Hi, I'm Francois

Guitars have been a big part of my life since I was a kid. Growing up in South Africa, I spent my teenage years listening to Green Day, Offspring and Nirvana on repeat, and that love for rock and guitar-driven music never left. My taste lately leans from Tool & Deftones to Radiohead, anything with distortion and something interesting going on.

GuitarBuddy started as a passion project, born out of a genuine love for instruments and the satisfaction of making a guitar play its absolute best. I do professional guitar setups and repairs from my home base in Zandvoort, serving players in Zandvoort, Haarlem and Amsterdam. There’s something really rewarding about handing a guitar back to its owner and seeing them play it properly for the first time, or for the first time in years.

When I’m not working on guitars I’m usually playing one, though I also play bass and drums, so the music never really stops in our house. I live in Zandvoort with my wife and our two cats, Lily and Luna, who are largely indifferent to guitar tone but excellent company in the workshop.

Whether you’re looking for a setup, a repair, some honest gear advice, or just want to browse the blog or our online guitar shop, you’re welcome. This is a place built by a guitar lover, for guitar lovers.