THE BRIDGE – Each bridge must be hand cut and fitted individually to each instrument. A carefully fitted bridge allows the strings to vibrate freely without touching the fingerboard, and maintains them at proper height for easy playing. It must be correctly curved, with proper spacing for the strings. A well-fitted bridge also allows the top to vibrate as it should. All Köhr violins are adjusted with a high quality European bridge.

THE NUT – The nut should have the correct height and spacing to insure that the strings do not touch the fingerboard so there is no “buzzing” sound and the instrument is playable. Also, the nut must be smoothly finished with no sharp edges, which can cause string breakage.

THE FINGERBOARD – The fingerboard must be accurately trued and aligned, smooth and straight, with the proper curvature and correct length and thickness. Fine ebony, not stained or varnished, only lightly oiled. The strings must be checked for proper height starting at the nut and on to the bridge.

THE PEGS – Fine quality ebony pegs individually fitted for smooth easy turning and ideal holding tension. They must be correctly spaced both in relation to one another and not too close to the back of the peg box.

THE SOUNDPOST – Each soundpost is hand fitted to the instrument and properly placed to produce the maximum balance of tone quality and volume. Soundposts fitted abroad by the manufacturers are not usually carefully fitted and placed in proper relationship to the bridge. This is why we fit them in our shop.

THE TAILPIECE – These must be sized in proportion to the size of the instrument as it is the link between the end button and bridge. Historically, the tailpiece has been made of the same material as the pegs and end button, which is usually ebony in the case of the student instrument. However, now fine tailpieces are often made of new very strong, lighter materials with string adjusters built-in.

THE STRING ADJUSTERS – The new Wittner tailpieces have the string adjusters (tuners) built-in. If wood tailpieces are used, we install only the finest quality adjusters, attached firmly to eliminate any chance of buzzing.

THE TAILGUT – We use only the finest available fasteners to minimize any chance of breakage.

THE CHINREST – A fine quality chinrest must be well-shaped for comfort and balance and attached to the instrument securely.

FINAL INSPECTION –All instruments undergo a final inspection by the shop manager. This assures that the instrument meets or exceeds all specifications.

PLAY TEST - We play test our adjusted instruments to ensure that there are no adjustment issues or wolf tones, and that the overall tone and “playability” are at a level commensurate with the instrument and the customer’s instructions.