About the service
I work on bowed instruments and the bows that go with them, from student outfits to concert boxes. The order is always the same: the instrument goes on the bench, the light comes in from the side, and the first half hour is nothing but looking. I check how the bridge feet sit on the top, the string height at the nut and at the end of the fingerboard, whether the stop length adds up, where the soundpost stands, how the pegs turn, whether a seam has opened, and what condition the varnish is in. An old or expensive instrument leaves that half hour with a written list of work and a price, and then I wait for your word. Nothing irreversible happens without the owner's consent: no cutting the bridge down, no moving the post, no reaming the peg holes, no opening a glue joint.
Now the bow. Hair lasts six months to a year, and less if you play daily: it stretches, loses its grip, wears thin on one side, and no amount of rosin brings that back. A rehair means a fresh hank matched to your stick by weight and length, new wedges at the head and in the frog, a check of the screw and the eyelet, the frog refitted to the stick face, and the ribbon spread flat so it runs at an even width. If the screw turns freely or moves in jerks, I replace the screw and the eyelet rather than tightening it and hoping. Give new hair a few days to settle; it pulls the tone differently at first, and that is normal.
On the instrument itself, a single day covers pegs that slip or stick, nut fitting, a string change, tuning, and cleaning rosin off the top and the strings with a mild preparation that leaves the varnish alone. A bridge and a soundpost are a job of several days: the feet are fitted to your own arching rather than to a template, the height and curve follow your hand and your repertoire, and the post is moved a fraction at a time and listened to after every move. An open seam or a crack in the top is a week's work and strictly bench work: hardware glue from a tube closes the door on a proper repair for good. One more thing about daily life with the instrument, and it matters more than most repairs: dry air and the luggage hold are what damage instruments. Keep it in a case with a hygrometer, add a humidifier in winter, and carry it into the cabin.
What I do:
— bow rehair: fresh hair, new wedges, screw and eyelet, frog refitted;
— bridge fitted to your own top, string height and stop length set;
— soundpost fitted and positioned by ear, step by step;
— pegs that slip or stick made to turn properly, holes trued;
— nut fitted, slot height and spacing cut to your setup;
— string change, tuning, and evening out the response across strings;
— open seams glued, cracks in the top assessed and reported;
— rosin cleaned off without touching the varnish;
— advice on case, hygrometer and winter humidifying.
Now the bow. Hair lasts six months to a year, and less if you play daily: it stretches, loses its grip, wears thin on one side, and no amount of rosin brings that back. A rehair means a fresh hank matched to your stick by weight and length, new wedges at the head and in the frog, a check of the screw and the eyelet, the frog refitted to the stick face, and the ribbon spread flat so it runs at an even width. If the screw turns freely or moves in jerks, I replace the screw and the eyelet rather than tightening it and hoping. Give new hair a few days to settle; it pulls the tone differently at first, and that is normal.
On the instrument itself, a single day covers pegs that slip or stick, nut fitting, a string change, tuning, and cleaning rosin off the top and the strings with a mild preparation that leaves the varnish alone. A bridge and a soundpost are a job of several days: the feet are fitted to your own arching rather than to a template, the height and curve follow your hand and your repertoire, and the post is moved a fraction at a time and listened to after every move. An open seam or a crack in the top is a week's work and strictly bench work: hardware glue from a tube closes the door on a proper repair for good. One more thing about daily life with the instrument, and it matters more than most repairs: dry air and the luggage hold are what damage instruments. Keep it in a case with a hygrometer, add a humidifier in winter, and carry it into the cabin.
What I do:
— bow rehair: fresh hair, new wedges, screw and eyelet, frog refitted;
— bridge fitted to your own top, string height and stop length set;
— soundpost fitted and positioned by ear, step by step;
— pegs that slip or stick made to turn properly, holes trued;
— nut fitted, slot height and spacing cut to your setup;
— string change, tuning, and evening out the response across strings;
— open seams glued, cracks in the top assessed and reported;
— rosin cleaned off without touching the varnish;
— advice on case, hygrometer and winter humidifying.
