Outram Lutherie

Outram Lutherie Stringed instrument service, repair, customisation and manufacture.

Picked a local bass up that had an interesting history. Seems it had been in a school, suffered some damage (impact dama...
16/06/2026

Picked a local bass up that had an interesting history. Seems it had been in a school, suffered some damage (impact damage to a top rib and the neck is loose) , whereupon it fell into the hands of the art department who glued canvas to the front, and rattle canned it black.

The canvas peeled off VERY easily, the glue is coming off with a lot of scrubbing. I'm sure the rattle can over spray won't be an issue. It'll clean up nicely!

A bare wood body came in, along with a parts caster jazz bass. The owner never liked the blue body, always wanted a natu...
11/06/2026

A bare wood body came in, along with a parts caster jazz bass. The owner never liked the blue body, always wanted a natural finish, so after some stain, oil and shellac, I achieved a finish he was happy with, and that will wear nicely (also a criteria!) . Then it was just a case of swapping everything over and setting it up.

Another patch on the woodworm repair job. Nearly ready for going back together!
06/06/2026

Another patch on the woodworm repair job. Nearly ready for going back together!

Today's installment of "do you really use that little plane?!" First of the woodworm damage patches on the front of this...
04/06/2026

Today's installment of "do you really use that little plane?!"

First of the woodworm damage patches on the front of this violin. At least the worm had the good manners to stay near the edge so these localised repairs are possible.

Thicknesses of the patch are all measured and replicated to within 0.1mm of original, so tone should be unaffected.

Stored in a loft since 1947!!! The owner wanted it brought back to life, so it's had a damn good clean, new bridge, a li...
03/06/2026

Stored in a loft since 1947!!!

The owner wanted it brought back to life, so it's had a damn good clean, new bridge, a little crack glued up, pegs polished, nut re cut and a new set of Pirastro Tonica strings. (Of course I forgot to take any "before" pics 🤦🏻) So just the chinrest to clean and pop back on at this stage.

Fitting bass bridge height adjusters for a returning customer today. He'll have no excuses now! 😂🤣
22/05/2026

Fitting bass bridge height adjusters for a returning customer today. He'll have no excuses now! 😂🤣

It's a rare day when the bending iron comes out for a repair job! Cutting, bending and fitting 3 replacement linings to ...
19/05/2026

It's a rare day when the bending iron comes out for a repair job!

Cutting, bending and fitting 3 replacement linings to this violin due to woodworm damage.
The ribs are having a couple of very small localised repair patches too.

It's all looking violin-y on the bench today.... Just warming the glue up for a peg bushing in the near most one, then t...
15/05/2026

It's all looking violin-y on the bench today.... Just warming the glue up for a peg bushing in the near most one, then the other apart for woodworm repair. (All treated from the inside, then it needs a few replacement linings and a couple of little patches. ... I'll try to remember a few pics as I go with that.

'"One over to the rest under" ... Start by cutting the string off 2" past the machine head. Poke the end through, bend, ...
20/04/2026

'"One over to the rest under" ...

Start by cutting the string off 2" past the machine head. Poke the end through, bend, then wind 1 turn over the protruding end, then let the rest wind underneath. Once it gets up to tension, it traps the end, so tuning is stable.

A technique that I use every time. Nice and neat, no silly knots, and never causes issues!

Today's installment of "Do you really use that tiny plane?" Violin fingerboard shaping and fitting. I've shown a blank a...
14/04/2026

Today's installment of "Do you really use that tiny plane?"

Violin fingerboard shaping and fitting. I've shown a blank as supplied so you can get an idea of how much has to come off.

The top surface isn't totally finished in these pics. I like to do the final scraping once it's fitted. All done with planes and scrapers.

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101, HIghfield Street
Coalville
LE673

Telephone

07816171205

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