FINE STRINGED INSTRUMENT
FULL REPAIR SHOP
Repair, Complete Restoration & Bow Re-hair
Instrument Repair
During the lifetime of your fine stringed instrument you will encounter many different reasons to have your instrument repaired, especially with continuous play. Along with 40 years of experience and knowledge, we treat your instrument with great care, paying attention to every detail so the discerning musician will know their instrument is in great hands.
Depending on why your instrument may need to be repaired, due to cracks; that will be fixed together, reinforced and varnish will be touched up to ensure
functional, acoustic and aesthetic aspects of the instrument are intact. If there are open seams they will be glued together with special sturgeon glue which has just the right qualities for instruments. Neck and scroll repairs might be necessary if there is a pegbox crack or if the peg holes have become too wide.​ We not only look at the outside of your instrument but the inside as well, to make sure the entire piece as been thoroughly inspected before repairs are performed.
Complete Restoration
Whether you are considering restoring a family heirloom or your own personal instrument back to it's previous glory and close to its original state, you have come to the right place. At Importuno Violins, we completely restore fine stringed instruments to their original pristine state. Restoration is an art form and should only be entrusted to professional luthiers as they have the experienced needed to to treat your instrument with great care and knowledge, especially when dealing with the expression of the condition of the instrument. Restoring a fine string instrument can increase it's value considerably. We take great pride in knowing which components are intrinsic to the instrument's integrity and originality. Great fine string instruments that are greatly made, get better with age and restoring will preserve it's greatness, were a poorly made instrument will not and maybe better to be replaced. With our knowledge of making hand- crafted fine stringed instruments, we will be able to consult with you on the right direction you should take with your instrument.
Complete Bow Restoration For Violins, Violas, Cellos and Bass
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1. Deluxe Stallion Horse Hair The Finest, Black, Salt & Pepper For Bassist, Fiddlers, and Other String Instruments
2. Bow Tips: Imitation Ivory , Mammoth Ivory, Bone, Sterling Silver
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3. Pearl Slides: White &Yellow ,Abalone , Goldfish , & Silverfish
4. Pearl Eyes: For Frogs & Buttons
5. Lapping : Nickel & Sterling Silver Wire , Finest English Imitation Whale Bone Faux
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6. Eyelets: Brass & Bronze
7. Screws: And All Different Buttons
8. Leather Grips: Lizard , Goat Skin ,Kangaroo , And Calf Skin
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PRICING VARIES PLEASE CALL FOR QUOTE
When To Restore The Bow Of Your Fine String Instrument
• HOW OFTEN should the bow have new hair ? Some players go a year in between rehairing. Some go only two or three months. The reasons are many, some play more than others, some players rosin too much, some are super sensitive to grip phenomena.
• BOW HAIR being animal matter, decays quickly, strength and grip decreasing over a short period of time, usually six months.
• STALE OLD HAIR looks fine until used, then it flies in all directions due to brittleness, it will also produce an uneven sound.
• FRESH HAIR produces superior tone. Rehair as often as you can afford.
• THE BOW HAIR BUG attacks bows not exposed to the light of day often enough. This larva of the carpet beetle will decimate a new rehair in less than a week. Bows used very often are not subject to this damage. The bug causes long lengths of bow hair to fly in all directions, in the case, not being used!
• FAST ROSINING/OVER ROSINING causes hair to be “worn out”.
• ALWAYS have your bows rehaired by a Bow Maker or Master Luither.
Appraisals
There may come a time when you need to have your instrument appraised for authenticity, origin, or to protect your valuable instruments and bows with an up to date and accurate insurance valuation and receive an Importuno Violins certificate.
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Repair Testimonal
I found John online when looking to have my fret board of my bass put back together. Living in Florida can be challenging with the humidity on instruments. John had worked on my bass a couple of times now and I call him the miracle worker. The other challenge is Termites and wood, sure enough my wood frame home had to be tented along with my bass which was infested as well. As John got into the work he found some issues from a repair I had done before I found him, (Fret board issue again) that needed to be addressed. As you can tell by the pictures my bass was in tough shape. I have enclosed a picture of me playing the restored bass. John is truly a master craftsmen, I call him the miracle worker. ~Tom Shirra
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The Bass: Early 50’s ¾ Juzak that Tom purchased from Lou Deleone who restored it in CT; in 1983 or 84. The Bass moved to Florida in 1991, since then the humidity has played havoc on it (fret board pops off more than I would like it to) Major restoration project Fall 2018 - Spring 2019. Spring 2019 back in action.
Restoration work done for Robbie Steinhardt
(violinist, singer -song writer formerly from the band Kansas).
From Left to Right: Robbie Steinhardt (Kansas, Gio Importuno and Robert Greene with his custom Importuno Violin.
Robert Greene's Custom Inlay of Owl on Moon