estimated repair cost
I have a violin I acquired from my old private teacher once upon a time. There is a crack from the bottom just left of where the tail piece would be (it is currently just the body and neck), and it is about 6" long, going with the grain, ending at about the middle of the f-hole. There is another crack just right of the neck and fingerboard that is maybe 3" long going with the grain. Also, the back is separating from the rib on the bottom directly under the end pin. Is there anyone that would be able to give me a rough estimate on about how much just those three repairs would cost? Thank you in advance, Peter
Replies (6)
It really depends on how thorough a repair & set-up you you want, and how much the violin is worth, both in dollars and to you. For example, some face cracks can be squeezed together & glued, but taking the top off, gluing & maybe adding butterflies would be better. You might like to do some thinking about the violin's importance to you. If you have a real longing to play on something from your old teacher, but the violin is of modest value, spending more than it's worth could be OK. Sue
Well, since it was my private teacher's, I can only assume it is rather good, and I had my orchestra teacher look at it last year, and she said that it is much better than my current violins. Since it just the body, it would need a new bridge, and strings at least. I don't know if there is a soundpost or not, I haven't looked, and it could probably use some new pegs. The violin doesn't have a name on the inside anywhere that I can see, but for what it's worth, it looks like a nice violin, and just the fact that it was my private teacher's makes me assume the same. I would like to get it fixed partly for sentimental reasons, but I also need a nice concert instrument to use.
I had a viola that was cracked from bottom to top. Local luthier removed top, glued and cleated crack and reassembled for $400, which included bridge and new strings. He didn't waste time on trying to make the repair invisible. If it had been an intrinsically more valuable instrument it would have cost more to repair, because of the extra time and care spent on restoring it.
Take it to a luthier and get a firm estimate or a quote. We will all be playing the guessing game without seeing the violin. Luthier prices vary considerably, depending on how desperate their financial position are. Be prepared for extras that you never thought of.
I agree that it's almost impossible to give even a ballpark estimate without seeing the violin. Are the cracks new and fresh, or have they been contaminated with dirt, rosin or polish? Have they been repaired before, and if so, was the work done badly?
Prices will also vary a great deal by the quality of the repair. Do you want broken stuff to be basically stuck back together, or do you want it done in such a way that hardly anyone can tell that the damage ever existed?
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June 9, 2010 at 10:45 AM ·
It is difficult to say that....
If it is a factory made instrument 2 working hours of may be sufficient. If it is a valuablel instrument it may require much more time of much more specialized (and expensive) repairer.
If the crack is in the post region it may need a post patch.
The instrument may need more attention than that you are seeing now. Most probably a new bridge, new soundpost, peg adjustments and new strings will be needed also.
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