Parmakis Instruments

17/12/2025

Well that's a wrap. I'm going to use my last week or so of workshop time before the holidays to work on my new 15 1/2" viola commission.

As my last few repair jobs are getting collected, it's time for the yearly roundup again; over 2025 I've worked on 55 violins, 25 cellos, 5 basses, 9 violas, 4 banjos and 42 bows.

I'm looking forward to what 2026 has to hold. Amongst other things I'm hoping to get my current cello build finished and out into the wild - watch this space!

06/12/2025

I've been as busy as ever but not quite had time to post about the instruments and bows I've in. Amongst other things I'll be working on a commission in the run-up to xmas, so please book your jobs in now if you have anything urgent. Thanks!

05/09/2025

I will be participating in an Open Workshop as part of
Me, Alina Ehret (), Ask Eide () and Joe Vercoe (.instruments) will be showing our hand make instruments and discussing tools and techniques.
(There are no programmed talks, it's just a drop-in over the 13th and 14th)

25/06/2025

Every instrument I make is the result of an internal dialogue; I could simultaneously justify and contradict every choice I've made. Copying the original vs. redesigning, using templates vs. trusting hand and eye for the shape, doing what I did before vs. trying fresh ideas...
I find this especially true with arching and thicknessing. It's very easy to feel like you've gone too far removing more wood then necessary in a particular area, only to take a few shavings somewhere entirely different and find that the area you had previously doubted suddenly reveals itself to have, on balance, ample of wood yet to remove.

21/06/2025

Throwback to 8 years ago: I'd just finished my foundation year at Newark School of Violin Making and made what felt at the time like a nearly finished violin.
Let's hope this institution stays open for years to come!

22/05/2025

The school where I and countless other luthiers have trained over the last 50 years is facing the threat of closure. Or even if it doesn't close, the teaching could be drastically scaled back. If you've ever benefited from my services here at Parmakis Instruments, please consider signing this petition.

Save the Newark School of Musical Instrument Crafts!

22/05/2025

We are fast approaching the season of last minute jobs frantically squeezed in between festivals. (You know who you are 😆 ) I'll have limited availability during July and August, so if you know you need a new bridge or a rehair or a fine tuner tailpiece fitted for those humid all night jam sessions, *book it in ASAP* to avoid disappointment.

22/05/2025

This violin came in because the neck had come almost fully unglued, leading to the fingerboard touching the top of the instrument! Luckily there were no actual broken pieces of wood, so it was a fairly straightforward repair. I also fitted a new soundpost as the old one was too loose.

22/05/2025

The owner of this cello grew up playing on gut strings and after much consideration has decided to return to that setup at least for a while. It feels so different setting up an instrument with gut (including the less obvious things like *no fine tuners*), and it's funny to thing this was just the way cellos were until ~50 years ago.

22/05/2025

This violin was made especially for the owner by her mother, under the supervision of a luthier. It's a lovely instrument but over the course of the last 12+ years things had gone a bit awry with the setup, so I fitted a new soundpost, bridge and strings and it's now sounding really nice.

22/05/2025

This banjo came in for some general setup work including string height adjustment, repairing a crack in the rim and fitting a new tailpiece and tuning pegs. It's always fun to work on something a bit unusual - this banjo has nylon strings and an early 20th century "classic" banjo setup.

22/05/2025

This violin came in because the owner thought the tone could probably be optimised. I fitted a new bridge and soundpost, and it seems to have done it a world of good.