Maintenance Basics for Your Violin, Viola, Cello, or Bass

Sometimes the best way to think of your instrument is as a child or a pet. In fact, we call our beginners guide to maintenance our "care and feeding" instructions. Whether you're a new beginner or an advanced player, maintenance is always something to keep up with as it prevents more issues down the road and improves the quality of your performing. Read on for tips!

Basic Care and Feeding

Our care and feeding tips are our introductory guide to instrument care. They are largely designed with our rental program in mind, but can be applied to most instruments. Each rental instrument comes with a "birth certificate" listing information about the instrument itself and basic instrument care. In light of COVID, and for an even clearer visual, this past year we created care and feeding videos for violin/ viola and cello/ bass. We encourage all beginners and new renters to watch them. Here are some of the highlights:

• Always loosen your bow before putting it away- try not to touch the hair
• Wipe any rosin off the top and strings with your soft cloth- no cleaners or polishes
• Don't store a bass or cello upright, lay it on its side, bridge towards the wall
• Don't don't expose your instrument to extreme heat nor humidity
• Your pegs will loosen and slip due to changes in temperature and humidity- this is normal. Ask your teacher of Loft technician to adjust them for you

Yearly Maintenance

Just like it's recommended that you visit the doctor for a yearly physical, we recommend that instruments come in for yearly check-ups. The amount of time you spend playing, your technique, and your climate may all effect how often maintenance needs done, but on average, you'll want to change your strings and get a bow rehair once a year. Both can be done at our shop. For a list of strings we sell, please refer to the String Pricing Chart. Upon asking for a checkup, we will look over your instrument over for any other issues like open seams, bridge warping, and action height. We don't charge for repair estimates, and all repairs are subject to your approval, so there's no down side in stopping by!

In Short: We recommend yearly checkups that include a repair assessment, a set of new strings, and a bow rehair.

Humidity

Here in Ohio we get to experience the highs and lows of humidity​ throughout the year. Sometimes, it seems to happen just in the same week! Generally, we suggest trying to keep the instrument at 40-60% humidity. In the winter months, this may mean purchasing a room humidifier, case humidifier, or dampit. If an instrument gets too dry, it can cause open seams and cracks which can be expensive to repair. Stable humidity also helps an instrument stay in tune. In the summer, dehumidifiers may be necessary, although not as commonly in Ohio. Keeping a humidity gauge in the room is usually the best way to monitor it. In shop we sell dampits, Boveda packs, Oasis case humidifiers, D'Addario case humidifiers, and Stretto case humidifiers. They're all fairly inexpensive and protecting your instrument is certainly worth the investment.

Why Choose The Loft?

The Loft is your one stop shop for all things violin, viola, cello, and bass. ​We have an experienced staff of luthiers on site at all times to perform any maintenance you may need on your instrument. As musicians ourselves, we pride ourselves on our quality craftsmanship and customer service. No one will know the needs of you and your string instrument better than a specialized string shop. Plus, you get the benefit of supporting a local, family owned business! Whether it's a big repair job or yearly maintenance, we are happy to help and hope to see you soon!