GUITARWORKS™ EST. 1985 • BADMONKEY MUSIC™

Ashby, MA luthier & guitar repair

Life's Too Short For a Bad Setup

Expert guitar repair & setups
that bring your guitar to life.

40+ years at the repair benchThousands of guitars through the yearsAppointment-only bench timeMost setups leave the same week
Book a Setup

"Fast turnaround on my Strat. Fantastic job as always." - Billy F

Setups Dialed in to play
like butter.
Fretwork Smooth frets.
Happy hands.
Electronics Clear, reliable,
noise-free tone.
Repairs Structural, cosmetic,
and everything else.
Gear & Merch Shop finds, shirts
and bench goods.
Repair bench proof

Through the years, thousands of guitars have passed over this bench.

Setups, fretwork, mystery rattles, pickup installs, wiring rescues, acoustic problems, bass repairs and instruments that needed a straight answer before they needed another part.

40+years repairing, playing and solving guitar problems
1:1appointment-only attention for every repair request
Bench Notesreal repair lessons, not generic guitar-blog filler
The setup promise

If it still fights you after pickup, text me and I will make it right.

Bring it back the way I set it up — same strings and tuning — and we'll get it done.

Fast turnaround on my Strat. Fantastic job as always.
- Billy F
Would recommend Bad Monkey to any guitar or bass player.
- Brian R
My guitar came back playing better than it ever has.
- BadMonkey customer
The bench philosophy

Getting it "playable" is not getting it "right."

Straight answers. Clean work. No mystery buzz.

Buzzing that was not fret buzz. Tremolos balanced by wishful thinking. Pickups installed backwards. Guitars that were "fixed" three times before they got here.

BadMonkey MusicTM is a luthier bench, not a sales counter that also takes repairs. Players come here for straight diagnosis, practical repair advice, and a guitar that feels right when it gets back in their hands.

Core services

Repair-shop clarity with some bite

Setups, fretwork, pickup installs, wiring, acoustic repairs, bass service, parts, accessories and honest bench advice.

Setup

Make it feel right

Relief, action, intonation, nut and saddle attention, tremolo balance, cleaning, fret polish and final feel.

Setup details
Fretwork

Fix the fight

Buzzing, dead spots, sharp ends, worn frets and guitars that never settle down after a basic adjustment.

Fretwork details
Electronics

Clean signal, less mystery

Pickup swaps, output jacks, pots, switches, scratchy controls, grounding problems and custom wiring ideas.

Electronics details
North Central Massachusetts

Guitar repair and luthier work near Fitchburg, Leominster and Lunenburg

The BadMonkey Music repair bench is in Ashby, MA, serving nearby electric guitar, acoustic guitar and bass players by appointment. Common work includes complete setups, fret buzz diagnosis, fret leveling and polishing, pickup installation, output-jack and wiring repair, nut and saddle work, and seasonal playability problems.

Looking for a nearby luthier or guitar tech? Read the detailed service pages for Fitchburg guitar repair, Leominster guitar repair and Lunenburg guitar repair.

More nearby service areas

Gardner, Townsend, Pepperell, Groton, Westminster and surrounding Central Massachusetts communities.

These are service areas, not separate storefronts. All visits are scheduled with the Ashby shop.

View Central MA Service Area
Ready when your guitar is

Tell me what it is doing, what changed, and what you want it to do better.

Photos help. Tuning and string gauge help. A short description of the problem helps even more.