Fixing up my Carlisle Violin.

[davefilm]

I am going to take my violin to a 2nd local shop, the 1st shop said that there was some open seams, and to get it playable in top condition it would cost around 250.00

They said it needs new tunning pegs, is that something I could just pickout online and take them to whoever ends up doing my repairs?

He also said just to get it just playable I would just need to string it up, I am not sure if he meant the seam was so minor you could just string it up. Can anyone tell if I should defently have this seam fixed before getting it stringed up?

[CWRoyds]

I would just go ahead and let the luthier fix everything.
$250 for fixing the seam, fitting new pegs, fitting a bridge, and doing a setup is totally worth it in my opinion.
Carlisle violins can be really nice instruments.
I think a nice one in good condition can get $3000-8000 depending on the quality of the tone.
Really exceptional ones can get $10,000 up.

If you trust the luthier, just let him select and fit the pegs.
Just tell him you want good quality pegs.
The pegs and the bridge are the two things you want a skilled luthier to work on,

Does yours have a thumbprint on the label?
I think the ones with the thumbprint are the ones he made as an independent luthier.
The others were made by him, but for Wurlitzer.
Could be wrong about that though, as I am no expert.
I just read about fiddles and makers when I was flirting with fiddle as an extension of my mandolin knowledge.

[CWRoyds]

You have probably seen it, but I found this old movie of Carlisle making violins was interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bjm7qLpabA

[davefilm]

I would just go ahead and let the luthier fix everything.
$250 for fixing the seam, fitting new pegs, fitting a bridge, and doing a setup is totally worth it in my opinion.
Carlisle violins can be really nice instruments.
I think a nice one in good condition can get $3000-8000 depending on the quality of the tone.
Really exceptional ones can get $10,000 up.

If you trust the luthier, just let him select and fit the pegs.
Just tell him you want good quality pegs.
The pegs and the bridge are the two things you want a skilled luthier to work on,

Does yours have a thumbprint on the label?
I think the ones with the thumbprint are the ones he made as an independent luthier.
The others were made by him, but for Wurlitzer.
Could be wrong about that though, as I am no expert.
I just read about fiddles and makers when I was flirting with fiddle as an extension of my mandolin knowledge.

Yeah has a thumbprint here are more photos, I bought to sell, but now I want to learn, lol but coming from a guitar background prob wont help much.

here are more photos.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/davefi...57676349707620

[Woodrow Wilson]

Yeah has a thumbprint here are more photos, I bought to sell, but now I want to learn, lol but coming from a guitar background prob wont help much.

Beautiful violin. In the grand scheme of things, $250 wouldn't be wasted on it. I'll be spending around that to have a crack repaired on my violin (exact opposite side of a crack I had repaired twenty years ago... such is life). That's the cost of pulling the top off and reglueing it; not sure why it would be a necessary fix in your case but perhaps the luthier could explain that (or perhaps he misunderstood what you were asking him to accomplish).


That said, just tell the luther you want it playable for now, until you know whether or not you are going to stick with it. Odds are that it's not so bad that the tuning pegs can't be made acceptable with a generous application of chalk (the kind you use in a math class).

[davefilm]

Beautiful violin. In the grand scheme of things, $250 wouldn't be wasted on it. I'll be spending around that to have a crack repaired on my violin (exact opposite side of a crack I had repaired twenty years ago... such is life). That's the cost of pulling the top off and reglueing it; not sure why it would be a necessary fix in your case but perhaps the luthier could explain that (or perhaps he misunderstood what you were asking him to accomplish).


That said, just tell the luther you want it playable for now, until you know whether or not you are going to stick with it. Odds are that it's not so bad that the tuning pegs can't be made acceptable with a generous application of chalk (the kind you use in a math class).

Do they pull the top off to fix seams? pulling a top off sounds scary lol

[michaelcj]

Shouldn't need to remove the belly [top] for a minor seam repair. That being said belly removal is quite common in restoration/repair of violins especially when repairing cracks. The design/assembly and use of hide glue actually anticipate removal sometime in the instruments lifetime.
Pick a qualified [violin] luthier/repair person and you have very little to worry about.

Agree with other posters that this fiddle is well worth the effort/cost.

[Nevin]

I come from the world of upright basses where $250 for those repairs would be a bargain. If you trust him I would go for it.

[Jim Garber]

I agree with the others here that $250 for a complete setup and fitting new pegs is a good deal, assuming this violin guy is competent. I believe my local guy would charge that much for just the pegs. If you are going to play it there is nothing like a good setup to make your violin sing properly.

[pops1]

I pretty much agree with everyone else, let someone do it. The cost of the pegs is very minimal, it's the fitting of each peg and the pegbox hole that is the cost, you would not gain by getting your own pegs. When I glue a crack I like to open the seam, but not remove the top unless it is necessary. I rarely use cleats these days for cracks, actually haven't for many years. They add mass to a top and I have seen too many cracks open up that were cleated and then you have to deal with the cleats as it won't close. Relieving the pressure by opening the seam, gluing the crack and regluing the seam seams to work well and last longer than gluing without opening the seam. I talked about what I do so you can know some about the repair and ask questions of your chosen repair person should you not be familiar with him/her. This is a common repair in the violin world.

[David Newton]

As a guitar and violin repairman, when a person brings in a violin and wants it fixed so he can sell it, there is the question "can you add $250 or more to the selling price?" Otherwise you will lose money having it repaired. I normally advise leaving the repair to the buyer.
If you paid little or nothing for a really nice violin it can work out, if the repairs are competent, because most students or casual players would rather buy an instrument that is ready to go.
A knowledgeable player would rather take a violin to his favored repairman.