I was at a jam the other day when I heard a crack. Thought my fiddle was broken! It was a little cord that holds the tailpiece to a peg at the bottom of the fiddle. Somehow the cord had got detached along with a little gold circular screw thingy that holds it in place. All the strings went out of tune. A kindly person helped me reattach it and then it broke again and the bridge fell out! "Lucky the sound post didn't fall down too," she said.
I thought about trying glue, or trying to replace my tailpiece with the one from my original fiddle (a Cecelio student model). I'm afraid that when I undo the strings and remove the tailpiece, I might risk having the soundpost fall down. And supposedly no one except a luthier can fix that.
Advice from the hivemind, is this repair something do-able or would I just break more delicate pieces and should I just take it to a luthier?
Edited by - woodswalker on 05/09/2025 08:30:38
quote:
Originally posted by woodswalkerI was at a jam the other day when I heard a crack. Thought my fiddle was broken! It was a little cord that holds the tailpiece to a peg at the bottom of the fiddle. Somehow the cord had got detached along with a little gold circular screw thingy that holds it in place. All the strings went out of tune. A kindly person helped me reattach it and then it broke again and the bridge fell out! "Lucky the sound post didn't fall down too," she said.
I thought about trying glue, or trying to replace my tailpiece with the one from my original fiddle (a Cecelio student model). I'm afraid that when I undo the strings and remove the tailpiece, I might risk having the soundpost fall down. And supposedly no one except a luthier can fix that.
Advice from the hivemind, is this repair something do-able or would I just break more delicate pieces and should I just take it to a luthier?
I'd buy an inexpensive Wittner online. I use them on all my fiddles. You can install it yourself.
Thanks. I looked at the underside of the tailpiece & couldn't see any breakage or failure, but are you saying something did malfunction in the plastic cordpiece?
It sounds like your tailgut is probably a Sacconi style, a nylon gut with threads cut on the ends and brass nuts that thread on. The nylon threads can get stripped or worn down and then the nut slips off. If it’s come off already, it will continue to do so because the threads aren’t holding well enough to secure the nut under string tension. If the tailpiece itself is undamaged, all you need is a new tailgut. You can replace with another Sacconi style made by Wittner or you could try Kevlar or braided steel for more security.
Inspect the tailpiece to be sure it’s not damaged. If it is, buy a new one with a new tailgut. Unless you’re buying a luxury tailpiece it won’t cost much. Have it installed by a luthier so you can be sure it’s put on correctly.
This is what Rich is talking about, although its a little hard to know exactly what you mean by "little gold circular screw thingy."
internationalviolin.com/parts/...n-tailgut
If you have a good relationship with a luthier it might be easier just to take it to them, since they'll probably have the part and it won't cost much to install it. You can certainly do it yourself though.
Yes, that's the part I meant. It looks like it screws into the gold nut, but apparently it's just friction and the cord just slipped out because of microscopic wear & tear that I can't see. I'll try & order this part. Thanks!
As Rich said, the nylon cord is actually threaded, and if it looks to you like its just friction its because the threads are worn out. It was the easiest place to find the picture, but International violin is really a wholesaler, and you may need to look around for a place where you can order this without getting killed on the shipping.
yeah replace the tail gut it''ll be fine...or get a new tail piece? Have a look online for "after length" between the bridge and the tail piece.
Edited by - pete_fiddle on 05/09/2025 12:49:17
Thanks for everyone's help! I ordered the piece...$2.50 plus $8 shipping! Seems like the job is pretty simple. Easier to do it myself than drive to a luthier. If I could install the Witner tuning pegs then I guess I can do this.
It has happened to me as well. Yep, it's pretty easy do yourself with new piece.
To get a quick fix though, as the piece was already damaged and in need of replacement; noted tread was only stripped on one side, just took lighter to the stripped side to make fixed ball end; it held it just fine. Could have also took pliers and pinched the brass nut. Super glue might have worked as well, not sure how well reacts to nylon and brass.
The only thing to consider is to adjust for the correct after length between the tail piece and bridge; I always heard 1/6 the string length, so should be 55-57mm. Though not sure if makes a much critical difference on many student models, steel or less expensive strings; or how to figure if have separate added fine tuners.
Edited by - alaskafiddler on 05/09/2025 18:26:28
quote:
Originally posted by woodswalkerThanks for everyone's help! I ordered the piece...$2.50 plus $8 shipping! Seems like the job is pretty simple. Easier to do it myself than drive to a luthier. If I could install the Witner tuning pegs then I guess I can do this.
That always strikes me how it can cost more to ship (esp to Alaska); $8 to ship something that can fit in an envelope, mail USPS?
