What should I do if I get a buzz?

Occasionally a violin may develop a buzz or lose volume and quality of sound. There can be a number of causes for this, but the most common is an open seam — the glue that holds the violin together can dry out. Gluing a seam together is not a difficult repair for an experienced violin repair person.

Finding buzzes can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. They can be caused by a loose tuner, something touching the instrument such as a chinrest touching the tailpiece, or a fingerboard that needs resurfacing among many other things. In unusual instances, the linings, bass bar or interior blocks can come loose. In that case, the top of the instrument must be taken off in order to do the repairs. I once had a buzz on my Gagliano that couldn’t be solved for about three years. It turned out to be the decorative button on one of the pegs that came loose. This was solved by a little Elmers Glue!