Repair log: a 30-year-old violin, better after restoration

Last month a long-time customer brought in a 1996 handmade violin — "too good to throw away, not sure it's worth repairing." We have seen many of these old instruments, and the conclusion holds: almost every old violin is worth restoring, and after restoration it usually plays better than a new one at the same price. ## Inspection: more problems than expected, none fatal - All four pegs slipping — they would not hold tune; - An old knock near the rib with hairline varnish cracks, but the wood itself was sound; - Soundpost out of position, leaving the lower strings hollow; - String height too high at the scroll end, common on older setups and worse with new strings; - Worn tailpiece with dead fine tuners. ## The restoration ### Pegbox ream and new pegs Each hole was reamed slightly and fitted with a new peg. The fit is pure craft: too tight and it will not turn, too loose and it will not hold. The right feel is "a light touch turns it, let go and it stops." ### Filling the knock Cleaned the crack, filled the wood, touched up the varnish and aged it to blend. The goal is not "looks new" but "you cannot tell it was repaired.". ### Soundpost and bass response Repositioned the soundpost and fine-tuned it over two rounds to cure the hollow bass. This step takes the longest and is the most worth it — an old violin's bass depth is its greatest asset. ### String height and fittings Lowered the scroll-end height slightly, fitted a new tailpiece with four fine tuners, replaced the peg ropes, then bridged to suit the instrument's own voicing. ### Final setup Full tuning and play-in, adjusted to the customer's repertoire. ## Why restore an old violin - Sound: thirty years of natural drying make the wood vibrate more freely than new stock — warm, deep, and something money cannot buy. - Cost: a full restoration usually costs far less than a comparable new instrument. - Attachment: the wear on that fingerboard was made by the player's own fingers over thirty years. No new violin can replace that feel. ## When restoration is not worth it Three honest cases: a through-crack in a structurally critical part of the top or back, a neck warp whose reset approaches the value of the instrument, and extensive worm damage. In every other case, bring it in for assessment first. ## Contact and pricing The studio is at Shop 83, G/F, 18 Kehai Rd, Chancheng, Foshan, open daily 8:00-22:00. A restoration is a combined job — labour and materials are listed separately on the public price list; items marked "depends" are quoted after assessment. Message us on WeChat (18676560708) with photos for a first opinion.