Violin Corner Crack - Should I be concerned?

chancletarock · #1 10-12-2010, 10:56 PM

Hi all,

Well, it happened: I knew going in to getting my Upton with violin corners would be dangerous, but I figured "why not!" and went with it. The other day my hand slipped loading it into the car (

) and one of the corners bent/chipped, but didn't break off completely. Attached are a couple pics to describe.

I'm wondering if I should be concerned, because the crack seems to intersect with the rib - the rib itself is not cracked, but it seems like if the whole piece were to fall off, that the rib would be exposed - would that result in lack of resonance? Is there a sort of preventative action that should be taken to ensue that my back doesn't come off and blow up in a thousand pieces?

My question is basically whether or not I should have it looked at, and if anyone knows what the basic repairs and repair costs are for something like this (if it needs to be repaired/attended to). Thanks all for any info you can provide!

P.s. I don't want to seem like the type of guy for whom this would be the end of the world - I care about 1000000x more about the tone of the instrument (which I really love), and the cosmetics of my two electric basses show that. It's not that I don't take good care of things, but..I mean life happens and I understand that, as long as I have a working rig at the end of the day and I didn't contribute to f***ing up my gear through recklessness, etc.

Pics:

chancletarock · #2 10-12-2010, 10:58 PM

For some reason the pic thing didn't work - here are links... If you would be so kind as to donate a browser window and a couple seconds to my troubles, I would be super grateful!

shot 1
shot 2

Jake deVilliers · #3 10-12-2010, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chancletarock

For some reason the pic thing didn't work - here are links... If you would be so kind as to donate a browser window and a couple seconds to my troubles, I would be super grateful!

shot 1
shot 2

That's not a big deal CHAN but the sooner you get that attended to the better. Oil and dirt will be drawn to that crack like a moth to a flame, making it uglier and harder to repair. Right now its easy, so call your luthier and get it fixed pronto.

chancletarock · #4 10-12-2010, 11:44 PM

Thanks, Jake - I didn't know that about the dirt/oil thing. Right now I have a bandaid over it for cushioning/cover. Do you know what one might expect for that sort of repair, cost-wise?

Thanks again!

Schoolhouse · #5 10-13-2010, 07:38 PM

Expect to pay for an hour to an hour and a half of your local luthiers time. If no touch-up is involved , perhaps less.

kurtdaniel1 · #6 03-31-2011, 02:55 AM

A little super glue, properly applied, should do it. i did it too with my violin a year before..

PaulCannon · #7 03-31-2011, 03:03 AM

We're a little late to the advice party, but that's a job for wood glue. You can do it yourself (well, the hypothetical "you" as I'm sure this was fixed months ago). Make sure the raw wood is free of dirt, apply a drop or two of wood glue, and hold the chip in place for five minutes. Should be solid as a wooden rock.