Reparation and restoration

These are the most common treatments during an annual maintenance:
• Scraping and repolishing of the fingerboard
• Cleaning
• Adjustment of the pegbox
• Any necessary small retouches on the varnish
• Check the strings, if necessary new strings suggested
• Check the place of the sound post, look for ideal sound together with musician
• Rehairing of bow

A string instrument will only benefit from a correct set-up. This set-up involves all parts of an instrument that can be adjusted to the personal needs of the musician, such as the pegbox, strings, bridge, fingerboard, neck, string holder, end button (for violoncello and bass), bass bar and bow (rehairing and correction of the balance point).

The three different steps:
The first, and least expensive, procedure on an instrument during a set-up is the bow and the strings. Changing the strings or rehairing the bow with quality hair can already make a big difference in the sound of an instrument. Scraping and polishing the fingerboard can also improve the player’s comfort and intonation significantly.
The second procedure is the inspection of the sound post: location, size, width, etc. Add to that the recutting of the bridge. The bridge has an ideal cut for every type of instrument, which improves the sound.
These two procedures are reversible and relatively simple, with often amazing results.
The most radical procedure is the resetting of the neck, which changes the ‘appui’ (distance sound board - fingerboard) and lowers or highers the fingerboard height projected to bridge. Some instruments benefit from changing the bass bar. This will influence the flexibility of the sound board and therefore the sound as well.