We are a great little family run, independent business in South Warwickshire!

Rolly’s Guitars is run by a professional guitar player and his wife who is a professional percussionist, their main interest consists in bringing back to the community the good old fashion way of buying instruments from a place that feels more like a musician’s home and not a corporation eager just to sell you stuff. Our intention is not to compete with the major chains. Instead, we want to create alliances with all our local musicians and promote the guitar as an activity that is both artistic and spiritual, a place where local bands can promote their shows, make connections, try and purchase amazing instruments and just be themselves.

We offer you a wide variety of instruments from the greatest guitars makers of our time. We want you to get the guitar of your dreams from us and we know that you’ve worked hard to get it, here you are treated with respect and consideration from fellow musicians who share your same dreams, talk your talk and walk your walk.

Rolly’s Guitars was founded by Rolly in 2012 and based in Southam, Warwickshire, UK. His wife Niki joined the business in 2014. Rolly’s Guitars is a full time internet guitar shop, with a very nice boutique music studio / showroom setup (that you can see on our latest Youtube videos).
So if you are local in the South – Warwickshire area, please e-mail us or call +44 (0) 794 764 45 84 and set up an appointment to visit.

With an eye for detail, real quality, and genuine care for our customers… we only buy and sell the best pre-owned guitars… and we guarantee satisfaction. Whether you are buying a set of strings or an expensive collectable guitar… it is our goal to make every Rolly’s Guitars customer, a repeat customer!

Rolly’s Guitars is a registered self employed (sole trader) business since 2012.
VAT registration number: 235566103

Owners of Rolly's Guitars family business

Rolly – Guitarist

IT ALL STARTED WITH A BAD GUITAR

Rolly was born on a dark, cloudy Friday in 1978 in a small Hungarian wine-making town.

His father was a professional footballer and his younger brother eventually became a professional footballer too.

Rolly, meanwhile, decided to pursue the family tradition of football…

…until he realised he wasn’t very good at it.

So, naturally, he picked up a guitar.

At around 8–10 years old, Hungary was still behind the Iron Curtain and rock music was regarded by the authorities as the music of the “evil Western world.”

This, of course, made Rolly considerably more interested in it.

When he went to the local music school, he was informed that guitar was far too noisy and rock music was part of “imperialist declining Western society.”

He was encouraged to play the trumpet instead.

He chose guitar.

And so began a lifelong habit of ignoring sensible advice.

THE FENDER THAT GOT AWAY

His first electric guitar was a cheap Soviet-made instrument of questionable quality and even more questionable electrical safety.

It sounded terrible.

It may also have tried to kill him.

But Rolly persevered.

Eventually, he decided he needed a Fender Stratocaster, just like the real rock stars.

Unfortunately, when he and his mum visited the only music shop in town, they discovered that a Fender cost more than the entire family’s combined monthly salary.

So he went home with something considerably cheaper:

a Fender catalogue.

For years, that catalogue became his favourite book.

And he kept practising.

THE GUITAR TEACHER WHO REALLY DIDN’T LIKE HIS PLAYING

At around 20, Rolly moved to Germany for work and finally earned a decent salary.

His first major purchase?

Not a car.

Not clothes.

Not a holiday.

A white Fender Stratocaster.

That guitar changed everything.

He returned to Budapest, joined an established band and began taking lessons from one of Hungary’s most respected — and most terrifying — guitar teachers.

At their very first lesson, the teacher demonstrated a simple funk rhythm and asked Rolly to play it back.

Rolly played it.

The teacher’s response was essentially:

“It’s never too late to sell your guitar. There’s a guitar shop around the corner.”

Rolly went home.

Practised.

Came back.

The teacher said essentially the same thing.

So Rolly practised harder.

He didn’t sell the guitar.

Eventually, things started to click.

FROM FUNK TO SANTANA

Over several years of lessons and relentless practice, Rolly studied Funk, Blues, Rock and Jazz, discovering the music of some of his biggest influences:

Robben Ford • Larry Carlton • Carlos Santana • George Benson • John Scofield

He learned not only how to play, but how to practise, how to listen and — perhaps most importantly — how to keep going when someone tells you that your guitar career should probably end immediately.

Meanwhile, his band became successful, performing on mainstream television, at festivals across Hungary and on European mini-tours.

Eventually, one of those tours brought them to the UK.

A music management company saw the band perform and offered them representation.

The band relocated to Mansfield and spent two years touring successfully around the UK.

When the band eventually split, Rolly decided to stay in Britain.

THE UK YEARS

Rolly - Guitarist - Very Santana — Rolly – Guitarist – Very Santana

Rolly moved to Birmingham and undertook a three-year Music Production course at Staffordshire University, developing his skills in:

Songwriting
Studio production
Recording
Arranging
Band leadership
Working with other musicians

During this period he formed Rolly’s Syndicate, recorded an original album and continued developing his musical style.

He also met singer Amera, who would later become a close friend, collaborator and bandmate.

Rolly subsequently worked as a session guitarist and music producer for a talented Hungarian singer who became an X-Factor finalist, performing together at a range of major shows.

ROLLY’S GUITARS

Because apparently playing guitars wasn’t enough, Rolly also started a guitar business.

What began as an online guitar shop and community eventually developed into Rolly’s Guitars, a successful family-run guitar business specialising in selling, setting up and repairing instruments.

His wife, Niki, eventually joined the business as a guitar luthier, having spent years helping Rolly with guitar setup and repairs.

So, when he’s not playing guitars, he’s usually working on guitars.

And when he’s not working on guitars…

…he’s probably talking about guitars.

VERY SANTANA

The idea for Very Santana began during a conversation between Rolly and Amera on the drive home from a gig.

They were talking about their shared love of Carlos Santana’s music.

Rolly had an idea:

Why not build a Santana show that treats the music as musicians rather than museum pieces?

The result was Very Santana.

Rather than attempting to copy Carlos Santana note-for-note — something Rolly considers both unrealistic and rather boring — the band uses Santana’s music as the foundation for a more creative, jazz-influenced live performance.

The original songs provide the skeleton.

The musicians bring the personality.

Improvisation, interpretation and individual musicianship mean that the show can evolve from performance to performance.

So the audience gets the music they came to hear…

…but they never quite know exactly what they’re going to get.

KEEPING IT REAL

Rolly - Very Santana (Roland Polyak) — Rolly – Very Santana (Roland Polyak)

One of Rolly’s biggest priorities is simple:

MAKE IT REAL.

No autotune.

No fake overdubs.

No artificial “perfect” performances.

No pretending.

Just highly skilled musicians playing together, live.

The philosophy extends to the band’s videos and promotional material too: capture the musicians as they actually sound.

The result is deliberately closer to the analogue, vintage spirit of Santana’s classic era than the polished, heavily edited production often associated with modern music.

And judging by the response, it seems to be working.

After the initial development period and several years of touring — including surviving the small matter of Covid — most Very Santana shows are now sold out.

TODAY

Rolly continues to tour extensively around the UK with Very Santana, performing Carlos Santana’s music with a highly skilled live band and plenty of improvisation.

Away from the stage, he continues to run Rolly’s Guitars with Niki.

And these days there is also a third member of the family on the road: their daughter Nina, who is already showing considerable artistic personality.

So the story that started with a cheap Soviet guitar, a Fender catalogue and a rebellious Hungarian kid has evolved into a life built around music, guitars, touring and family.

Not bad for someone who was once advised to sell his guitar.

He probably should have listened.

But then we wouldn’t have the story.