Wanna be the new Jimi Hendrix, Joan Jett or Jack White? Better get your ass down to Brighton Guitars then. They sell amplifiers, FX pedals, acoustic guitars and recording equipment but the main selling point is their brilliant selection of Fender Stratocasters, Burns Scorpions, Tanglewood 4 and 5 string basses and Crafter electro-acoustic guitars. You can road-test them, buy spare strings and get advice on which guitar sounds best for the type of music you want to play. Don't even think about picking up the Howe Gibson ES-175D however, unless you have a cool two grand in your pocket and fingertips like Chuck Berry. read more

Brighton Guitars - Guitar Stores Near Me - Brighton, BNH

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My brother is the musician in the family. I managed about 1 year of guitar lessons and some bad tab playing. Still, I always have a soft spot in my heart for the six stringers. In a lot of ways being above a second hand clothes store is perfect for a guitar shop such as this. They tend to stock a more vintage and purist breed of guitar and I don't need to go into the Howe Gibson, Jack and Sarah-Jane have more than done it justice already. I would not suggest any hard core metal axe-men to come here (although they may still enjoy an alternative instrument to their staple piece), but if you want that 60's/70's spirit of Woodstock and related guitars then you will be in heaven. I had a wander round during the week and it was a pretty quiet day, so the staff were pretty chatty and good for a laugh. They did make a valiant attempt to return me to the path of the musician, but alas I knew my credit card would not allow such a venture. Still, if I was ever to think about picking up a guitar in the future (most likely a mid life crisis moment in 10 years time) then I reckon these guys would get my business. read more

Brighton Guitars - Taken by me - Guitar Stores Near Me - Brighton, BNH

Just above 'To Be Worn Again' on Sydney Street, 'Brighton Guitars' sits proudly, amps buzzing lightly, waiting for you, yes YOU to pick up that Howe Gibson Es-175D, put it confidently in the palm of your hands, clear your throat, stare up to the skies silently praying to the Lord Hendrix to give you power, crack your knuckles...and then shyly and shakily strum knocking on heaven's door. Because that's exactly what I know I would do. This guitar shop though is not so much about the electrics, and all about the dominant selection of tanglewood acoustic and semi acoustic guitars that it stocks. If your a first time buyer, and sensibly your not going straight for a American built Telecaster or a Gibson Les Paul for about a grand, this place with its selection of simple guitars is a great starting point. I accompanied my friend here to buy his first guitar and he came away with a completely acoustic tanglewood guitar, which has a lovely rich sound for about £200 and is great for attempting to impersonate early Bob Dylan with its look and tone. Friendly staff. Just ask them anything and they're well informed and not too intimidating. read more

- Very friendly, generous, happy to help, good opening hours and location (for me at least). I bought a guitar from here, they were really friendly and helpful and suggested an electro-acoustic guitar which was very basic looks-wise so that it was better value for money quality-wise. It sounded nice. They offer a free set-up for the guitar although I never got around to doing this. Also, I was unprepared with no guitar case. They tried to find me a nice one for free. They couldn't find the one they were looking for but still found me a nice padded material one so I could get my guitar home. I bought a new battery which I put in my guitar, however it stopped working the next day, so I thought I should let them check my guitar for me in case there was an error there. I assumed they would be shut since it was a sunday and fairly late but I found the card of theirs that they had and noticed they don't shut till 5pm on sunday which is pretty good for a shop in the North Lanes. I phoned them up to double check they were open and they quickly picked up and confirmed this. When I got there I expected to leave the guitar with them as they were due to shut in 20mins. They suggested this at first but then decided to look at it quickly just in case. The woman reassured me saying that if it was broken "don't worry, they'll fix it for you'. The battery had somehow got jammed in the guitar as it was slightly bigger than the original battery (despite being the correct one) and even though I had taken it out successfully when first testing it. Eventually one of the guys got it out by unscrewing the battery compartment. They confirmed the battery had died but took one of their battieries out of a guitar pedal they had and put it in my guitar confirming it worked. They then suggested better places to buy batteries (places with fast turnover, Maplins own etc), and told me to complain about my battery as they could tell from the design that it was a very old one which must have been the problem. They also told me ways to conserve energy (unplug lead from the guitar end). Even though they told me where to buy batteries they were then nice enough to say I could have the one they'd put in to test. =] I walked out as they shut the shutters, so I possibly inconvenienced them but they were very friendly the whole time. I don't know a ton about guitars (though I do my research), but customer service-wise they were so lovely that I felt I should write this review as they deserved that much! =] I will also say that they didn't even ask to see a receipt for my guitar even though I had bought it a few months before, where some shops may have tried to shake off responsibility for anything which can't be proven to be from them or in warranty. I think this is a benefit of a small little shop. I was clearly a customer unlikely to buy multiple guitars so I don't think they were friendly just to get more money out of me. They didn't ask for anything but gave up their time and a battery! read more

Blueridges at last! Usually I'm not used to seeing these things outside of the states but they are just one of the high-quality yet lesser known brands on show at Brighton Guitars. This shop is all about the alternative selection. Aside from an impressive array of Tanglwood acoustic guitars, ukeleles and banjos, the shop features high quality selections from the likes of breedlove and Fairclough. Also of note is the second hand selection of electric guitars which one week to the next seemed to include a literal but-ton of Fenders. All that said, the staff there are happy to let you sample the wares and the shop has a very friendly and accommodating atmosphere. All in all, this shop definitely holds its corner with regard to the mainstay brands but are very good for pitching you a curveball of a guitar right before you go and buy a generic mex strat off ebay. Worth checking out. read more

I would strongly advise not dealing with these guys, pretty much every feature of their business is a disaster. As soon as they have your money they're not interested in helping, the staff are mostly arrogant and hard to get hold of via phone. Forget trying to talk to the manager, its almost impossible. I have friends who have bought guitars from them, with issues, repairs were lengthy and never satisfactory. Brighton guitars is one to stay away from, just want to warn potential buyers/traders. There are much friendlier businesses that are more welcoming and offer decent warranties on used instruments. Do not bother with Brighton Guitars unless you want a very tiring and difficult experience. read more

Great staff and nice, constantly rotating selction of amps, pedals and stringed intruments. Also the guitar tech is one of the best around for dealing with electric guitars. read more

Oh hello, a new guitar shop in Brighton? I don't think we need one of these. Well that's what I thought when I first laid eyes upon this place. Until the point when I stepped through the door and realized that these guys have simply changed premises and upped their game. This shop is a refreshing little independent boutique staffed by friendly young men who clearly know their stuff and don't constantly shred on some pointy bodied Ibanez while giving you monosyllabic responses. They have a pretty comprehensive range of stock too. The normal trend for any new music shop is to only start out with the most budget brands of instrument as the suppliers often refuse to supply any store that hasn't been trading for a decade. But in this well laid out and comfortable store they seem to have side stepped this by dealing not only in new stock but also a fine and ever changing selection of vintage guitars. This gives them a stock capable of catering to the more discerning musician and student alike. read more

Excellent customer service - very friendly and helpful staff. An interesting range of instruments, and a willingness to source stuff they don't have in store. We'll be upgrading in the near future, so will be back! read more

Brighton guitars, hmmmmm. i am a regular customer they have good prices and there very friendly and will hell help you with anything at all they once even lent me a pound for a bus. which i payed back of course. they are on 44 sydney street (north lanes) open from 10-6 monday-saturday 12-5 sunday. there number is 01273 628 444 read more

took the money from my credit card, nineteen days later no sign of guitar and no reply to email avoid at all costs, they're clearly listing musical instruments which they don't have in stock, undercutting other shops to bring in money for orders they have no intention of fulfilling and basically stealing peoples money. How places like this are allowed to remain in business is a disgrace read more

Extremely poor service, avoid at all costs! As much as I dislike writing any kind of negative review, especially for a local independent retailer, I had no choice after the appalling service I received from BG. I put a £100 deposit on a used guitar, with £450 balance to pay, I intended to pay at the end of the month or shortly after (a short period) agreed with them, when I went to collect the guitar they had sold it (!), before the month had even ended, when I asked why they said they had got 'full asking price' (ie. more than the price they agreed with me when I placed the deposit) - I was not impressed, so much for customer service! I have bought instruments from BG over many years, and now due to their short-sightedness I will not return there in the future, for the sake of a bit more profit they have lost a long term customer - such a shame. read more

Do not buy from this shop! I ordered a Kala KA-C from here over 5 weeks ago, i tried to get in contact Do not buy from this shop! I ordered a Kala KA-C from here over 5 weeks ago, i tried to get in contact with them various times with no reply and my phone calls were ignored. I managed to get through once where they ensured i would receive my ukulele shortly as it was coming in stock that week (when it said online that it was in-stock when i ordered) and this was 3 weeks ago. The ukulele arrived today HOWEVER it was the Makala MK-C which is significantly cheaper than the one i ordered. I phoned and eventually had a call back from which i received no apology, he said he'd send a courier to collect it and i'd get a refund, instead of just sending me what i paid for. This really makes me believe they don't have them in stock and won't be having them in stock for a while, i imagine he sent me this model hoping i wouldn't notice the difference and to get me off his back. Overall an awful experience and i dread to think how long the re-fund will take! them various times with no reply and my phone calls were ignored. I managed to get through once where they ensured i would receive my ukulele shortly as it was coming in stock that week (when it said online that it was in-stock when i ordered) and this was 3 weeks ago. The ukulele arrived today HOWEVER it was the Makala MK-C which is significantly cheaper than the one i ordered. I phoned and eventually had a call back from which i received no apology, he said he'd send a courier to collect it and i'd get a refund, instead of just sending me what i paid for. This really makes me believe they don't have them in stock and won't be having them in stock for a while, i imagine he sent me this model hoping i wouldn't notice the difference and to get me off his back. Overall an awful experience and i dread to think how long the re-fund will take! read more