Bow Rehair & Repairs
We offer the following services:
- Rehairs (with the finest Siberian or Mongolian horse hair, or Coruss synthetic hair)
- New laps (leather, silver, tinsel, or whalebone imitation. We guarantee that we do not use reptile skin)
- Frog repairs
- Slide repairs
- Eye repairs
- New ferules
- New tips
- Stick repairs
- Cleaning
Our bow work is carried out by Brazilian bow maker and carer Alecio Luis de Reis. Alecio has been with us since early 2016 and works on over 500 bows each year. We offer a speedy bow rehair service: bring your bow by Wednesday afternoon, it will be rehaired on Thursday and available to pick up on Friday. Work such as extensive restoration can take longer to complete. We will give you an estimated time for completion of work when you bring your bow to the shop.
Alecio visits us every other Thursday so please call us prior to bringing your bow in to find out when his next day in will be. We recommend that you do not leave a bow rehair until the very last minute as it may not be possible for us to help you out in case of illness for instance.
We recommend that you book your bow in to be sure to have it done in time. Please call us on 029 20 22 77 61.
Prices and estimates for the time taken to complete a repair will be provided during the assessment of your bow. Please call 02920 22 77 61 if you would like to speak to us beforehand.
Rehairs:
Prices (Fine Mongolian horsehair or Coruss synthetic hair):
- Violin £ 75.00
- Viola £ 80.00
- Cello £ 90.00
- Double-Bass £ 95.00
Rehairs are undertaken on Thursdays and are generally available for collection on Friday. However, there may occasionally be changes in case of illness or holidays, so if you require your bow at a specific time, please let us know prior to dropping your bow off to us. We contact customers if there will be a delay due to unforeseen circumstances.
Rehair & Repair by Post Service:
We advise extreme caution when sending bows by mail. Please read the following guidelines thoroughly and ensure you follow them exactly.
- . Book the bow in with us on 029 20 22 77 61 or info@cardiffviolins.co.uk
- . Wrap bow gently in bubble wrap.
- . Pack the bow in a well sealed plastic tube (a drain pipe is ideal) no more than 90cms long (longer tubes won’t be accepted by the Post Office. Don’t use a box, as even boxes under 85cms are deemed too long. Royal Mail classifies boxes and tubes differently. If the post-office clerk refuses to accept the tube due to length, insist it’s a tube, not a parcel and it’s therefore classified differently).
- . Send via ‘Special Delivery’ so the bow can be traced, and insured for up to £2500 (this is the top insurance possible with Royal Mail. If the value of your bow is higher than £2500, please check with your insurance company that it will be covered should it get lost or damaged during transportation. Also, check if they prefer a courier over Royal Mail.)
- . Ensure you have additional insurance with a specialist company. (Please note that we do not insure your bow during transit).
- . Send the bow to : Cardiff Violins, 15-23 The Balcony, Castle Arcade, Cardiff, CF10 1BY. Be aware when sending that we are not open on Mondays and will not be able to receive parcels.
- . Inform us of its estimated delivery date.
We will confirm receipt of your bow. It will be sent back to you as soon as it has been rehaired or repaired, typically within a week. However, during busy periods we may be delayed so please contact us on 029 20 22 77 61 beforehand if you require your bow to be ready by a specific date.