#Classical guitar shed metronome crack#

Either way, cracks can be delicately filled or glued/clamped back together with special clamps that arch across the top or back of the instrument.

#Classical guitar shed metronome crack#

Like a broken arm, a crack may be an incomplete fracture or a complete break/crack through the wood. Crack in the Face: Cracks in the face, back, or ribs of a violin can be more serious than an open seam.Still, even a warped open seam is repairable, just may require the face or back of the instrument to be removed and re-glued. Warped wood can be a problem if the plates/ribs no longer fit together well or there's a stress point at the seam wanted to pull itself open again. The only time open seams can be a problem is if they've been open a very long time in intemperate conditions that may have caused the wood to warp. Hide glue can set in as few as 4 hours, although leaving clamps on for 24 hours is pretty standard. Open seams are fixed with melted hide glue, an extremely strong and water-soluble substance that allows for instruments to be easily taken apart and put back together. Open seams are one of the most common repairs and are usually VERY simple and relatively quick repairs when done correctly. Open Seams: An open seam is simply an opening somewhere between the ribs (the sides) of the instrument and the face and/or back.So to shed a little light on the subject, here are some of the most common repairs we deal with in the Kennedy Violins instrument shop including a) the problem, b) how serious it is, and c) how it might be fixed. I was thinking the other day, it seems people are really comfortable gluing a table leg back on or assembling their own IKEA furniture, but if something happens to their violin (which is made of the same basic substance: wood), they panic. It can last for hundreds of years when well made and maintained. You can take comfort in the fact that your violin like an organic piece with the ability to heal with a simple cast, like for a broken arm, or some basic 'surgery.' I noticed that people tend to be hypochondriacs when it comes to their personal instruments, especially when they don't know what the cure or fix is for the damage done. In fact, they don't freak me out at all because we work with them every day. Keep in mind, violins are like Legos with parts that can be either repaired or replaced.Īs I've become more familiar and comfortable with these common 'injuries' inflicted upon stringed instruments, the less they freak me out. So if something breaks on your instrument, it's likely not the end of its life. Some repairs are trickier than others, but most are far, far from impossible, and usually fairly simple. Almost anything made of wood can be easily repaired or cosmetically restored with the right tools and materials: a little glue, micro-mesh, sandpaper, a variety of wood stains, varnishes, replacement parts, and the like. Over the years as I've done string instrument repair and setup, I've come to appreciate the brilliance in making objects out of wood. It was a miracle in my eight-year-old eyes. What I thought was a complete catastrophe turned into no big deal. Well, little did I know that the neck could be glued back on with a seam barely visible to the eye. I thought it was finished, completely totaled, and ready to throw in the scrap pile only after we paid thousands of dollars for the irreparable damage. He walked away, leaving it to slide over, slamming on the concrete. Propping a bass standing up like that is asking for tragedy. My dad propped my rental bass up, leaning it standing on its end pin against the side of our van on the morning of a performance. The first time I was traumatized by a broken instrument was in the third grade.