Checkup and Repairs

Keeping your instruments in its best condition is the first and essential step of being a successful musician. For string instruments, due to reasons such as changes of weather and tension from the four strings, it is recommended to have maintenance service such as re-varnishing and sound post adjustment every year and a half to two years. Here are some of the common maintenance jobs that need to done in a timely manner:

• Fingerboard and Bridge services can be out of shape due to damages created by improper string tensions over time.
  
• Soundpost is a piece of cylindrical wood held together by the top and bottom plates.  Change of position by a fraction of millimeter can severely affect the tone of the instrument. 
    It is often considered the soul of the instrument.  Adjustments to the soundpost must be performed by experienced luthier. In places with extreme weather conditions, the position of soundpost can have seasonal changes.   It is a good idea for serious musicians to let experienced luthiers to inspect and possibly adjust the soundpost of their stringed instruments semi-annually.
• Most bow sticks are made out of wood.  Its curvature provides a spring mechanism for the bow hair.   Over time, high bow hair tension can make the bow stick go out of shape and hence weakens the spring mechanism of the bow.  It is important to lose the the tension of bow hair when the bow is not in use for a while.Even careful players can discover their bow stick crooked after a prolong use of their bows.  Tone quality is affected as a result.  Once these problems develop, you can need to let your luthier to recondition your bow.

• Like strings, bow hair also has a finite life for its optimum tone.   After extended use, the texture of bow hair gets worn off at the microscopic level. After extended use, the texture of bow hair gets worn off at the microscopic level.

The subsequent smooth surface results in less grip of onto the strings, and hence weakens musicians’ ability to produce the desirable tones they once did.  Serious string players should consider letting luthier to rehaired their bows every six months.

If you are not sure is your instrument need any maintenance attention, feel free to bring your instrument to our shop for a free check-up and free estimate.