New Shop Location:
Opening November 2007
Hershey Violins
11 West Main Street
Mechanicsburg, Pa 17055
717.697.6341
Shop Hours:
Tue. Wed. Fri.-11am to 5pm
Thursday - 11am to 7pm
Saturday - 10am to 3pm
A flea market find
Good flea market finds are rare these days, but Jordan Korn, son of Nanette and Daniel Korn, discovered a violin that was full of potential. The neck was broken and the bridge, sound post, strings and other key parts were missing. "We thought, hey, it may not be the best instrument, but if we could get it fixed up, it might be a nice second violin," Nanette said. "There was just something about the way it looked. I had this feeling that it would sound beautiful if it were to be fixed."
The two took the instrument to their son's violin instructor Odin Rathnam for his opinion. "His eyes lit up," Nanette said. "He couldn't believe we found such a great instrument at a flea market and for such a reasonable price." Odin called his luthier Scott Hershey on the spot to schedule an appointment for a restoration estimate and by the end of the week Nanette and her son had an assessment of the instrument as well as a repair estimate.
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The violin did not have a label, but it was most likely made around the late 1800's in Germany. It was well made, but needed to have a modern bass bar added to support the pressure of today's strings. The neck and fingerboard had to be reattached with new pegs and accessories cut and fit to the instrument. Some edge reconstruction and retouching had to be completed and, finally, "French" polishing and set-up.
Both Nanette and Odin were very pleased with the end results. "You'd never believe how different the violin looked," Nanette said. "It's absolutely fabulous and sounds amazing."
Odin continued, "This instrument is clearly worth about $4,000 in today's market. And, Scott Hershey's craftsmanship is flawless. He rivals New York City luthiers, but for half the cost."
Scott's repair notes
When I first saw the violin, I knew it would clean up well and sound wonderful. I was certain a new bass bar would improve the sound quality even more. The inside of the instrument tells the repairman how well the violin was made and the quality of the materials used in its construction. Upon opening the instrument, other assessments were made to decide if the repair cost might outweigh the value. In this case, the buy price was low, the instrument integrity was high and the repair cost was well below the market value of the violin. It was a win for the Korn family.
One should always take into account the repair cost to market value when considering having restoration work done on an older, poor condition instrument. It may be more cost effective to buy a new or professionally set, pre-owned instrument. Family heirlooms, however, are special cases. In the Korn's case, they made an informed decision and ended up with a great violin.
Scott W. Hershey