Almost soundpost crack - cleat or patch?

August 17, 2012 at 03:31 PM · Hi Peter,

You could take pictures of your violin and put them on the Maestronet Pegbox blog. Most old violins in rural Australia would not be worth anywhere near the money you have to spend on a soundpost patch but yours might be an exception. The experts at Maestronet are very gracious with their free advice. (provided the requests are not too obnoxious - like: "Should I buy this violin from e-bay for this much money so I can sell it for more?")

August 17, 2012 at 05:05 PM · I recently repaired a nearly identical crack. It was caused by the owner trying to jam in a rattlesnake rattle that was wider than the F-hole.

Speaking as an engineer: this type of crack is in a non-stressed area (normally), and a crack there is most likely caused by abnormal stress on the upper wing, either by fingers or by an impact of some sort during shipping. I repaired the crack only with glue worked in from the outside, for the reasons given... and it was a freebie job. Seems to be holding. There was also some concern that adding cleats in this area would stiffen this sensitive area and cause tonal changes.

Speaking as an inexperienced repair/restoration person: less is better. A soundpost patch is major surgery, and in my opinion is not necessary. But photos on Maestronet will surely get you better advice from some real pros.

August 17, 2012 at 05:24 PM · Peter : I live near you so I am very curious who would do the glue and cleat job for you locally ? I send my violins down to Lance Scott in Brisbane for all major work.

August 17, 2012 at 10:19 PM · Thank you for your replies. I will give maestronet a try, sounds like I'll get away without opening the instrument.

Kind regards,

Peter

August 17, 2012 at 11:14 PM · I recently had a soundpost patch done on my 1880 anonymous German violin. It had developed a rather large crack right over the soundpost, so the repair was extensive, but it was brilliantly completed by a local luthier. The patch cost nearly as much as the violin was worth, and I had some other work done at the same time, re-setting the neck, and repairing some other (more minor) damage, to bring it back to optimum playability, so I ended up paying quite a lot more than I originally intended. I also had to surrender the violin for a couple of months. It was always a very good sounding instrument, however, and I was greatly attached to it, having owned it since I was a student, 50 years ago. Now it sounds better than before, and it should be good for another hundred years, barring accidents. So I don't regret the decision or the cost. But a soundpost patch is major surgery, as you know. Good luck in coming to a decision!

August 17, 2012 at 11:34 PM · Peter,

I agree with all being written so far.

My old Bohemian violin (circa 1820) has a sound post crack that was repaired most likely by Anton Hermer in Leipzig 1932. There is no sound post patch, no cleats, just a very strong glue that is still holding. At first I was reluctant to use even a medium gauge strings, but it appears to handle tension well. Local luthier told me that in the old times they used to do just that.

At one point in time, I may invest in a proper sound post patch, but unless the sound deteorated or the crack open I will stick with "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

By the way, the other day I expressed my concerns regarding violin being shipped with sound post and bridge on; see "Another ebay shopping". Apparently some people do not mind doing it. I simply can not understand that.

August 18, 2012 at 04:39 AM · Rocky : I prefer my violins shipped to me with the bridge up. I ask them to tune the violin and then to drop the tuning about one tone for each string. The violins have always arrived safely like that.

If they ship it to me with the bridge down then the soundpost always falls. These violins are all under $500 each. If the violin was more expensive I might consider having them sent with the bridge down. How they are packed is also crucial ; some cases offer almost no protection at all.

August 22, 2012 at 10:27 PM · "Glue and cleat could be done locally. Instrument would be mailed for soundpost patch. (It aquired the new crack while being mailed to me.)"

Peter, have the glue and cleat done by the same person who you would choose for the soundpost patch. If someone doesn't know how to do a soundpost patch, they probably don't know how to do the best "glue and cleat" job either.

Mailing isn't a big risk when people know how to do it properly. I've never had anything damaged during 35 years of shipping, under full string tension.