The 3 Different Levels of Violin Restoration

I talked to a local luthier who told me that making instruments was of far less interest to him than repairs and restorations. He’s one of those luthiers that you would trust your $1M instrument with. I’d kind of like to interview him, the man has stories.

There is also the emotional attachment to an instrument. Some players would want expensive repairs no matter what.

I totally understand your emphasis on doing the right thing with repairs & restoration & staying within responsible limits etc. I know my limits & will only work on student & advanced student instruments generally, & some German or similar instruments, but again within limits. I'm over having instruments here for any lengthy restoration work (only on instruments up to a certain value, of course). One weekend a cellist in a quartet was off on a camp with this 'expensive new' cello loaned to him from a professional musician in the SSO & the fingerboard had come unglued & he needed it repaired immediately (after ringing around I was it), so here's me staying up on a Saturday night being ever so careful getting the gluing job absolutely perfect (as it should be) & then having it scrutinised the next day & for any possible marks on the body (I should have charged a lot more than I did), however it was approved & appreciated, thankfully. Again, I totally appreciate you producing this video emphasising the importance of being responsible & not attempting repairs that should be left to those with appropriate professional experience. I also have that Violin Restoration: A Manual for Violin Makers book by Hans Weisshaar & Margaret Shipman & it is quite expensive (especially with the $ conversion). Thankfully Margaret (over two decades ago) waived the shipping cost because of the amount it was costing me then, but then again, a book can only convey some information, not one on one training. However, I also found Henry Strobel books great for measurements for all sizes of violin, viola & cello & bridge templates etc. Very useful for setting up new instruments & repairs (like refitting necks etc 😉 ).

Pretty funny when you put down the violin along with the groceries. I always try to pick up a violin or two when I go grocery shopping.

You buy an eBay instrument under $100, you buy something before the mass-produced Chinese stuff around 2000, you get the right woods, ceder and maple. You look the pictures and it may need regluing a section of the top or bottom, but no barn finds, no cracks, no finish has been destroyed. Have one of those early 20th century German Amati labeled violins, it needed some top gluing (I used the wrong glue) but was probably a typical family violin played little beyond the original owner. One my sisters has a great uncle's German Strad, grandfather born in 1900 had it, the great uncle probably the only one who played it, it has sat in closets, in similar condition.

Fascinating! I wanted to pursue restoration work but couldn’t afford attending the schools for it, and no one wanted to apprentice me. So, I followed another career path but love watching these videos!

I am glad I saw this, I almost started sanding, but something stopped me.....Then a week or so later I see this....

I remember I got into repairs because I got frustrated with my local shop refusing to do any work on my instruments, I feel their mindset was just to sell rather than repair. Literally everytime I went to ask for a bow rehair they always forced me to but a new one. Anyway I appreciate the video explaining this subject because some people go way to far with judging others on how to do repairs and I understand that. the glue is a good example, like you said a low quality vso doesn't always need to be repaired with hide glue. I did a repair on a plywood violin and I used white glue, why? Because it wasn't worth the cost and prep time hide glue needs.

I brought a cello I rescued from the fleamarket for 10€ to the luthier I trust the most last week. It's not a master instrument but it was built in ww1 and served as a "war instrument". It needs some closer inspection (there were some things my luthier wasn't sure if they needed to be fixed at first glance) but at least he is hopeful that it can be fixed for a decent price. He also shared my PoV that given all the history behind that instrument and all the things it went though, it deserves a chance and not to rot on somebody's attic (or to get ultimately destroyed in the rain, which would have been its fate if I didn't bought it). I hope to get an answer soon, but please which me luck that it can be saved

Awesome video! And that wig……Amazing!! 👍🙏🤣

When building the top plate the thickness is vitally important to get it within a fraction of a millimeter it seems that putting all those crack repair pieces would really affect the sound. If it doesn't could you please explain in a future video why it doesn't affect the sound. Thank you I really enjoy your videos I don't make violins but I have made a few nickelharpas.

This always fascinates me. I play on a 1913 French-Mirecourt cello made by Laberte-Hubert Freres I got for what I consider a very competitive price, and it has obviously had repair work done to it over its lifetime and I am curious what may have been done well or not , and what could be done to optimize its sound and then if possible appearance. Although I think it quite a good looking cello as it is. I wish I could somehow visit Olaf just to get his thoughts on it.

I guess the other question is how long will a repair last. I had my old high school instrument repaired, even though it hurts my neck to play it, and it was an expensive repair relative to the value. I was warned that a crack might develop on the other side because the wedge was cut from the same wood. And I also wonder how long the crack repair itself will last.

May I suggest that you try Thomastik-Infeld Vision Solo VIS100 or VIS101 for G, D, and A strings, and the Infeld Red IR01 gold E? These are great strings.

If a double bass is furniture, is the octobass building carpentry?

So i guess a restorer hell or nightmare would be something like Stradivari with all cheap pva glue, cracks and patches using only flatsawn wrong wood (say pine or beech). All refinished in polyester finish. 😄😁

Olaf, if a ≈$1,200 violin has damage in the peg box from a string chipping away the wood around the peg hole, how much would you reckon the maintenance cost be? Best! xx

You can’t do it for free man. 😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤

I have a question, have you come across any cheaper instruments that sound much better than they have any right to? Does it affect the value?

Especially if you finally have an instrument in the millions, you can't spend yet another 50-100k on restoration :) On my bass viol there are chunks missing, some holes filled with epoxy, and some cracks repaired with a tape and staples. Oh and the nails, they are all over the place, some even hold the plates to the ribs, as well as the fingerboard to the neck. And it is all warped from a water exposure. Bridge is missing. But there is still an original thickes string, unwound gut (pre-1650). Little short though, won't fit with the bridge and tuning.