On Sunday 22nd Sept we received the very sad news that Simon Bishop had passed away.
Having met Simon in the early 80s in the first tiny Chandler Guitars shop in Kew I was immediately struck not only by how good a player he was (as he put a powder blue Tele through its paces) but what a fab chap he was! He soon became a regular at all three Chandler Guitars shops and it was always inspiring to hear him play and great to “chew the fat” with him.
In 2003 when my brother and I left Chandler Guitars I turned to Simon to call on his other considerable skill in graphic design and he produced our shop/brand logo font from scratch.
A few years later he took over the guitar teacher seat at CCGX and quickly became an integral member of our team. He was the inspiration and mentor to countless guitar students old and young. Chewing the fat again with staff and pupils(and often their parents too), Simon’s impeccably written homework sheets for the students couldn’t fail to inspire effort and enthusiasm.
When Erik started with us, coming from Lithuania whilst still a teenager, Simon and his wife Sand kept a special eye on him … involving wise words, chats on shared interests (mostly cars), food parcels and transport (often in Simon’s MGB much to Erik’s delight).
Over the past couple of years I’ve been lucky enough to have Simon playing guitar in my band and I’ve often found myself smiling mid song as I was enjoying his musicality!
In all the time I’ve known Simon his wife, Sand has been with him and it has been a pleasure knowing her over the years. Simon and Sand’s Ruby Wedding Anniversary was a week before his passing. 40 years of marriage. A great achievement!
RIP Simon we will miss you always and remember you as a fabulous guitarist, inspirational teacher but primarily as a “top bloke”
Charlie & all at CCGX.
Welcome
We continue to offer our unrivalled worldwide guitar repair service: whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, we can set-up your guitar to realise your true playing potential, whatever your style.
Several levels of guitar set-up are available in our workshop, from basic adjustment to our legendary Plek set-up and, if major work is required, our full refret service.
We work on all types of guitars, electric, bass, acoustic, classical, archtop and resonator, plus mandolins, ukuleles and other related instruments.
Opening Times
Closed Monday
11am-5pm Tuesday
12pm-2pm Wednesday
11am-5pm Thursday
11am-5pm Friday
10am-5pm Saturday
Closed Sunday
Splits, cracks, head-breaks, flood damage, ‘domestic’ damage, we’ve seen it all!
Almost anything is fixable. Drop your guitar in for an intonation assessment if you’re having tuning problems – often this can be rectified with a basic set-up.
Nut replacement – £70.
Standard setup – £70 + cost of strings.
Re-frets – approx. £300 – £390 depending on the guitar, fretboard material and fretwire used.
Plek fret dress – £165 + cost of strings.
Here are just some of the customers that Charlie and his team have served over the last 40+years:
AC/DC, Bryan Adams, Jon Anderson, Ash, Beastie Boyz, Jeff Beck, Big Country, Jon Bon Jovi, The Boomtown Rats, David Bowie, Terry Britten, Dom Brown, Jackson Browne, Bush, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Graham Coxon, Roddy Frame, Rory Gallagher, David Gilmour, Scott Gorham, Steve Hackett, Rich Hall, Nick Heyward, Tony Hicks, Jakko Jakszyk, Norman Jarczok, Jethro Tull, Chaka Khan, Dave Kilminster, Mark King, Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney, Robbie Macintosh, Phil Manzanera, Hank Marvin, Metallica, Pat Metheny, Steve Miller, Micky Moody, Gary Moore, Chris Moores, Nazareth, Mike Oldfield, Pearl Jam, Pino Palladino, Anthony Phillips, Prince, Mike Rutherford, Nick Simper, Paul Stacey, Stereophonics, Steven Street, James Taylor, Bernie Torme, Pete Townshend, U2, Joe Walsh, Bruce Welch, Snowy White, Warren Zevon, ZZTop and many more.
Amplification repairs:
Valve, solid state, hybrid, modern and vintage amps are all catered for here at CCGX. We also undertake work on studio equipment, pedals/pedalboards, effects processors, mixers, rack systems and whole range of DIY and boutique devices.
Contact us for more assistance or feel free to walk in, no appointment needed.
