REPAIRS
It is extremely important to maintain your violin. If there is an issue with your instrument, and you neglect to correct it, there's a good chance that it will worsen over time and cause even more trouble. Even if you think everything is okay, you should see your luthier at least once a year. He is trained to notice that which may elude your eye.
I prefer to be conservative about repairs, acknowledging the old axiom, "First do no harm." Before I do any repairs on your fiddle, I will advise you to the best of my ability as to why and what. You are the owner of the instrument, and you should understand your violin and its maintenance needs.
- Bridge Condition: Often, a bridge will warp if not carefully positioned and maintained over a period of time.
- Poorly fitted or unlubricated pegs or poorly fitted or positioned bridge.
- Tailpiece poorly or inaccurately installed
- Worn fingerboard (grooves) or improper scoop
- Cracks
- Improperly fitted or positioned sound post.
- Seam separations
- Frayed strings
Repair Price List
- Clean and polish instrument: $5.00
- Retouch varnish: estimate
- Install new standard bridge: $50
- Install high end bridge, such as Milo Stamm or a German or French bridge 25 years or older: $100.00
- Install new set of friction pegs: $10.00 per peg
- Rebush worn or enlarged peghole: $60.00
- Plane and dress fingerboard: $80.00
- Reglue fingerboard: $40.00
- Neck set Adjustment: $75.00
- Full neck re-set: $200.00
- Install new nut: $40.00
- Install new sound post: $50.00
- Reset sound post: $20.00
- Install sound post patch after top is off: $160.00
- Install new bass bar: $150.00
- Crack repairs: estimate
- Remove top: $25.00
- There are many, many issues and different kinds of repairs. I will always estimate and advise you regarding any repair I believe is necessary for the health and playability of your violin. I am quite comfortable with your comparing my price for service against the charges of others. My overhead is low, and I pass those savings on to my clients.
The Difference Between Repair and Set-Up
Set-Up simply means that your fiddle is ready to go but needs strings, bridge, sound post, tailpiece and pegs (or some combination thereof) all properly prepared and installed. I should mention that you should think about what strings you prefer and choose accordingly. Yes, string DO make a difference. The steel strings tend to be a little more, well, metallic, whereas the synthetics will provide a more sonorous and vibratory (and perhaps warmer) tone. However, it all depends on your fiddle's voice and what you want to hear from the instrument. You are the final arbiter.
Voice Adjustment
To be clear, please understand that voice adjustment is the big cahoona. It includes removing the top, re-graduating the back and top (and sometimes the ribs). It may also include a neck angle adjustment as well as repairs to a block or blocks, and more. As a fairly strict policy, I do not "re-voice" the instruments of clients. I do this work on violins in my ownership that I deem will improve accordingly. This is a very strict judgment, and almost never includes a labeled violin or a violin of obvious provenance.
Of course, I have had great success with voice adjustment, and I am quite pleased and proud to present to you violins within my possession and for sale on this website that have been re-voiced. However, that does not mean that you can march into my shop and request that I re-voice your instrument. We would have to have a very long discussion about that and I would be very conservative in my reactions. Just so you know. We can talk.