Guitar workshop in Berlin-Friedrichshain for custom builds, repairs, refrets, electronics and tour support.
alexguitars – Alexander Markusch
10247 Berlin (Bänschstr. 50)New on Amplifa
About alexguitars
alexguitars is a guitar workshop in Berlin-Friedrichshain, run by luthier Alexander Markusch. The company builds custom guitars and offers setup & maintenance, repairs to wood, lacquer and electronics, refrets and fretwork, as well as electronics upgrades. Custom builds use woods such as mahogany, alder, ash and maple; nuts are made from bone, horn and graphite, with frets in nickel-silver, stainless steel or Jescar. The service portfolio also includes tour support with pre-show checks and quick fixes on site, as well as pedalboard building and service. Customers range from beginners and hobby musicians to international bands, studios and stage institutions such as musicals and variety theatres. References include, among others, Metallica, Rammstein, Iron Maiden and Slash. According to its own statements, the workshop focuses on quality over quantity and treats professionals and neighbourhood customers with the same care.
- Site
- Berlin
- Processes
- Setup & maintenance (neck & string action, intonation, tremolo setup, nut & bridge, fret care), Repairs (wood and lacquer repairs, gluing cracks, hardware, electronics), Refret / fretwork (levelling, polishing, scalloping, compound radius), Electronics & upgrades (pickups, circuits, shielding, piezo/blend solutions), Custom builds (made-to-measure guitar construction, set-/bolt-/through-neck, nitro/shellac/poly, Tour support (pre-show check, quick fix, backline optimisation), Pedalboard building (planning, consulting, tour-ready assembly), Setup & maintenance
- Materials
- Mahogany, Alder, Ash, Maple, Nickel-Silver (18% NS), Stainless steel, Jescar, Aluminium
- Founded
- 2007
- Employees
- 2
- Industries
- Musicians (beginners to professionals), Bands and touring acts, Studios, Stages and institutions (musicals, variety, studio operations)
- 01
Consulting & configuration
- 02
Material selection (wood, metal, nut material)
- 03
Woodwork & construction (custom builds)
- 04
Electronics & upgrades
- 05
Setup, fret care & finish
- 06
Tour support & service
Materials & Processes
Mahogany
Body and neck wood for custom builds with a warm tonal character.
Alder
Classic body wood, especially for Stratocaster-style configurations.
Ash
Body material with an open-pored structure for a clear, dynamic tone.
Maple
Necks and fingerboards for bright response and stable construction.
Nickel-Silver (18% NS)
Standard fret material with a balanced tone and classic look.
Stainless steel
Low-maintenance frets with high durability and long polishing intervals.
Jescar
Fret wire alternative with a hard profile for precise intonation.
Bone
Unbleached nut and bridge fabrication for maximum tuning stability.
Horn
Nut material for a clear tone and optimal sound transmission.
Graphite
Self-lubricating nut material to reduce friction and tuning issues.
Aluminium
Hardware material for custom builds, e.g. bridges.
Bell brass
Hardware material with a high tonal contribution on custom-made instruments.
Workshop
Berlin-Friedrichshain
DEGuitar workshop for service, repair, custom builds and tour support
- Lot size
- Individual orders by appointment
- Materials
- Mahogany, alder, ash, maple, nickel-silver, stainless steel, Jescar, bone, horn
- Workshop equipment for setup, refret, electronics and lacquer repair
Instruments & Conversions
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup & maintenance (neck & string action, intonation, tremolo setup, nut & bridge, fret care)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Bone, Horn, Graphite |
| Repairs (wood and lacquer repairs, gluing cracks, hardware, electronics)Joining | – | – | – | – | Wood |
| Refret / fretwork (levelling, polishing, scalloping, compound radius)Surface | – | – | – | – | Nickel-Silver (18% NS), Stainless steel, Jescar |
| Electronics & upgrades (pickups, circuits, shielding, piezo/blend solutions)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Custom builds (made-to-measure guitar construction, set-/bolt-/through-neck, nitro/shellac/polyAssembly | – | – | – | – | Mahogany, Alder, Ash, Maple, Aluminium, Bell brass |
| Tour support (pre-show check, quick fix, backline optimisation)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Pedalboard building (planning, consulting, tour-ready assembly)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
History
- 1980
Alexander Markusch develops his craftsman's feel for guitars and materials in the GDR (shortage economy)
- 1990
Drops out of music studies in Weimar; co-founds the Kulturbrauerei, builds up the music school
- 1990
Trade and appraisals of vintage Fender & Gibson guitars, trade fair visits in the USA
- 2007
Opens his own workshop in Berlin-Friedrichshain (Bänschstraße 50)
- 2008
Tour accompaniment including Cirque du Soleil, Kat Frankie
- 2015
Marius Lallensack joins the workshop
- 2016
urbanite: “The guitar chief physician”
- 2019
Friedrichshainer ZeitZeiger: “You have to feel it”
- 2021
Tagesspiegel: “Heart of wood – guitars for hobby musicians & international rock stars”
- 2024
Press reports in Berliner Zeitung and AMAZONA.de about the workshop
- 2025
Berliner Morgenpost: “Guitars for Rammstein: stars and neighbourhood customers are equally important”