VIOLIN OWNER'S MANUAL

• Price $14.95
  
• By Strings Magazine Editors
• Book (paperbound)
• Published by String Letter Publishing

Here's the book that should have come with your violin! Written by a team of leading instrument makers, repairers, and musicians, this is the one comprehensive guide to selecting, understanding, preserving, and protecting any violin, from a modest fiddle to a priceless Stradivari. Richly illustrated with photographs and drawings.

"The Violin Owner's Manual is a complete guide to the selection, repair, preservation and protection of the instrument, regardless of type or value. Written under the guidance of the editors of Strings magazine, by a team of violin makers, violin repair specialists, restorers, bow makers, bow dealers and musicians, the book is lucid, and helpfully illustrated by b&w photos and drawings. Should be welcomed by violinists at any level of expertise, as well as instructors and dealers."

—Publisher's Weekly

"This book is remarkable in its presentation. Not a shop manual or history book, it even includes a glossary at the back for the benefit of those of us who don't know violin terminology. As you read through each of the articles, you get a feeling that the authors are talking to you directly. It covers every topic necessary to care for your violin. Most, if not all, of my questions about my favorite instrument were answered. This book is truly the manual that should come with every violin.."

—customer review at Amazon.com

• John Frederick Lott By James N. McKean.
• 10 Steps to Safeguard Your Instrument from Theft - Guide to protecting your instrument By Jessamyn Reeves-Brown.
• A Bows Primer - A brief history of bow making By Yung Chin.
• Face Value - The reliability (or lack thereof) of instrument labels By James N. McKean.
• Find Your Sound Whether you prefer gut, steel, or synthetic, there's a violin string that's right for you. Outline of 30 available gut-, synthetic-, and steel-core strings for the violin. Plus care tips By Richard Ward.
• How to Sell an Instrument - Examining the different ways to sell an instrument By Jana Luckey.
• How to Ship Your Bow - Guide to shipping a bow By Peg Baumgartel.
• Instrument cracks By James N. McKean.
• It's in the Bag A Guide to Violin and Viola Cases review of violin and viola cases By Heather K. Scott.
• Neck Surgery - Neck repair and common problems By James N. McKean.
• Picking a Violin Pickup Review of violin pickups By Stacy Phillips.
• Retiring Strings - When should you change old strings By Richard Ward.
• Something New . . . How to choose a contemporary instrument. Tips on buying from a modern maker By Wendy Moes.
• Stepping Up Tips on selecting a good step-up instrument By Susan M. Barbieri.
• Surface Conditions: Cleaning, Retouching, and Other Procedures - Caring for an instrument's varnish By James N. McKean.
• The Importance of Setup - Chin and shoulder rests for comfort By Julie Lyonn Lieberman.
• The Moisture Factor - Protecting Your Instrument from Changing Humidity How to protect your instrument from changing humidity By David Burgess.
• The Moisture Factor - How to Cope with the High or Unstable Humidity Levels That Can Ruin Your Instrument Tips on instrument care By David Burgess.
• The Neck and Its Sound Effect - The last part of a series on neck care and repair By James N. McKean.
• The Physical Condition of Bows - How Appearance, Damage, and Repairs Affect Value--and How You Can Maintain the Worth of Your Bow Assessing a bow's value and how best to keep your in fine condition By Mark R. Reindorf.
• The Soul Mate - Adjusting soundposts By James McKean.