I dropped my violin! Is it OK? What should I do? [closed]

Question

Okay, the unthinkable has happened. I dropped my violin (or viola or cello), or something fell on it, or someone knocked it over. What should I check? Can I correct any problems myself? Should I take it to a professional?

Answer 1

Note: I'll answer this question with violin and other bowed strings in mind. Many of the tips would also apply to acoustic guitar or other wooden instruments.

First: It never hurts to take it to a professional. You need to know of a good, reputable, capable person who can do repairs and maintenance on your instrument. How to find such a person is its own question, but the quick version is "ask other musicians in your area." For string instruments, this person is often called a luthier, and I'll use that word. A good luthier shouldn't charge you for just taking a look to see if anything is wrong, and might be able to spot problems you're not aware of.

But right now, let's do some quick triage. You're the first responder to your instrument's emergency. How can you check its condition? What are some common injuries to check for? How can you give your instrument "first aid" to make sure it's as safe as it can be for the moment?

Look the whole instrument over carefully. Is anything visibly damaged? (There are some issues that look catastrophic but shouldn't be a cause for panic. If the "tailgut" breaks, there's a loud bang and suddenly all four strings go everywhere and the bridge falls off—but the repair is fairly minor and inexpensive. Even if the damage is catastrophic, luthiers can do amazing things; I know someone whose 18th-century cello fell down a flight of stairs and had the top smashed in, but looks and sounds just fine now.) If there are scratches or gouges, that's unfortunate, but look in particular for cracks. Look at the places where two pieces of wood come together and make sure there are no gaps. Assuming it's safe to, knock with your finger around all such joints and make sure nothing buzzes or rattles.

One of the most common and easiest remedied issues after a hard knock is simply that the instrument is out of tune. Before you start retuning it, check that the things the strings depend on are properly in place. For bowed strings, the bridge is the most "moveable" piece of the instrument—it isn't glued in place, just held down by the strings, so it can easily be knocked out of alignment. Look at the bridge side-on; its back face should be perfectly perpendicular to the belly of the instrument, not leaning forward or backward. Look at it as a bird's-eye view: it should be perfectly perpendicular to the strings; neither of its feet should be farther forward or backward than the other. Looking with a bird's-eye view, are the strings "centered" in the middle of the fingerboard? If not, maybe the bridge has moved sideways. If the bridge is leaning, curved, or shifted, this is one fix you can do yourself, but if you're at all uncomfortable or unsure, go ahead and take it to the luthier. Since the bridge isn't glued in place, it's easy to accidentally knock it right over when trying to push it into place, and this can scar the top of the instrument. Have the luthier teach you how to adjust the bridge safely so you can do it yourself next time. If you have to move the feet of the bridge, tune the strings down a bit to reduce tension (but don't remove all the tension) so you don't scrape the top of the instrument.

Tilt the instrument from side to side. If there's something rolling and rattling around inside, uh oh—your soundpost has probably fallen. (Or worse, some other piece has come unglued inside.) Peek through the F holes; can you see a small dowel rolling around? That's the soundpost. The good news is this is a very easy, cheap fix; the bad news is your instrument is in danger of much more serious damage. The soundpost helps "hold up" the top of the instrument; without it, the tension of the strings might damage the top plate. Immediately take some tension (not all of it) off the strings and get it to the luthier as soon as you can.

Check the end "button"; is it seated properly against the side of the instrument? Is it sticking out at an angle? Check where the neck meets the body of the instrument. Are there any visible gaps?

And that's pretty much it. If everything checks out, feel free to tune up and carry on—though feel free to take it in to your luthier anyway. It's worthwhile to go in for a "check-up" once or twice a year anyway!

Answer 2

You really want a 1000-word answer to this? :-)

Look it over. IS anything visibly broken? Does it play OK? If nothing's broken, probably no need to fix it.

Answer 3

I had a similar thing happen to my first violin when I was a kid and destroyed it, sad face. It was a beautiful violin, great sound. If you are not a luthier or have experience with such instruments, I'd take it to a luthier immediately and ask them to look it over. It's like going to the doctor.