.

I genuinely love doing this stuff, and there’s nothing better than taking a guitar that’s been frustrating its owner and sending it home playing beautifully again.

📍 Isle of Wight
📩 Message me to get booked in.

If you've got a guitar sitting in the corner thinking “one day…” — this is your sign. 😂🎸

ALS Guitar Services Ltd

31/08/2026

🎸 PROJECT: YAMAHA FG-180 — BRINGING A 60-YEAR-OLD BEAUTY BACK TO LIFE 🎸

This rare red-label Yamaha FG-180 has landed at Al’s Guitar Services Ltd, and this one is going to be a proper project.

We’ve already been through the geometry and established exactly what’s going on. The neck itself isn’t the problem — the section of the body where the neck sits is approximately 0.38mm too high and kicking upwards, which is throwing the whole neck/body geometry out. The scale length is correct, so there’s no guessing here — it’s about putting the structure back where it should be.

Today I’ve finally got that neck section off… and underneath?

Well… let’s just say someone has already had a go. 😳

The wood underneath has been pretty badly hacked about, but that’s alright. She’s in my possession now, and we’re going to make it right.

This is exactly the sort of job I love — technical, challenging, and requiring a bit of thought rather than just reaching for the biggest hammer in the box. 😂

I’ll be documenting the process as we go, from the structural correction and geometry right through to the final setup.

There’ll no doubt be a few keyboard warriors telling me I’m doing it wrong along the way…

But I can’t do much worse than what was already done to it. 😉

This old girl has been around for roughly 60 years.

We’re going to give her the chance to sing properly again. 🎶

Al’s Guitar Services Ltd — we don’t do bodges. We put it right.

I do have a video of how I calculated and assessed the status of the neck, as I get more comfortable with media I may bang it on here. Let’s see.

30/08/2026

Take a peek into Al’s Guitar Services 🎸
You know who to call📱

29/08/2026

A productive Bank Holiday weekend for Al 🎸

22/08/2026

OK FOLKS… GET YA HANDS IN YA POCKETS, AND I’LL GET MINE OUT OF MINE! 😂

This September I’m taking on 100 Push-Ups in September to raise money for Cancer Research UK. ❤️

I’m doing it through Al’s Guitar Services Ltd, so I thought I’d combine a bit of charity, a bit of exposure for the business, and a whole lot of me wondering why the hell I agreed to do this! 😂

If you’ve ever had a guitar fixed, serviced or set up by me, bought something from me, or simply enjoy watching me make a racket with bits of wood and wire, then now’s your chance to chuck a few quid in the pot for a bloody good cause.

Every donation helps, no matter how small. And let’s face it… it’s a lot easier for you to put your hands in your pockets than it is for me to get mine out and start doing push-ups! 🤣

👇 Click the link, dig deep and help me smash the target! 👇

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/100-push-ups-a-day-in-september-challenge-7083

Cancer Research UK ❤️ | 100 Push-Ups 💪 | Al’s Guitar Services Ltd 🎸

Come on… get ya hands in ya pockets! 😂

Thanks for visiting my fundraising page. In the last 50 years, Cancer Research UK’s work has helped double cancer survival in the UK. But we need to go further, faster. Donate today to help bring about a world where everybody lives longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.

12/08/2026

Every Guitar Has a Story

Some jobs remind me exactly why I started Al's Guitar Services Ltd.

This week, a guitarist brought me an instrument he's owned and loved for over 20 years. It just wasn't playing the way it should anymore. One string kept choking, the feel wasn't right, and something had changed.

Rather than guessing, we worked through it properly, found the real cause, and made the right adjustments.

The moment he played that first chord afterwards, his face said it all.

That's what this is all about.

For me, it's never just about fret levels, setups or replacing parts. It's about understanding the instrument, listening to the player, and making sure the guitar feels inspiring every time it's picked up.

Whether your guitar needs a professional setup, fretwork, electronics, a hand-cut bone nut, or simply some honest advice, every instrument is treated with the same care and attention I'd expect for my own.

Every guitar has a story. If yours isn't playing the way it should, let's get it back to its best.

📍 Isle of Wight
🎸 Al's Guitar Services Ltd
07376 847632

09/08/2026

Been a busy couple of weeks for me & Meli… and today’s little project actually works! 😂🎸

Converted an old output lead into a non-obtrusive pickup checker. Saves loads of time and, more importantly, saves all the usual faffing about with leads every time I want to check a pickup.

Simple little job, but it works a treat. She’s a winner! 👍

Here’s some guitar & project p**n for those interested… 🎸🔧😎