Violin fingerboard issue

Question

I know something is wrong with my fingerboard and I'm attaching a photo here. The fingerboard is too low with no projection at all.

I don't know if this is the right place to ask. I had given my violin for repair over 4 months prior for an issue;

I got this repaired and continued my practice. I had stopped practicing for last two to three weeks and after opening my violin today I saw the fingerboard and also, the gap that I had repaired had again opened up. So my violin right now looks like this

Is there anything I can do. Any help is really appreciated.

Answer 1

It's hard to tell from the photographs* whether the entire neck has 'simply' sheared off, or whether there's some body collapse to go with it.

Either way, it needs a professional. Price up the cost of a repair against cost of a new instrument.
If this is the same damage as was already repaired, I'd have a serious word with whoever repaired it. Choice of; do it again, properly, or refund the cost & get someone better to do it.

*I gave the pictures a little tlc in Photoshop & it looks like just the neck joint now.

Answer 2

Looks like the whole neck has become detached from the body. If that was the original repair, it's back to the shop - either for a refund, or for the job done properly. If for another, unrelated reason a repair had to be done, it needs to go somewhere! It seems serious, but before it was a violin, it was those separate pieces of wood, which had to be glued together. It can be done again - by a pro.

EDIT: don't worry about the fingerboard itself. It's attached to the neck, and so the two will move together. The wrong way, as in the pic., the right way when it's all been glued properly back together. The fingerboard will then be at the same angle as original, so the violin will be playable again.

Answer 3

If you consider that:

1. The instrument is not worth a proper (i.e. expensive) repair
2. You cannot afford a repair or a new instrument (at least for now)
3. You really need to continue your practice
4. You can tolerate some degradation of the sound
5. You don't intend to sell it
6. You don't intend to perform before a picky auditory
7. You don't say who gave you this advice

(all of the above)

... you can use some glue and 3-4 small (less than 2mm wide) screws for wood to fix the neck to the bottom.

Remove the strings first. And clean as much as practical of the old glue before removing the strings (after removing the strings, the gap will probably close).

(At minus 10 degrees Celsius guitars break in similar way, guess where I know from...)

---

Edit:

Yes, the two problems (fingerboard away from strings, bent towards the box and the neck unglued from the bottom) are pretty much related. The tension of the strings should be counteracted by the adhesion between the neck and the box. The the whole instrument should have a characteristic posture. Adhesion obviously failed and now the neck is at an improper angle in regards to the box, the whole instrument is bent.

Regarding humidity: The wood and the glue strength both depend on temperature and humidity, but the string tension depends on humidity and temperature, too.

Strings made of natural materials (the more expensive ones in most markets, not sure in Mumbay) somewhat self-tense when subjected to humid environment. This may move the pitch up as well as break not-very-healthy instrument like yours.

Strings made of artificial polymers (nylon, etc...) are more or less insensitive to humidity.

p.s.2 ...and I think "harder" and "softer" strings for violin do exist (but I am not a violinist and don't know for sure). "Softer" varieties should require less tension for a proper tuning.

p.s.3 Your questions hint that you are not very much used to simple mechanics and woodwork. If you choose to repair the instrument yourself, it is good to get a help from someone at least somewhat experienced in carpentry.

Answer 4

This kind of lifting of the heel off of the button is often caused by an poorly fitted neck joint. If the heel isn't fitted flush to the end block when the instrument is made, the gap gets filled with glue instead of wood to wood contact, and all the stress of the strings is placed on the end button.

From the picture it looks like whatever glue or filler your repair person used either didn't set correctly, or softened due to heat or humidity.

A proper repair would have been to remove the neck completely, check and correct the fit of the heel to the block, and re-glue with the correct kind of glue. In this case it looks like some glue like substance was put in the separation and nothing else, which is why it failed.

As mentioned in the other answers, a proper neck reset can be expensive and the money may be better spent on purchasing an upgrade instrument. You might seek a re-repair or a refund from whoever did the work, because if properly repaired the joint should have held. I would ask for a refund, because whoever did the work wrong the first time probably isn't going to get it right the second time.

Screwing and gluing it yourself as fraxinus answered is something that does happen when the musician can't afford a proper repair or replacement at the time, but it does make it difficult to properly repair the instrument, and can cause further damage. I would only do that if the instrument is of low enough value that you would be eventually replacing it anyway.