String Instrument Care

String Instrument Care

Thank you for purchasing/renting your instrument from Ackerman Music. At the moment it is in good working order, having been checked by our specialist repairers, but it will need a little TLC to keep it that way.

Getting Started

When you get your bow out of your case you will notice that the hairs appear to be very loose, this is because it needs to be tensioned to be played.To do this simply turn the screw on the frog until the hair is tight, but do not over-tighten.We will already have rosined the bow for you, but it will need more from time to time.To do this simply pull your bow up and down across your block of rosin.

Always slacken the bow hair after playing. The bow will eventually become weak if it is constantly under tension. Please remember not to touch the hairs on your bow as grease on your hands will cause it not to work.

You may also find that your instrument needs to be tuned before playing.If it is a long way out of tune use the pegs at the top of the violin, if only a little adjustment is needed use the string adjusters at the bottom of the strings.Be careful not to over tune your strings as this could cause them to break.

When tuning strings, check that the bridge has remained upright. Tuning the strings can pull on the bridge, causing it to eventually warp.

String Instrument Maintenance

Until you have gained experience please ask your teacher or a professional to change or tune your strings.

Bridges are not glued or fixed to the instrument so they can move, again ask an experienced person to correct it.

If you have fine tuners fitted, you will need to slacken them off when they are near the end of travel. Re-tune using the pegs.

To clean the outside of your instrument and remove rosin dust, simply wipe it over with a soft cloth. If you leave the resin dust on the instrument, it will harden and be difficult to remove. Only use specified string instrument polishes as others could cause damage to the varnish.

When not in use your instrument should be stored in its case. Taking care that there is nothing on top of the bridge to prevent damage.

Do not expose your instrument to extremes in temperature, like a radiator or cold garage, as this can damage the pads and the body of the instrument.

If at any point your instrument needs servicing, cleaning or repairing please bring it back to us and one of our qualified repairers will be happy to do it for you.

If in doubt, please seek advice from a string instrument teacher or us.

These are guidelines, your teachers may have other suggestions.