Customer care is fundamental!

Hello everyone! 

Today I wanted to show you how I take care of my instruments and customers! As an Italian violinmaker who handcrafts special instruments it is fundamental to me that the customer has the best care possible and that the instrument is always at its optimal shape!

Especially after the first few years of owning the instrument!

As a matter of fact, throughout 40 years of experience I found there is a crucial period of time: after the first six months/one year  it seems like the instrument does not sound anymore! 

I also managed to figured out the reason why this happens! 

In the very beginning the instrument is not in its final shape: it has to assess and be played a lot by the musician to get it to a stage in which it is not changing so much anymore! As the violinmaker, you will have to change the sound-post after this period of time, depending on where the client is living (humidity and temperature are always playing a big role). 

In this blog post I want to go through you what happens when the customer, who has bought from our shop, needs help! 

Once the customer gets in I have a look at the instrument, specifically looking at the chords, if they need to be changed or taken care of. I then take a look at the fine tuner and the pegs, how have they been used and if they need some maintenance. 

Next up is the fingerboard and the neck turn: do they need to be adjusted? 

I also have a look at the sound-post and its position, usually I need to make a new one, and I also measure the height of the string, so that when I take out the chords I can make all the adjustments and see how the sound post reacts!

When I take out the chords out I also check the pegs and how they are turning. 

It is always interesting to see how the conditions of the violin have changed depending on who is playing the instrument and how often. You can understand a lot by looking at the instrument after some time it has been played. 

The instrument I took care in this video was being played by Giuseppe for 10 months and it definitely showed! 

Another detail is to carefully look at the sound-post and its measurement: we will have to change it if it is falling down after the maintenance work we conduct here in the workshop. We will put a slightly longer one inside to keep the pressure on, with time it will shrink and adjust into its optimal shape! 

Finally, the bridge needs to also be looked at. If the musician adjusts it a lot then it will be consumed more in the center and that is probably why the middle strings “cut” inside the bridge! But if the bridge is in good conditions then the adjustments will be minor. 

Here a list of things you have to look at when caring for an instrument: 

1. Pegs
2. Fingerboard
3. Soundpost
4. Bridge 
5. Chords 
6. Tailpiece 

That is all, I hope you enjoyed this information!
Greetings from Cremona, 

Edgar Russ