Common faults & repairs
Visit the Skwiix Outlet to find repairmen, tools and accessories that can help with your instrument repair requirements.
The Bridge may snap
This is the nicely-carved piece of wood that holds the strings up above the belly. For acoustic reasons it is made of a soft, very grainy wood which is strong in one direction and weak in the others, so this is a common breakage. Once again, very low priced to replace although you'll probably need a repairer to do it for you as it has to be fitted to the curvature of the violin belly. Again, you could learn to do it yourself for when you have the same problem at a future date.
The Finger-Board may come off
This is the black strip of wood under the strings, and is never glued on very firmly - sometimes the slightest knock will bring it off. A very low priced and quick repair item
The stick of the bow snaps
Fortunately they are very low priced. Often when this happens it's not worth trying to have it repaired, it is best to get it replaced.
The horse-hair of the bow wears out
Eventually the bow will need re-hairing at a very low cost. If the bow is of poor quality, you might as well buy a new one instead - it won't cost much more.
Tail-Gut breaks
This is what holds the tail-piece to the bottom of the instrument. This can look worrying as the tail-piece, all four strings and the bridge will then fly in different directions! It is not, however, a serious problem and will be low priced to repair
Serious damage to the wood of the Cello
More serious damage to the wood of the Cello like knocks or cracks which may sometimes appear all by themselves - is also easily repaired by an expert. Your Cello teacher should be able to recommend a suitable repairer, because she has to have her own instrument attended to sometimes. Skwiix strongly recommends that you use a qualified repairer at all times to maintain your instrument. Carrying out repairs yourself can seriously damage both the sound and the value of your instrument. Unfortunately the large size of the Cello makes it prone to accidental damage. This is not helped by the fact that most Cello cases are not rigid, they are made of cloth, canvas or plastic. You should try to get a padded case if possible, though this will not provide the same protection to the instrument as a rigid case. Rigid cases made of fibreglass are available, but can be expensive and much too awkward and heavy for a child to carry.
Strings
Cellos are more expensive to buy than violins, and cello strings are also expensive - the thicker G and C strings are more expensive than the thin A string but fortunately they last much longer than violin (up to a year on average). Often they don't break at all, but need replacing because the steel outer casing has become worn and sharp edges have appeared.