W.G.F Howson Instruments

Will repaired and serviced my second hand resonator banjo, which I had given up playing for some time because it also had buzz that made playing it disappointing. Will was knowledgeable, gave really good advice on the set up, and, he even gave me a very quick lesson on improving my right hand technique! Great value, great service and now my banjo is a pleasure to play again, thank you.
Nov 16th, 2022

After searching the internet for someone to refurbish my grandfathers Banjo Mandolin (he played it during the 1930/40s) I contacted Will to see if he could help. After sending through some photos, Will got back to me with a list of suggestions to get it back as close to original condition as possible. I packaged it up (dismantled) and sent via UPS to him. Within a few weeks it was returned to me transformed to its former glory. Will carried out the following work Set up plus new strings Vellum fitting New flesh hoop Fret ends re-profiled Tuner repair New capped bridge I would highly recommend his work and craftsmanship. Im so pleased I asked him to take on the work. He has restored a link to my grandfather, who died before I was born. It now sits alongside my guitars, mandolin and violin as a prized possession. I would recommend using DPD as opposed to UPS . UPS left the instrument in Wills front garden, without letting him know it was there. Luckily he was expecting it, so came out to check where it was. For the return we used DPD, who were far more professional and I could track it properly using their app.
Sep 23rd, 2022

I had bought a 20 year old Deering Sierra banjo which had a few problems with it. I spoke to my local favourite luthier (Steve Toon in Gloucester is the best person Ive used around here who has done top notch work on my Mandolin and friends guitars), he was reluctant to take it on as he wasnt really a banjo specialist and suggested I went to a banjo expert. So then I searched and realised that there arent many in the uk - the first guy I spoke to wasnt taking on repair work and recommended Will without any hesitation. Id spotted a few issues with the banjo when I played it e.g. incorrectly fitted and broken railroad spikes, fret buzz on 5th string, intonation not right and substantial retuning needed when using a capo. I took it to Will, and he instantly spotted a load more problems with it and he explained to me why it sounded like it did. Will concluded that to get the banjo back to how it should be hed have to completely disassemble, deep clean and reassemble correctly - which I appreciated would be a bit more expensive that a basic set up. Id also seen rave reviews about Will's handmade compensated bridges, so asked for him to make one for me too in order to sort out the intonation. I got the message that my banjo was ready and went to collect my banjo yesterday and I havent put it down since. Hes done a brilliant job on it and it now sounds so much better than it ever did before - its hard to believe its the same banjo (it now sounds absolutely like a 2k banjo). The compensated bridge is not only a thing of beauty, but the intonation is now spot on, so using capo or playing right up the neck is an absolute pleasure. I really couldnt be happier - everything is now sorted, and it now plays and sounds exactly as it should do. In summary, hes done a very professional job on it. It was worth every penny to go to somebody who knows what they are doing rather than giving it so somebody who would have a go. Thought you might like to see a picture of the bridge.
Mar 24th, 2022

Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness, Value
Mar 21st, 2022

Nice guy. Very good with banjos
Mar 15th, 2022