Violin/Fiddle: Bridge Adjustments Setting a Violin Bridge

Subject: Quesiton concerning restringing a Violin
Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 04:17:45 +0000

Hello..... I have a little stituation that I hope that you may be able to shed some light on, Upon reciving a Violin that I had planed to learn to play over the summer, at the moment I play guitar and hope to expand my musical insturments, anyways I was starting to tune it. This violin by the way had been in a case for about 5 years and has not been touched. One of the pegs was slipping so I was slowly tuning it hoping that It would stick. well when I did the string broke, and being my self and acting before I stoped to think, I figured the strings were old and need to be replaced anyways so I undid them all. I soon figured out that the bridge fell off * which I wasnt expecting*. Doing some research on the internet I found your site and it made several mentions to not letting the bridge move, something that I had already done. So my real question is what do I do now, and what is the major impact of letting the bridge come off?

Thanks for your help

James Dickerman

Greetings James,

To reinstall a violin bridge you'll need some kind of visual reference....We do teach this in our "Introduction to Violin and Fiddle" video...in fact, we teach many things in this video about becoming self-reliant as a violinist. Even so, this video can be quite expensive if all you need is information on replacing your bridge. Therefore, we're hoping to create a slide show on replacing violin bridges on our website...so please stay tuned on our website for future updates...

For an immediate fix, my suggestion would be to go to a local music store and have it properly fitted and adjusted...shouldn't cost more than 15.00 to do this...and, they would be able to check over the violin for an other set-up problems.

Wishing you the best, Mickey

Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 13:49:55 -0000

Hi,
I've just bought a violin (I have absolutely no previous experience with this instrument although I play guitar and violin) and i have read about what you said about having the bridge leaning backwards, but the bridge is slightly curved on one side and flat on the other and shouldn't the feet rest straight on the violin body?
any advice at all about setting it up would be appreciated as I don't have a clue!
thankyou

Greetings Christine,

I'm not sure if you received an answer to date...your e-mail was in a queue...

The violin bridge, on top, is designed with a lower part on the treble side and a high part on the bass side...

1. So, first and foremost, make sure that the low part is located on the treble side...and make sure all the strings are in their respective slots...

2. after this, start tuning up your strings slightly to ensure that the bridge is somewhat stable...

3. now move the bridge so that it resides exactly between the two notches of the F soundholes...

4. once the bridge is situated properly, and the strings are taut so that the bridge is held up, tilt the bridge ever so slightly backwards...the legs will still be resting flat.

Please Note: (if the feet of your bridge does not rest solidly on the top of your violin, you may need to make sure it's properly aligned...all four strings should be centered between both sides of the fingerboard...if this isn't the problem, then you may need to have the feet on the bridge properly filed to fit the arch of the top of your violin)

5. now tighten up the strings watching the bridge closely...as the strings are tightened the bridge will have a tendency to lean forward...you only need to keep tilting it back slightly until all the strings are completely taut.

Hope this helps...

Mickey

Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 22:25:31 -0700
Subject: Violin Bridge Set-Up

Dear Mickey,

Thanks for the info!! It was really helpful, but I've run into a new problem (I'm thinking I'm just not meant to play for christmas...) The bridge snapped! I saw that you sell violins, do you sell the bridge...If I got another one can I just pop it back into place and let the strings hold it in place, or is there glue that holds the bridge in place? ....Should I just let a professional handle this one? Thanks so much for your help!!

Melodie

Melodie,

If the bridge is still in one piece, you should be able to put it back under the strings...yes, it's held by the strings alone and is non-stationary. The bridge resides between the two notches on the F-soundholes...

Be careful if you're attempting to do this set-up yourself (I wouldn't recommend it)...Now, it's critical to know which side of the bridge falls under the treble side (E string)...and which side falls under the bass side (G string). The treble side is slightly lower than the bass side. After the bridge is properly placed, it then needs to be leaning very slightly towards the back...bridge installation is completely explained in our video "Intro to the Violin and Fiddle"...

If your bridge is in pieces, you'll most definitely need to buy a new bridge...and in this case, as in any case if you're unexperienced with this, I strongly encourage you to take it in for proper set-up...

Yes, we do sell the bridge, however, you'll still need to set it up...and, it can be critical as illustrated above. Therefore, I still say it might be a lot simpler for you to take it in to a qualified repair technician.

If you buy a bridge, be sure to request one that is pre-cut...sometimes, it's still required to do some sanding to follow the correct arch between the bridge and the fingerboard...

Good luck with your research...Mickey