Restorations and repairs
Professional set-up and adjustments of violins, violas and cellos
Violins, violas and cellos are usually set-up in a standard way to start-up with. They can then be adjusted to the individual needs of a player or to optimise the sound of a specific instrument. The strings, tailpiece, chinrest, sound-post and bridge are all ways to influence the sound. Different bows will also give different sounds on different instruments. We pride ourselves to be able to adapt our instruments to the player.
Regular maintenance from beginners to professionals
Being made of wood, string instruments require regular check-ups and adjustments.
♪ The strings should be changed regularly as they loose their elasticity over time.
♪ The fingerboard needs to be sanded or planed when grooves made by the fingers on the strings start to appear.
♪ The sound-post need to be checked to make sure it is not too tight or it could create a nasty sound-post crack.
♪ The bridge has to be inspected to verify that it is still straight and that the string height above the fingerboard is still correct.
♪ with the switch between wet and dry weather, a seam might come open (that's where the font and the back are glued to the ribs) this is to avoid cracks on the instrument, but they need to be re-glued or one runs the risk of having a "buzz".
♪ The pegs will swell and stick in wet weather or loosen in dry weather. They need regular greasing with a special compound.
♪ The strings should be changed regularly as they loose their elasticity over time.
♪ The fingerboard needs to be sanded or planed when grooves made by the fingers on the strings start to appear.
♪ The sound-post need to be checked to make sure it is not too tight or it could create a nasty sound-post crack.
♪ The bridge has to be inspected to verify that it is still straight and that the string height above the fingerboard is still correct.
♪ with the switch between wet and dry weather, a seam might come open (that's where the font and the back are glued to the ribs) this is to avoid cracks on the instrument, but they need to be re-glued or one runs the risk of having a "buzz".
♪ The pegs will swell and stick in wet weather or loosen in dry weather. They need regular greasing with a special compound.
Common repairs
Damage may also occur.
♪ Cracks linked to dryness or accidents need to be addressed before they get worse. It is always easier and cheaper to repair an new crack than it is to repair a long dirty one. They need to be glued with proper luthier's glue as all restorations have to be reversible and reinforced.
♪ The bass bar inside the instrument might need to be changed if it stands too close to a crack or deformed area. A new one has to be fitted on top of the reinforcing cleats.
♪ The fingerboard can become too thin to be planed any further and therefore needs to be changed
♪ The angle of the neck can change and become to high or too low to permit a good playability of the instrument. A neck reset is used to solve that issue.
♪ The back button can be separated from the back and therefore the neck would loose a good deal of its support. The string tension could then rip the neck from the instrument. For this, we re-glue the button and reinforce it with a patch.
♪ The peg holes can become worn and either the pegs needs to be changed or the holes might have to be bushed and re-drilled.
♪ The top nut groves may become to deep for the string to be above the fingerboard and a new nut would then be required.
♪ An edge or a corner sometimes becomes so worn out it has to be replace to protect the instrument from further damage.
♪ Cracks linked to dryness or accidents need to be addressed before they get worse. It is always easier and cheaper to repair an new crack than it is to repair a long dirty one. They need to be glued with proper luthier's glue as all restorations have to be reversible and reinforced.
♪ The bass bar inside the instrument might need to be changed if it stands too close to a crack or deformed area. A new one has to be fitted on top of the reinforcing cleats.
♪ The fingerboard can become too thin to be planed any further and therefore needs to be changed
♪ The angle of the neck can change and become to high or too low to permit a good playability of the instrument. A neck reset is used to solve that issue.
♪ The back button can be separated from the back and therefore the neck would loose a good deal of its support. The string tension could then rip the neck from the instrument. For this, we re-glue the button and reinforce it with a patch.
♪ The peg holes can become worn and either the pegs needs to be changed or the holes might have to be bushed and re-drilled.
♪ The top nut groves may become to deep for the string to be above the fingerboard and a new nut would then be required.
♪ An edge or a corner sometimes becomes so worn out it has to be replace to protect the instrument from further damage.
Restorations
Some more complex procedures can also be done in order to restore an instrument in very bad condition.
♪ New edges or corners.
♪ All kind of patches on front or back of instruments can be used to correct or reinforce a damaged or deformed area (sound-post patch, chest patch, see through patch, worm channel repair, top or bottom block patch...etc...
♪ Sometimes a new ribs to stabilise an instrument with too many cracks...
♪ A neck-graft replaces a neck that is too small, too thin or broken.
♪ An centre-joint can be open and has to be re-glued.
♪ A button-graft or a crown can replace a missing back button or repair one that is too small for modern necks.
♪ New edges or corners.
♪ All kind of patches on front or back of instruments can be used to correct or reinforce a damaged or deformed area (sound-post patch, chest patch, see through patch, worm channel repair, top or bottom block patch...etc...
♪ Sometimes a new ribs to stabilise an instrument with too many cracks...
♪ A neck-graft replaces a neck that is too small, too thin or broken.
♪ An centre-joint can be open and has to be re-glued.
♪ A button-graft or a crown can replace a missing back button or repair one that is too small for modern necks.