MyLuthier Musical Instrument Repair: £90 Bow Rehairs in EC1

MyLuthier is a string workshop with an unusual origin: two students at the Royal Academy of Music decided London needed an easier way for players to get violins, violas, cellos and bows looked after. The result sits at 49 Little Britain, London EC1A 7BH, a short walk from Smithfield and St Bartholomew's Hospital. It works strictly by appointment and publishes its prices, which makes it one of the more transparent options when you search for musical instrument repair in London for a string instrument or bow.

The workshop was founded by Ariel Lang and Pedro Silva while they were studying at the Royal Academy of Music, so it was built by players who knew the frustration of waiting weeks for a soundpost tweak before an audition. The bench is run by resident luthier Sing Him Wong, a graduate of the International Lutherie School Antwerp, one of the best-known violin making schools in Europe.

That mix shapes how the place works. Appointments are planned like lessons, prices are posted online, and the team writes guides on its own blog, including a piece published in September 2026 on violin shops around London. The tone is practical and player-first: the aim is to get an instrument back in your hands, set up the way you like it, without the mystique that can surround old-school violin dealers.

The price list was last reviewed in August 2026, and all figures include VAT. A bow rehair is £90, which is the job most players book first. Bow repairs follow: a new thumb leather and grip starts at £45, and a new tip plate is £250. For the instruments themselves, a new soundpost costs £120 and shooting the fingerboard to remove grooves and buzzes costs £150.

Bridges are priced by instrument size. A new violin bridge is £380, a viola bridge £400 and a cello bridge £600, each cut and fitted to the instrument rather than pulled from a box. Smaller structural work starts lower: crack repairs begin at £45 and regluing an open seam starts at £50. Seams open up regularly in a damp London winter, so that last job is a common autumn booking.

Every job starts with a free assessment and a quote before any work begins, so you will know the cost before you commit. If you only want an opinion on a buzz or a rattle, that assessment is a good, low-risk first step, and the luthier will often explain what is happening inside the instrument while you watch.

There are no walk-in hours. A rehair usually takes around three days, stretching to as much as ten in the busy season around exam periods and the start of the school year, so plan ahead if you have a performance coming up.

Routine repairs take from one week. If you cannot get to EC1 during the working week, courier drop-off is accepted, which is useful for players outside central London or for orchestral musicians juggling rehearsal schedules. Bring the bow and the instrument together when you can, since balance and setup problems often turn out to involve both rather than just one of them.

A rehair at a workshop like this means the old hair is cut out, the plugs at the frog and tip are removed, and a fresh hank of horsehair is combed, tied and wedged into place before rosin goes on. The tension is adjusted so the stick keeps its camber. Ask for your preferred hair density if you play heavy repertoire, as some cellists like a fuller ribbon.

Soundpost and bridge work is subtler. A soundpost moved by a millimetre changes how bright or dark an instrument sounds, so take your time trying it at the bench before you leave. Bring the strings you normally use, since a new bridge is cut to suit string height and gauge. If you have a favourite recording of your sound, play it to the luthier: it helps them hear what you are aiming for.

Fingerboard shooting is worth understanding too. Over years of playing, strings wear shallow grooves into the ebony under your fingers, which can cause buzzing and make clean shifting harder. Shooting means planing the board back to a true, slightly scooped curve along its length. At £150 it costs more than a rehair, but it often cures a stubborn buzz that a new set of strings will not fix, so mention any buzz at your assessment.

Barbican and St Paul's stations are both within easy walking distance, and Farringdon is not far beyond, so it is easy to reach from most of London. Little Britain is a quiet street that curls round the edge of St Bartholomew's Hospital, the oldest hospital in Britain still on its original site, and the streets around it are among the most atmospheric in the City.

Step into St Bartholomew-the-Great, a Norman priory church founded in 1123, which has appeared in films from Four Weddings and a Funeral to Shakespeare in Love. Smithfield's Victorian meat market halls are a couple of minutes away, and Postman's Park, with its wall of ceramic tablets honouring everyday heroes, is a peaceful place to sit with your case before heading home.

MyLuthier, 49 Little Britain, London EC1A 7BH. Website: myluthier.co, where the price list and booking calendar live. Hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm, by appointment only. Services: violin, viola and cello repairs and setup, bow rehairs and bow repairs, with a free assessment and quote before work starts.

Bow rehair: £90. New soundpost: £120. Fingerboard shooting: £150. New bridges: £380 for violin, £400 for viola and £600 for cello. Crack repairs start at £45 and seam reglues at £50. Rehairs typically take about three days, routine repairs from a week, and courier drop-off is available if you cannot visit in person.