Welcome to Lutherie, in South Bend Indiana U.S.A.

I am Bob English, sole proprietor of Lutherie.  I have over 34 years of experience in the field of lutherie and have been serving the greater north west Indiana (Michiana) area for over seven years now, with an extensive history in Chicago before moving here.  I have been active in the field of lutherie in one capacity or another since I was 20 years old.

I offer full service repair to, and customization of both electric and acoustic stringed musical instruments.  From not well adjusted to real badly busted, I do everything from basic setups, over complex fret work, to repairing major damage.  Sorry, no quick and dirty fixes.  I also build electric stringed musical instruments of very high quality.  I work within the realm of science and technology, not tradition, as in my experience, selling snake oil is the the most practiced tradition.  I love modifying instruments to play, sound and stay in tune better, and do not see any practicality in keeping flaws of factory made instruments merely for collector value sake.  Not that I can't do just that, but if you are a player, then you should want your instrument to work for, not against you.

Appointment needed:

If you would like to have me repair or customize an instrument, or even want one built to order, you will need an appointment.  I do not have a walk in shop with a front desk clerk.  I work from my home, only a few blocks west of Ironwood and south of McKinley (US 20) in South Bend Indiana, as it makes no sense for me to pay high commercial rent and utilities for a space no larger than what I already have, to do the same thing I can do here legally and in comfort, where I can concentrate on my work without distraction and interruptions.  I schedule appointments for when my schedule is clear, and I can get to work on your instrument ASAP, no lines, no waiting.

It is not hard to get an appointment, and often I can see you the next day.  I see customers between noon and 8:00 Pm, 7 days a week, Monday through Sunday.  You get a date and time to fit your schedule to stop by, where we can go over everything.  If no parts need to be ordered, I can have your work done within a few days, or even the next, depending on the work needed.  You are free to bring your own parts, as I have no alliance to any suppliers or OEM's nor any restrictions due to the same.  If parts need to be ordered and the instrument is still playable, then you are free to hold on to and enjoy it, until the parts arrive and I inspect them before you drop it off for the work.  I do not reveal my exact location nor phone number until I know you are serious about consulting my services, as it is more secure for my shop and my customers instruments.

Use the "Contact" link at the bottom of any page of this site to get a hold of me and I will respond via email shortly, but before you do, please read and observe the rules of contact, and give me as much information as you can to cut down on unnecessary communications.  For the same reason please browse this site and gather more information and see the sights, as it will very likely answer many questions you may have, that way we can keep your appointment which I do not charge for short, saving us both time.

Fair pricing:

I charge $45.00 an hour with a one hour minimum, and $7.50 every ten minutes after the first hour.  No money down for labor.  I do not mark up parts and materials at all, although shipping charges and applicable taxes still apply.  If that sounds high to you, please keep in mind that most professional services cost upwards of $65.00 an hour (each hour started), have added service charges, bench fees and significant markups for parts and materials, and often require less skill to perform.  Within my fair pricing practices I do not charge flat rates, which by nature unreasonably discount some customers while over charging others.  In the end my prices are comparable to the current market, and sometimes even less.

Everything is in writing, and you get a warranty that is way better than what you are most likely used to.

This site is jam packed with usable information and eye candy, that can give you an idea on how and why I do what I do the way I do it, but it is up to you to read it!  The links to the left will take you to other sections of the site covering the various topics that may be of interest.  The links at the bottom are to my contact and feedback forms, legal matters like my privacy policy, service agreement and warranty, and one listing all copyright holders of elements of this site.