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About Richard, his history in guitar sales and the products he recommends

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Richards Guitars | Q&A |  About Richard, his history in guitar sales and the products he recommends

More coming soon


I just started this Q&A sectrion in Oct 2010 and will continue adding to it over the coming weeks, months and years.

How long has Richard played guitar?


I have been playing guitar since the age of 8 years old.

Have you ever taught guitar?


Yes. I was teaching for several years which is in fact what led me to open my business "Regent Guitars" in 1995 - supplying guitars to my students all hand finished pre sale to their specification.

How long have you been involved with selling guitars?


I have been retailing guitars since 1995 - every one set up - new or used! My first sale generated online was around 1997 when you had to log on via DOS using Netscape. This may not mean a lot to some of you but the older ones will remember!

Why don't you endorse more brands?


Up until I closed my previous business I was selling 8-10 guitars a day - every day. People would say how "successful" I was! Well behind the scenes I would be telling my lovely wife Teresa "I must be the most unsuccessful successful person I know" - thats how it felt.

If you love guitars it is the most soul destroying experience you can have to see guitars sold KNOWING that if the customer spent a moment to ask you your opinion you would not recommend the guitar they have bought.

Name me a brand and I can tell you why I don't sell it any more! Here is the most briefest of overviews...

Fender: Has become more of an excercise in "how many ways can we skin this cat?" than how can we improve on what we have done before. They will have you believe you need the "latest" model yet charge you more for a Vintage reisssue? There is no logic to pricing other than supply and demand. You demand it - the price rises. As guitarists we can only blame ourselves if we head towards them like moths in the headlights.

Gibson: Can't print the truth. I would be sued and it would look like sour grapes. What I would say is don't go to a shop that sells them and ask them how good they are! Go to a tech who has been around the block a bit - or an honest retailer.

Ibanez. You mean the legendary brand that doesn't even make guitars? Marketing at its best. So many brands are priced on their market share/demand rather than their "value for money" so I would rather promote the source of the production and save the customer money - check out my Corts for example (who make many brands such as Ibanez, Schecter etc)

Vintage. The brand that tell you they knock the socks of Fender yet can't even justify quality controlling guitars at their Head Office pre dispatch to the shops. Not a single guitar is checked from the day it leaves the Far Eastern factory to the moment it is sold in store. They refused to check mine on the basis that "if we do it for you - we will have to do it for everyone else too" - I couldn't believe what I was being told and that comment spelt the end of my association with another brand!

Taylor: Imagine Bob Taylor with blood on his fingers and sweat on his brow building his first guitar. Yep - thats the picture they want you to paint. You reckon he made all 90,000 guitars produced last year? Mass produced guitars at fairly questionable prices.

Martin: Ever played an X series? Ever tried to find a Martin that lived up to the hype and cost? They exist but not in quantity.

Tanglewood: You mean Cort (built by Cort) for the first 10 years of them building their reputation, then dumped Cort and Fishman electronics for cheap Shadow systems, lower grade quality guitars that then rocketed in price. The TW15 less than 5 years ago was about £279 - it will now cost you £499

Don't get me wrong when I sound so cynical and jaded. I LOVE guitars - I have my family and I have my business offering advice on guitars - these are the most important things in my life. BECAUSE I love what I do I take an interest in the product - not the name

So what brands do you promote?!


For me to promote it must meet a few criteria.

Is a guitar in the range or the range as a whole "standard setting" within its genre?

Does the brand bring anything "new" to what I am already or merely a duplicate? Each brand must fill some kind of gap within the products I already promote.

Does the brand deserve its reputation and does it deserve to be pushed so that players can get to know about it?

Its true to say that all the guitars that I generally promote are guitars that I personally enjoy being around and the guitars hanging on the wall will tend to be colours I like - so selfish I know! There is no point trying to pretend to be passionate about something you just are not - so you won't find too many Pointy rock guitars I am afraid.

If I were to summarise the brands I do sell it would be like this:

Burny: Wonderful Gibsonesque copies which do what they are supposed to at a truly honest price

Cort: The brand behind the brands. Awesome quality electric, acoustic and bass guitars - something for everyone here

G&L: Leo Fender died making G&L and never lost his passion for guitar design which lives on in G&L guitars

Stonebridge: World Class acoustic guitars which inspire the players who have the benefit of playing one.

Godin: Innovation, quality, class - Robert (Godin) remains passionate about building guitars and moving the industry forward which has to be recognised and appreciated.

Richards Guitars | Q&A |  About Richard, his history in guitar sales and the products he recommends

Best Selling Items

Stonebridge 23 SF (G,OM,S, D Body Styles)

Stonebridge 23 SF (G,OM,S, D Body Styles)

£1,449.00(Euro 1,709.82)

Why have I never tried the SF range before? Utterly exquisite and possibly a new favourite ?- certainly appeals equally to me to the GS23 CR which I have been raving about for years.

I just love this guitar and know that anyone who loves Stonebridge tone will fall in love too.

You can also chose from body body shapes D, G & OM
top (solid) sitka cedar
soundhole decoration abalone ring + b-w lines
back & sides flamed maple (solid)
binding tortoise imitation
fingerboard, bridge ebony
fingerboard inlays Abalone flower inlay
endpins tortoise imitation
neck mahogany
tuning machines Schaller Gold/tortoise pins
strings Elixir Ph-Br Nanoweb 012-53
wide of nut 45 mm
No.of frets 20
scale 650 mm
finish high gloss
pickguard transparent,anti scratch
case arched-top, hard case
cutaway optional
12-string version optional
lefthand version optional
slotted paghead optional
electronic optional

find out more

Cort M 600 Electric Guitar (Over £100 Added Value FREE)

Cort M 600 Electric Guitar (Over £100 Added Value FREE)

£399.00(Euro 470.82)

From the producer of Ibanez, Schecter, G&L & other leding guitar brands is the M600. A true benchmark example of why so many guitar brands use Cort manfucturing.

Bottom line is you will not find a nicer example of this genre of guitar at the money. Forget PRS SE!
find out more

Cort MR E Electro Acoustic Guitar

Cort MR E Electro Acoustic Guitar

£239.00(Euro 282.02)

Solid Spruce Top
The Solid Spruce Top on the new MR-E provides a superior tone that will only improve with age.

On Board Electronics
The Cort CE304T - Ceramic P/U and preamp make the new MR-E ready to plug into your amplifier or PA system.

CONSTRUCTION: Dovetail Neck Joint
CUTAWAY: Venetian
BODY: Dreadnaught - Solid Spruce with Mahogany Back & Sides
NECK: Mahogany, "C" Shape
BINDING: Black w/ White Acryl
FRETBOARD: Rosewood
SCALE: 643mm (25.3")
INLAY: White Dot
TUNERS: Die-cast Nickel with Black Knobs
ROSETTE: Multiple White Pearl Acryl
BRIDGE: Rosewood / Scooped
ELECTRONICS: Cort CE304T - Ceramic P/U
STRINGS: D'Addario USA EXP16 Light
BRACING: Advanced Scalloped X-Bracing
find out more

Faith FNHG Neptune Hi Gloss Acoustic Guitar

Faith FNHG Neptune Hi Gloss Acoustic Guitar

£608.00(Euro 717.44)

The Faith Neptune is possibly my favourite of all Faith guitars. The body is deep enough to provide enough volume and bass response which I personally love in an acoustic. As you will see from the pictures the build quality and general asthetic beauty is second to none.

As with all Faith guitars the Neptune comes with fitted hardcase and if you want your guitar to look as good as it sounds you will not find a better guitar on the market.

Trust me!
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Unique & Exclusive Added Value with Every Guitar (worth over £100)
When you buy a guitar from Richards guitars the first thing to take into account is that I (Richard) overseas the entire process beginning to end. The only aspect not handled by myself is the setup itself. I even personally pack the guitar after I have tested the guitar post setup.

Quality Control & Setup (worth £55)

Your guitar will be meticulously setup to the very highest of standards - even to your personal specification if you have one. This only occurs once the guitar has been inspected visually for any cosmetic flaws that occur in production instruments. Nobody in the industry cares more about the quality and playability of their guitars - guaranteed.

6 Month & 12 Month Checkup/Reset (worth £25 a visit)

Every day my workshop is responsible for checking guitars that have been brought back for their 6 and 12 month checks. During this process my technicians will check the setup, make any adjustments necessary and give the guitar a general overhaul bringing it back to its former glory. This healthcheck sets my service apart from all other retailers in the UK. I believe this service to be unique and am extremely proud to offer it to every customer if they wish to take advantage.
Showroom Opening Hours

10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Closed 1pm to 2pm for lunch

For Showroom Visitors...

I offer a bespoke service and deal with every sale personally. I follow the progress of each sale from beginning to end, personally book deliveries for dispatch and wrap and pack the guitars. I do this to provide a consistent, meticulous level of detail, giving myself the peace of mind that the beautifully setup guitars we generate do not get spoilt in transit. 1 guitar damaged in 3 years of delivering guitars around the World (around 10 a week) is testiment to the quality of my packing (Sad as it sounds I could bore you to death on how to deliver a guitar sucessfully!). This all takes up my time of course. For this reason I DO NOT promote the sale of accessories. My showroom opening hours enable customers to try and test my personal collection of recommended new and used guitars - whilst allowing me time to handle the various aspects of my customer enquiries (in store and online) - and of course deal with customers requiring guitar workshop repairs.

I DO NOT sell 3/4 size guitars. It is impossible to provide any level of taylored service at this price point and would feel nervous about supporting these guitars under warranty as they are built to a price. However, I will always be available to offer help and advice. I am here if you want some honest, professional direction.

I warmly welcome all guitar enthusiasts to visit me any time!
Solution Graphics

Formerly 2 Regent Street, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 5HW, TEL:(01789) 26 33 33, EMAIL: richard@richardsguitars.co.uk

Richards Guitars new home is at 5 Tiddington Road, Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 7AE)

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FREE Pre Sale Personalised Setup worth £55

On every guitar sold (Since 1995)

Click on the Images For Further Details

Acoustic Guitar Setup
Acoustic Guitar Setup

Electric Guitar Setup
Electric Guitar Setup Details

I have also created a page to help explain, in basic terms, why a guitar sold by me will:

Play Better

Sound Better

Feel Better

Look Better

Stay In Tune - Longer

Whether buying a guitar or otherwise, I hope you find the information of value.


Richards Guitar Workshop
Tel:01789 26 33 33
Click For Details


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