V.com weekend vote: How often do you get your violin's seams checked?

October 26, 2025, 3:56 PM · A few weeks ago I was visiting the violin shop to get my bow re-haired, and they asked if I wanted to have my violin checked.

I realized that had been a very long time since anyone had really given my violin a good look and checked for open seams.

Indeed it had, and I had some half-dozen openings! The good news is that my fiddle spent a few nights away, and now it sounds absolutely wonderful. Fixing an open seem can make a huge difference in the sound of a violin.

My violin in clamps, from a previous restoration.

What exactly is an open seam? The places where the back and front of the violin are glued to its ribs are called "seams." When they come apart, typically in a small area, then you have an open seam.

So why would seams come apart? The body of the violin is glued together with hide glue, which is intentionally not the strongest glue on earth. When you have different kinds of wood glued together (typically the back of a fiddle and the ribs are maple and the front is spruce) changes in temperature and humidity (due to weather, season, or your hot, sweaty body) can cause the wood to expand and contract at different rates. It's better that the seams occasionally come apart than some kind of SuperDuperGlue keeps them together and forces the wood itself to crack!

So addressing open seams is a regular maintenance issue for violinists, but one that doesn't necessarily get a lot of press. An experienced luthier can detect an open seam just by knocking a bit on the back and front, around the edges. (I had one luthier, back in the day, who used to put the violin up to his mouth and try to blow on the seams, to see if any were open!)

To fix an open seam, a good luthier will clean it out the old glue, apply the hide glue and then let it dry with a clamp on, to keep it closed.

After this experience, my plan is to turn over a new leaf and have my fiddle checked every time I get the bow re-haired, which is usually twice a year. I had waited far too long!

So do you have your violin, viola or cello checked regularly for open seams? How often do you find they need to be fixed? Please participate in the vote and then share your thoughts in the comments. And for any luthiers, you are welcome to share your expertise (no doubt you know more than I do about the topic!)

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