“I brought my cherished Takamine Guitar into Ben for a service and set up and I was very happy with the results and service, my guitar sounds so much better live and it really has given it a new lease of life . Ben knows his stuff and obviously has a great passion and knowledge for what he does! And also a lovely guy thrown into the bargain. Highly Recommend.”
— Lee Copeland
“I can’t say enough good things about the Beacon Thinline, it has quickly become the only electric guitar I want to play and covers pretty much everything I play, from soul and country up to harder rock and older heavy metal. I was looking for a telecaster and played several from Fender, Suhr, Gordon Smith etc. I was able to follow the building of this guitar with Ben and when I spoke to him he told me it might be available. Having played his other Beacons I knew it would be a special instrument and it’s managed to exceed those expectations, standing out above any of the other guitars I played. It’s an incredibly resonant, comfortable and easy to play guitar that sounds incredible. The pickup choice covers loads of different tones, with the Firebird pickup sounding more like a fat single coil than a humbucker and the bridge pickup is pure tele twang but deals with gain brilliantly. It’s also a stunning instrument and has clearly been made with care and a huge attention to detail. I’d recommend Lighthouse Instruments to anyone looking for a guitar that they want to call theirs. Ben is fantastic to work with and is my go to guy for all my guitar work. He knew I was interested during the build and was happy to accommodate all my questions and was never pushy. We were to the point of discussing a commission for a Thinline when this build became available and I jumped at the chance to own. If you’re thinking about it, get in contact, you won’t regret it.”
— Gavin Blackburn
“Absolutely thrilled with my custom Beacon electric guitar from Ben at Lighthouse Instruments. Built exactly to my liking, from hardware to neck profile—it plays beautifully and sounds fantastic. The hand-finished details give it a unique, vintage feel and the way it plays makes it feel like an extension of me. Ben is incredibly friendly, communicative, and passionate about his craft, and worked hard to keep me involved at every stage as he progressed through the build. A true craftsman and a joy to work with.
If you’re considering an instrument from Lighthouse, get in touch with Ben - he really is fantastic.”
— Mark Monaghan
“Ben was able to setup my Colligns OM1 beautifully. First time using him and cannot recommend him enough. Great communication and attentional detail throughout the process.”
— Daniel Robinson
“Ben did a fantastic job setting up a standard scale guitar as a baritone for me. Couldn’t be happy with how it plays. Top notch work!”
— Luke Palmer
“Ben was an absolute hero for me. Had contacted him through a recommendation. I had a guitar body I wanted to use but couldn’t find a neck that worked. Ben gave me a huge host of options, was very open on price and timescales and also provided stellar advice.
He’d created a completely new neck for a guitar body I had, fixed all of the routering work that was already in place for the guitar, pieced it all together and overall was an easy process and great to work with.
No doubt going forward for any projects, Ben will be the man for the job.”
— Peter Carberry
“I cannot recommend Ben highly enough! I needed a pickup fitted to my Martin D35 and the service Ben provided was second to none. Really happy with the work and Ben is a genuinely nice, straightforward guy.”
— Mark Ford
“Highly recommend Ben!! Service was fast and he took great care of my guitar! Very happy with the results :)”
— Becca Murphy
“Highly recommend Ben McGinty @ Lighthouse Instruments for anyone looking to get their guitar or bass serviced in Glasgow. Service is professional and considerate with a quick turnaround. I brought a bass that hadn’t seen action for several years to Ben for an overhaul; everything was checked meticulously from the individual fret levels to the electronics. He provides photo updates every step of the way explaining exactly what he’s doing. Turnaround was in the space of an afternoon and he was even kind enough to personally drop off my bass to me as I was still in the area. It feels like a brand-new instrument again. He also provides an aftercare service if anything needs adjusted which is highly appreciated.”
— Craig Stoddart
“Was recommended Ben by Jake Parkhurst to do some working fitting Jake’s pickups into my guitar - the rest is history! I’ve used Ben’s repair services many times and have had the absolute pleasure to demo some of his Lighthouse instruments too, they are exceptional - trying them out is a must if you can!
Can’t recommend Ben’s services or guitars enough!”
— Jason Watson
“Ben came recommended by the highly-regarded Rory Dowling from Taran Guitars, which was encouraging in itself. I had an early 60s bass guitar body - but no neck! The ask then, was to craft a new neck from raw materials as he saw fit, with no existing spec other than images out there on the web. Then of course, to give the bespoke neck time under string tension (this included some skilful truss rod modification work), and to refine the intonation and playing action. We weren’t to know, but my old Burns bass, with its three Tri-Sonic pickups, also had age-related wiring issues; and Ben put time and effort into diagnosis for that, too. I love my ‘new’ revived bass - the finish is truly to a pro craft standard and, a year on, the neck is wonderfully stable and balanced needing little retuning or fettling with action height. It was a pleasure to work with Ben - he maintained a dedicated level of contact and provided project updates through photos, video clips, and easy dialogue over the duration of the works. It was always informative to chat, but what particularly shone through was Ben’s genuine love of wood. I’m certain that the more you asked of his luthier skills, the more rewarding the journey would prove to be. Unreservedly, five stars.”
— John Ross
“Ben sorted out my Ibanez RG8 like it’s never been sorted out before - speedy turnaround and reasonable prices. Lighthouse Instruments has now became my first port of call whenever I need a fix on my guitars and I couldn’t be happier with the service so far.”
— Paul Mills
“Had Ben install pickups on my 8 string which would seem easy enough but this being the Ibanez RGA8, the active pickups that come in the guitar originally are powered by 2 AA batteries so this needed a new battery box installed to run the new pickups and the pickups rewired. Then the guitar was restrung and set up to my desired tuning and it’s perfect. For any guitar needs, I cant recommend Lighthouse Instruments enough!”
