Repair and Restoration

Chattanooga Fine Violins is proud to offer our repair and restoration services to the Chattanooga area string instrument community.

As a luthier owned and operated business, violin repair and restoration is the heart of what we do. With traditional training in the art and fifteen years of experience your antique or modern instrument is in good hands.

Repair Policies - Please Read!

You are always welcome to bring in repair work for a consultation anytime we are open, Monday - Thursday from Noon - 6:00pm. We do not charge for estimates. Work is performed in the order in which it is dropped off and we do not take appointments or hold places. A price and completion date estimate will be provided at the time you drop off the repair. If the wait time is too long, you'd be welcome to try again at a later date, or if you'd like to skip the queue, rush jobs are billed at 50% premium (Rush jobs are accepted at the discretion of Chattanooga Fine Violins).

We are a one luthier workshop serving a large string community. As such, the workshop is almost always busy and anyone who does not respect the repair polices will have their job refused. Since turnaround time is largely based on the work already ahead of you in the workshop queue, we cannot provide any information about turnaround times over the phone and cannot quote pricing for work without seeing the instrument in person. If you'd like to have your instrument or bow repaired, just bring it in during regular business hours and we'd be happy to help you.

Instruments

We must evaluate all repairs in hand before a quote can be made, but here is a list of common jobs at standard prices. In the price list below, standard job prices are derived from the bench rate, so any standard job with a set price is the price you pay (plus tax). You do NOT have to pay the standard rate plus the bench rate. The bench rate only applies to complicated repairs that are time dependent, i.e. varnish touch-up, structural repair, etc.

For example: a violin bow rehair is $80.00. You would pay $87.40 at checkout ($80.00 + 9.25% sales tax).

Many factors can complicate repair pricing, please bring us your instrument for a free quote.

Standard Repair Prices:

Violin / Viola

Bench Rate: $100 / Hour

Restring: $20 or Free with the purchase of strings

New Soundpost: $80

New Bridge: $100

Student Bridge: $75

Reglue Open Seams: $30-$40 per bout

Top-on Crack Repair: Bench Rate

Tonal Adjustment: Bench Rate

New Peg (each): $25 plus cost of peg blank

New Nut or Saddle: $100

Plane and Dress Fingerboard: $85

Retouch Varnish: Bench Rate

Cello

Bench Rate: $100 / Hour

Restring: $25 or Free with the purchase of strings

New Soundpost: $100

New Bridge: $200

Student Bridge: $140

Reglue Seams: $55 per Bout

Top-on Crack Repair: Bench Rate

Tonal Adjustment: Bench Rate

New Peg (each): $35 plus cost of peg blank

New Nut or Saddle: $150

Plane and Dress Fingerboard: $175

Retouch Varnish: Bench Rate

Bass

Bench Rate: $100 / Hour

Bench Fee: $60

Restring: $60 or Free with the purchase of strings

New Soundpost: $150

New Bridge: $400 or $450 with Adjusters

Student Bridge: $300

Reglue Seams: $100 per Bout

Top-on Crack Repair: Bench Rate

Tonal Adjustment: Bench Rate

New Nut or Saddle: $200

Plane and Dress Fingerboard: $250

Retouch Varnish: Bench Rate

Bows

Violin / Viola

Bench Rate: $100 / Hour

Bow Rehair: $80

New Tip Plate: $165

Replace Leather Grip: $80

Whalebone Lapping: $60

Silver Lapping: $110

Cello

Bench Rate: $100 / Hour

Bow Rehair: $90

New Tip Plate: $190

Replace Leather Grip: $80

Whalebone Lapping: $60

Silver Lapping: $130

Bass

Bench Rate: $100 / Hour

Bow Rehair, White or Black Hair: $120

Salt + Pepper: +$10

New Tip Plate: $225

Replace Leather Grip: $90

Whalebone Lapping: $75

Silver Lapping: $160