81 Guitar Works

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Lowestoft
81 Guitar Works

Guitar setups, repairs and servicing. Main workshop based in Lowestoft. Drop off available at Noisy Hammer in Norwich. [email protected] to book in.

Check out my youtube and instagram 81 Guitar Works specialise in servicing, set ups, repairs, modifications and restoration of electric, acoustic and bass guitars. Based in Maidstone Kent, we offer a wide range of repair and customization work, from a loose strap pin, to, fret work, electrical repairs, to headstock breaks and re finishing. Supplying:- Seymour Duncan, Lace Sensor pickups and Towner

Vibrato systems. My experience has been gained through years of being a gigging and touring musician. What started as me learning to set up my own guitars, grew to friends guitars, and then into a business. I have a keen eye for detail but always striving to learn more about guitars and luthiery. Drop off can be made at either my home, my print studio (in Ashford) via courier or in person. If you have any queries or would like to talk about booking your guitar in with us at 81 Guitar Works, please get in touch. [email protected]

31/05/2026

Got the MA finished up.
Specs:-
Ash body and top
Flamed roasted maple neck with oil and wax finish.
Ebony finger board with a 12” radius
25.5” scale
Stainless frets
Luminlay side markers
Cream fret board dots
Cream binding and back plate
Gotoh locking tuners
Mastery trem and bridge
Custom p90 pickups
Single volume
3 way toggle.
Strap locks
Sprayed in Porsche Oslo blue and 2k clear coat from , slightly aged to match the vibe of the guitar.

Want your own? Slid into my dms and let get the ball rolling.
This one will be on show at

Then will be up for sale as a stupid discount, b stock/ex demo price.

Also big shout out to the South Pier Arcade in Lowestoft for letting come down and take some pics 🫶

28/05/2026

Piece of history came through the shop recently. This is the prototype Vienna!! It was in a bit of a state when it was brought in. The owner used to work at the factory and it was given to him in the 90’s in lieu of some wages owed. He gigged hard for years and then it got put away in a garage… which didn’t do it any favours. The bridge was so rusted and broken it couldn’t be saved, the mahogany body had shrunk back so much you could feel a lip to the maple cap. The neck and board had shrunk back so much the frets had popped out of the board!!! There was also 2 big cracks from the bridge posts. I pulled the frets and re fretted it. Plugged all the bridge route and re routed and drilled so there was solid mahogany for the bridge posts, I also added an aluminium plate in the tremolo cavity to support posts. Gave everything a sand and few costs of oil and wax. Was a cool project and I documented the whole thing over on my YouTube channel, head over to that and give it a watch. Got a guitar that needs a setup or service? Drop offs available in Lowestoft or Norwich.

23/05/2026

All the basses this week! Check out the wear on this pbass!!! 😍😘😍. Cool jazz in for a general setup. Cool pj in for a re string and general setup. Honer got a re string, general setup and new Corian nut. P got a good clean and general setup. Rickenbacker got a general setup, new nut and wiring harness. And a couple of re strings for a young girl getting into guitar, the uke banjo was cool! Got a guitar that needs a service or repair? Drop offs available in Lowestoft or Norwich.

04/05/2026

Don’t think I posted a complete photo set of this repair. This epiphone had already had a neck break was glued but took another knock and re broke. Rather than just glue and hope, I opted to route out all the broken wood and replace with fresh mahogany. Caved and re shaped it, leaving it chunkier across the back. Re shot the back in black. Buffed out. Job done.

03/05/2026

Few things done this week. Rickenbacker bass in for a setup and re string. Dropped off in the morning and picked up a few hours later. Cool 62 p got a heat press and general setup. Cool epiphone got a fret level and setup. Hammer p got a heat press and setup. Backwards Strat got a general setup. Radiohead mush Strat got a fret level. Couple of Gretsch got fret levels. And a tele got a fret level. Got a guitar that needs a fret level or setup?? Drop offs available in Lowestoft and Norwich.

23/04/2026

Couple of repairs I’ve sorted this week. Sire bass got a jazz pickup installed, blend pot added and the jack moved to the side. Interesting fun fact, sire pickups are a different size to anything else so I had to make a template for it. And a Taylor came in with a lifting bridge. Popped that off, used the belly reducer to flatten the top back out. And re set the neck… twice the first time I got to dialled to the top of the bridge, but after sitting at string tension for a day the action was sky high again. Had to over shoot the re set by 2mm to get it to work out! Action is now at a comfortable height and playing well. Got a guitar that needs a setup or service? Drop offs available in Lowestoft or Norwich.

20/04/2026

Things over the bench in the last week. Travel guitar came in for a pot swap, new nut and setup. Cool baritone neck conversion and guard and pickup cover swap. De skanked a bass. Cool old aria bass, got as mucj out of it as I could, but the truss rod is seized solid 🙁 needs the board taking off but there isn’t the budget for that. A parts strat got the bridge re located and setup. General setup on a Strat, a general setup on a site bass and a jack swap on a tiny jazzmaster. Got a guitar that needs a setup or service? Drop offs available in Lowestoft or Norwich.

15/04/2026

Got the 81ac all finished up!!
Yesterday it was very mid focused, today after being strung up for a day it’s opened up and now has a really nice warm balanced tone to it.

I wanted to build my first acoustic out of timbers sourced purely from the UK and celebrate their awesomeness.
Specs:-
Bog oak back and sides
Bog oak bridge, finger board and head plate
Cedar top
Sycamore neck.
Black green black purfling
London plane binding.
Buffalo horn nut and saddle
Abalone dots
Nickel frets
Luminlay side markers.

I want to experiment with laminating the sides for the next one and probably use up some of the Brazilian mahogany I’ve got stashed up.

Big thanks to Dave for helping me build this and getting my head round the bracing.

This will be on show at

Address

Lowestoft
NR323NL

Website

http://www.81guitarworks.co.uk/

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