MUSICAL INSTRUMENT REPAIR  FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

How much does it cost to rehair a violin bow?

Violin bow hair wears out and will need to be replaced from time to time.  The rehair cost of a violin bow is normally $50 and includes high quality natural horse hair.  As a general rule of thumb, if your violin or viola bow is worth at least $100, it is probably worth replacing the hair.  Before taking on the cost of a violin rehair, however, we recommend having your bow looked at by an experienced stringed instrument repair professional.  At Cordas Music, we can evaluate your bow and rehair it if necessary, and we even have new violin bows for as little as $45.

How do I know if my violin bow should be rehaired?

If your violin bow is missing a lot of hair and coming apart, then of course it is time to rehair your bow.  However, if your bow still “looks good” it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is still good.  It might not hold the violin rosin very long and could be basically “worn out.”  If you were to look at a single strand of bow hair under a microscope, a new strand would show jagged edges which will hold the rosin in place.  A worn hair would be smoother and will affect your playing ability.  We professionally repair bows and replace hair on violin and viola bows, cello bows, and bass bows with high quality hair.

My sound post is loose inside my violin.  How can I fix it?  Should I do this myself?

Can you do it? Sure, you could.  Should you?  Probably not.  Resetting a sound post requires proper sound post setting tools and the experience to know exactly how to do it.  A professional will know how to optimize the sound of your instrument by proper sound post placement without risking damage to your instrument.  Using the proper tools, the sound post wood grain must be opposite the violin wood grain and be positioned about ½” in back of the foot of the bridge, on the “E” side.  Sometimes it is necessary to create a new sound post to have it properly placed.  It is best to have a professional musical instrument repair person do the job and is probably much less expensive to reposition a sound post than you might think.

My violin pegs are loose on my violin or viola, how do I tighten them?

The best way to fix your loose violin pegs is with peg drops.  First, do not take the violin pegs all the way out, or take the string out of the peg hole.  Just loosen the violin peg a slight bit, then while holding the peg and pulling it out very slightly:  Put one drop on the peg inside the peg box and then one drop on the peg outside of the peg box.  Turn the pegs back and forth, about ¼ turn to work it around the peg hole and then put the violin peg back in normally.  Do the same thing for all violin pegs that need tightening.

How do I know if my musical instrument is worth repairing?

It is best to check with us or another trustworthy and reputable musical instrument repair expert.  There are many factors that will determine if your musical instrument should be repaired.  Does it have rust or corrosion on the metal parts?  Is it cracked?  Are their pieces missing?  If repaired, would it cost less than just replacing your musical instrument?  As a general rule of thumb, a quality brand name musical instrument is usually worth fixing.  Bring your musical instrument to us and we would be happy to give you a FREE evaluation of your music instrument to determine the approximate value of your instrument and estimated cost of the necessary instrument repairs.

My teacher says my musical instruments needs pads.  Can you replace the pads?

Yes, we provide pad replacement and complete overhauls on saxophones, clarinets, flutes, oboes, and most other woodwind instruments.  Careful work will be done to assure that your musical instrument will seal properly in order to play its very best.  We will fully test each instrument to make sure it plays properly.

I’m in a RUSH!  I have a concert tomorrow, can you make an emergency instrument repair?

We can normally repair your instrument and get it back to you the next day.  Call our shop and we will do our best to accommodate your urgent instrument repair needs.

Can you tell me how much it will cost to repair my musical instrument over the phone?

Musical instrument repairs are all very different and unique.  There are certain instrument repairs that are predictable and exact to quote such as a clarinet joint cork, violin strings, guitar setups, guitar restringing, brass instrument cleaning, or other routine musical instrument repairs.  However, for most other problems, it is really necessary to see your music instrument to evaluate the nature of the problem and what it would take to solve the problem and repair your instrument.  After properly inspecting your musical instrument, then we can provide an exact estimate on how much it will cost to repair.  Estimates are FREE, so give us a call today to schedule your appointment.

I bought a brand new music instrument and it doesn’t play right.  What is wrong with it?

This is a case where we must see your musical instrument to evaluate the problem.  Bring it in for a free evaluation, and we will assess the problem.  Sometimes musical instruments get damaged in shipping but the damage is not visible or obvious.  Other times it is necessary to simply provide the right accessory such as a proper mouthpiece on a woodwind instrument, valve oil on a brass instrument, or the proper rosin for your violin bow.  There is a wide variety of possibilities, but it will usually be obvious to a trained musical repair professional.  Feel free to bring us your instrument for a FREE evaluation, even if you bought it somewhere else.

Have more questions about musical instrument repairs?  Send us a message through our contact form or give us a call and we’ll do our best to help!

Learn more about the various musical instrument repair services we offer at our shop on this page:  Musical Instrument Repairs