What does “set up by a luthier” actually involve?

Setup is the hand work done to a string instrument after it is built and before anyone plays it. The bridge is carved and fitted to that individual instrument, the sound post is positioned inside the body, the string height is adjusted, and the whole instrument is checked and played before it goes out. An instrument that has not been through this is not ready to play, even when it looks finished in the box.

The bridge. It arrives as a flat blank. It has to be carved so its feet sit against the curve of that one instrument’s top with no gap, thinned to the right thickness, and shaped across the top to a curve that lets a student bow one string without catching the next. The notches that hold the strings are cut last and cut shallow. Cut too deep and the string sits down in a slot instead of resting on the bridge, and the sound is choked.

The sound post. A small dowel wedged inside the body, just behind the treble foot of the bridge, held by nothing but friction and pressure. It carries vibration from the top of the instrument to the back. A few millimetres in any direction changes the sound, and it is set by feel through the f-hole with a tool made for the purpose.

String height. If the strings sit too high above the fingerboard, a young hand cannot press them down comfortably, and a beginner will usually conclude they are not good at it rather than that the instrument is wrong. We set the height low enough to play easily and high enough not to buzz.

Then it is checked and played. Seams are inspected and sealed. The instrument is played to make sure nothing rattles. Strings are checked and replaced if they are not right, and nothing goes out on rusted strings. The bow is checked for straightness and a full head of hair rather than half. Rosin goes in the case, and the case is checked, zippers included.

What to expect afterwards. Strings settle, so a newly set up instrument drifts out of tune in its first weeks. That is the nature of a string instrument. Your teacher can retune it, and so can we, free, for as long as you rent.