Preserving the originality

Appearance, sound and optimal playability

At the same time, we always keep the playability of your instrument in mind during our work - from the technical alignment of the neck angle to the bridge shape and the condition of the fingerboard. After all, we want your playing to be easy and you to enjoy your restored stringed instrument every day anew.

Small corrections, big effect

A stringed instrument is a sensitive system consisting of bridge, soundpost, tailpiece and strings, neck angle, fingerboard and bass bar. Precise tuning of these components can open up new worlds of sound for your instrument. We will be happy to advise you on whether such fine-tuning is worthwhile in the case of your instrument. Ask us!

Particularly cautious thanks to high-tech

We work according to the restoration principle: minimally invasive and reversible. If we have to replace old patches or repair worm damage, we work in our studio with a 3D scanner and CNC milling machine. Thanks to this modern standard, we can create perfectly fitting inlays even for extremely complex shapes and reduce the loss of original material to a minimum. We also do not have to remove any original wood for edge doubling thanks to these state-of-the-art techniques.

Minimal-invasiv restoration of a Grancino cello

Condition of the soundboard before restoration: thanks to our inlay method using 3D scanning and CNC milling, we were able to restore this soundboard of a cello by G. Grancino in a minimally invasive way.
Removal of the old patches revealed a thick layer of glue.
Wormholes and cracks were also clearly visible.
We removed virtually no original substance, only removed and cleaned the old patches.
Using a 3D scanner, we created a very precise scan of the surface.
Preparation of the patch: the spruce wood is joined as in the original. The top of the Grancino Cello consists of two larger pieces with flanks set on both sides.
First milling operation with a 10 mm ball end mill.
Fine milling with a 10 mm ball end mill.
After the last milling operation with a 1.2 mm ball nose end mill.
Precision finished patch - ready for gluing.
Gluing in the patch, of course with reversible bone glue.
Finest Handwork
Detail photo: the result with the joint and matching annual rings.
The result with a new bass bar.

Inlays for worm damage

For the restoration of the worm damage in this Venetian violin, our inlay method was also used.
A very important step is the selection of the wood. Here we paid attention to the annual ring width and the flames.
After scanning, we made the inlay with our CNC milling machine.
Gluing in the individual areas.
The result of this minimally invasive repair.

Restoration of a violin made by Petro Antonio dalla Costa

Conditiion before the restoration.
Condition before restoration: many patches and open cracks.
Many cracks weren't in glued in level.
Removing the old patches.
There were some repairs under the patches.
Condition after removing the old repairs. No orginal wood was removed-
Using our cnc milling machine we produced this counter part.
The new patch is glued in the top of the violin.
The finished patch with a new bassbar.

Restoration of a violin made by Matthias Klotz

State of the belly before the restoration. Worm damage is visible by the black lines.
Cleaned worm damage.
With a cnc milling machine we made inlays from old spruce wood.
The inlays were glued and finished.
This is the state before retouching.
After retouching.

Restoring the back of the Matthias Klotz violin.

Condition before the restoration.
Using UV light the damages are even more visible.
UV light using a red filter.
Using an infra-red camera the worm damages inside the wood were made visible.
State inside before the restoration.
Cracks and worm damages.
This is an inlay for the edge.
A part of the inlays are also visible from the outside.
State of the back after retouching.

Restoration of the Top of a Tommaso Balestrieri Violin

The large, elongated inlay was removed from the top of this violin. Using a 3D scan and a CNC milling machine, we crafted a new inlay. A CT scan was performed to check the quality of the gluing.

Why is the glue joint visible in the CT scan

On the X-ray image of the instrument, the bone glue appears as a fine, white line. This phenomenon is based on simple physics:

  • Higher Densitiy: Once dry, the traditional bone glue used has a significantly higher density than the light, porous spruce wood of the violin’s top.
  • Greater Absorption: The X-rays from the CT scanner are absorbed (attenuated) more strongly by the dense glue. In the resulting tomogram, this area therefore appears bright and stands out in high contrast against the darker wood.

The Perfect Quality Control

For us, this white line is the ultimate proof of good fitting. It shows at a glance:

  • Gap-free fit: A continuous, wafer-thin line guarantees that the inlay lies flush across the entire surface without any pressure marks.
  • No air pocket: Any air bubbles would be visible as black dots in the line. Since the line is flawless, optimal acoustic vibration transmission is ensured.
  • Stability: The top can once again withstand the enormous tension of the violin’s strings.

The combination of centuries-old craftsmanship and innovative high-tech diagnostics ensures that the value and sound of historic master instruments are preserved for the future.