BASIC REPAIRS
Bridge Placements
Bridge integrity and placement is critical to the intonation, tone and projection of a string instrument. West Music Orchestra carries a wide variety of bridges, and specializes in their placement and adjustment to bring out the best from an instrument.
Bow Rehairing
Many factors come into play when evaluating the need for rehairing a bow. It is subject to environmental conditions, as is the bow stick, shrinking and stretching with the season. It will also deteriorate with normal use. If the bow requires that you tighten or loosen the hair drastically to achieve proper playing tension, or if the hair is dirty or breaking regularly, we recommend that you bring it in for an evaluation. We can help you determine if the hair simply needs cleaning, if the camber of the bow is adjusted correctly, or if the bow should be rehaired.
When we rehair bows in our shop, we use quality hair and the best techniques to assure that the hair length is appropriate for the bow and the style and preferences of the player.
Sound Post Placement
Proper placement and adjustment of the sound post makes all the difference in the resonance, depth of tone and projection of every string instrument.
Variations in temperature and humidity can cause the instrument body to change around the sound post, requiring adjustments to the placement and length of the post, and sometimes a sound post replacement. If the tone of your instrument has changed noticeably, let us evaluate it to determine if it would benefit from a sound post adjustment or modification.
Tonal Adjustments
Every string instrument is subject to physical changes due to temperature, humidity, age and other factors, and each instrument reacts differently to different players. To accommodate each player’s unique physical characteristics and technique, we offer custom tonal adjustments to fine-tune the instrument to fit the player’s needs and preferences. These adjustments include a personal assessment of the player and the instrument by our luthier, and the modifications necessary to optimize tonal characteristics and projection, such as adjusting string length or sound post placement.
Personalized tonal adjustments are available by appointment only. For more information, or to schedule an adjustment, please us our contact form, or call us at 319-351-2000.
SETUPS
Basically a tune-up for your instrument, periodic setups help maintain its structural integrity, intonation and tonal characteristics. Proper adjustments will prolong the life and preserve the value of your instrument.
You can be assured that every instrument in the West Music Orchestra Shop has been set up by our head luthier to our standards of tone and playability.
RESTORATION
When your instrument has incurred substantial damage or deterioration, we evaluate it as a restoration. At your request, we will perform a detailed assessment of the instrument’s condition, and provide an estimate of our fees for the recommended repairs and reconditioning. In addition to repair of structural cracks in the body, we perform sound post patches, scroll grafts, top removal, rib adjustments and neck resets.
Please contact us for more details on how you can get a free estimate on restoration of your instrument.
APPRAISALS
We perform instrument appraisals in our stores to determine replacement value for insurance purposes. These appraisals include research into the history of the instrument, supporting photography and documentation, and require that we keep the instrument from two to four days. Please contact us to make arrangements for an appraisal.