I'm just compiling a Frequently Asked Questions page so in the meantime here are some common issues.....

What can I do if I don't like my string height / action ?
All guitars are set up before you buy so first of all you bring it in so we can re-check our set up. If you purchased mail order then please be aware that the guitar could have "shifted" and "adjusted itself" in transit. Bring it in so we can have a look, or post back to us with a note.

Special note for guitars on personal interpretation: We do not offer refunds on guitars with personal interpretation "faults" such as low / high action, fret buzz, grain of wood etc. We inspect, test, tune and make all appropriate adjustments before we despatch any guitar. We're guitarists ourselves and adjust each guitar appropriately and professionaly. However, this is not a finite or conclusive area and one could discuss playability all the live long day. Opinions will vary. For example: Having a high action on an acoustic although undesirable for some players who play fast widdly ot intricate music with light guage strings, maybe ideal for buskers who like to cane their guitars for maximum volume / minimum buzz. Therefore thorny issues like this do not fall into the category of being not "fit for purpose". Therefore cannot offer refunds for that reason.

Also note: - you can of course bring in ANY GUITAR either purchased here or anywhere for us to have a look at so we can advise FREE OF CHARGE a course of corrective action. Some work may be carried out as goodwill, some chargeable at our discretion. We have more details on our Service & Repairs page: http://www.guitar-mania.com/pages.php/page/Service%20and%20Repair

Why does my amp makes a funny noise ?
Special note on amplifiers (general): some guitars especially ones with single coil pickups will "buzz" or "hum" through an amp. This is normal and in fact lead to the development of hum cancelling pickup. Even guitars fitted with hum cancelling pickups ("humbuckers") will hum through some amps in certain conditions. Most of the time this hum or buzz is a factor of the pickups, wiring or design of the guitar. Other factors that cause hum and buzz: proximity of other electronic devices like PC's, TV's Jukeboxes etc; faulty / cheap guitar leads, patch cables and jack sockets.

HOWEVER - you can of course bring in ANY AMPLIFIER either purchased here or anywhere for us to have a look at so we can advise FREE OF CHARGE a course of corrective action. Some work may be carried out as goodwill, some chargeable at our discretion.

Why did my brand new valve amp just die ?
Yes, sadly that happens... a lot. Valves are an ancient technology and are unfortunately unreliable especially on high gain amplifiers. Most valve amps break down within the 1st year, not all, but most. However, it's usually fixed by a new set of valves. Valves are classed as consumables and are not covered under any warranty, therefore faults arising from valve failure (which unfortunately is 99% of the faults with valve amps) are not covered. You are advised to read the instructions very carefully regarding the use of your valve amp as they need great care and attention expecially when turning on and off and transporting. Valve amps are designed for their tone, and their tone alone and sadly that means that reliability can suffer as a consequence. NOT ALL ! Some people can use and abuse a valve amp for years and years and never even replace the valves once. It all depends on the person, the music, attitude etc etc

I just read on a forum...
Don't read forums. You'll get a Gibson fan slagging off a Fender. A Marshall fan slagging off his "unreliable" Mesa Boogie etc etc. Do yourself a favour and steer well clear !!!

Just for fun:...
Well, since this is the Frequently Asked Questions page here are some more for you....

"Are you open Saturdays ?"
One of my favourites. Honestly folks, what sort of shop does not open on a Saturday ? Yet, here we are at No.1 the most asked question of all time. Weird huh ?

"Do you sell flutes....? " or recorders/  sax / clarinets etc
Again, I think I must have really overestimated people's intelligence. Sadly here at GUITAR Mania we really do only sell things connected with GUITARS, so NO we don't sell flutes. Mind you I expect there are shops out there called something like Guitar Wonderland that actually do sell flutes etc so I do apologise for any ambiguity in our name.