Restoration & Repairs

Being made of timber, orchestral stringed instruments can sustain damage from a number of causes. Fortunately they can be repaired and restored in just about every instance.

Our extensive experience in repair and restoration enables us to provide you with professional advice and recommendations of the approaches we can take to return your instrument to its finest structural and playable condition.

Firstly, we identify any work that is required and in consultation with you, we produce a written quotation which we guarantee will never increase. We document all repairs and restorations from beginning to end with photographs at each stage of progress which we can provide to you in print or by email.

Each instrument requires a unique set of restoration techniques, however our approach is always with the utmost of respect for the original structure. Where ever possible we preserve the instrument’s original timber, yet if new timber needs to be introduced, we choose this timber from our repair stock to very closely match in age, structure, grain pattern, colour and reflective properties.

When approaching any violin maker for the repair or restoration of your instrument, we highly recommend that you request to see evidence of their work. We are always happy to show you pictures of our previous work and any work that is currently in progress in our workshop.
Please click on the pictures at the side of this page to view the before and after photographs of the repair of a viola rib that had been damaged by wood worm.

If you have any questions regarding our repairs and restorations, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Further examples of restoration and repair work;

Before and after pictures of a crack repair on a cello.

Glueing and clamping of a soundpost crack and fitting of a soundpost patch to a violin front.

Neck graft, peg bushings, missing timber replacement and varnish retouching of a Hill viola.

Full plate plastercast and through (shavings) patch preparation for woodworm damage repair on a Grancino violin.