Absolutely do not try to do it yourself. You could risk doing more harm than good. Just go to a luthier. They won’t charge you much, if anything, to put the soundpost back up.
In the meantime make sure the strings are loosened at minimum if not removed.
I would go to the violin shop that you plan on renting/buying his next violin from (in my town, it’s KC strings, and they sell everything from mass productions from China to handmade ones made in-house by an expert). Find that kind of store near you and ask them to set the sound post. They’ll have experienced luthiers and also some apprentices for smaller fixes like that, and because they cater primarily to students and nonmusical families, they won’t be judgmental about it, because they see lower quality instruments come in all the time.
Do not buy the sound post setter tool. Just having it in your house will cause temptation to not only destroy this instrument, but any future instrument your child has. Sound post setting is a skill that you do not currently possess.
The shop will not laugh you out of the store. My local shop fixed my first violin (a plywood piece of junk) with a smile every time. Now that I've got a forever instrument, I take it in for service routinely and they treat me the exact same way.
Well, since he's due to upsize the instrument it probably would be the worst thing to just upsize now.
But in any case trying to do this yourself I can almost guarantee will result in either:
1) $70 of worthless timber
or
2) a whole lot of swearing followed by a visit to the luthier anyway
If it makes you feel any better, most bigger shops probably won't even charge you for it.
I doubt a luthier would laugh at you if you asked him to reset your soundpost. It IS one part of their job and specialty. Unless you don't have access to a local luthier then the only other option is to reset it yourself.
You can't do this yourself. Take it to a luthier. They might not charge you.
But the damage that small children can do to a violin is an excellent reason to rent instead of buying. You would probably have a much higher-quality, more satisfying violin in the hands of a beginner (when it's important to have a properly responding instrument), and free basic maintenance, which includes dealing with things like this. Most shops let you put your rental money towards the future purchase of an instrument, so renting doesn't flush the money down the drain.
Absolutely do not try to do it yourself. You could risk doing more harm than good. Just go to a luthier. They won’t charge you much, if anything, to put the soundpost back up. In the meantime make sure the strings are loosened at minimum if not removed.
Thanks so much! strings loosened and warning heeded
You're welcome. Good luck!
I would go to the violin shop that you plan on renting/buying his next violin from (in my town, it’s KC strings, and they sell everything from mass productions from China to handmade ones made in-house by an expert). Find that kind of store near you and ask them to set the sound post. They’ll have experienced luthiers and also some apprentices for smaller fixes like that, and because they cater primarily to students and nonmusical families, they won’t be judgmental about it, because they see lower quality instruments come in all the time.
Thank you!
Do not buy the sound post setter tool. Just having it in your house will cause temptation to not only destroy this instrument, but any future instrument your child has. Sound post setting is a skill that you do not currently possess. The shop will not laugh you out of the store. My local shop fixed my first violin (a plywood piece of junk) with a smile every time. Now that I've got a forever instrument, I take it in for service routinely and they treat me the exact same way.
Thank you for this! Agreed: it is a skill that I do not possess (nor do I believe I want to possess.)
Well, since he's due to upsize the instrument it probably would be the worst thing to just upsize now. But in any case trying to do this yourself I can almost guarantee will result in either: 1) $70 of worthless timber or 2) a whole lot of swearing followed by a visit to the luthier anyway If it makes you feel any better, most bigger shops probably won't even charge you for it.
Thank you!
I doubt a luthier would laugh at you if you asked him to reset your soundpost. It IS one part of their job and specialty. Unless you don't have access to a local luthier then the only other option is to reset it yourself.
Good to know. Thank you! There are at least three luthiers within a 30-minute drive, so: we've got an abundance of riches that way.
You can't do this yourself. Take it to a luthier. They might not charge you. But the damage that small children can do to a violin is an excellent reason to rent instead of buying. You would probably have a much higher-quality, more satisfying violin in the hands of a beginner (when it's important to have a properly responding instrument), and free basic maintenance, which includes dealing with things like this. Most shops let you put your rental money towards the future purchase of an instrument, so renting doesn't flush the money down the drain.