Don’t Trade, Upgrade—A Guide to Modifying Your Instrument

By Emily Wright | From the November/December 2025 issue of Strings

Have an indefinable longing for a new instrument but can’t quite swing the pecuniary requirements? Perhaps it’s time for a makeover rather than a total recast. But first thing’s first: Before you spend any money on an upgrade to your instrument, you want a sense of what the baseline is and what needs improving. Record yourself in a few different rooms, at different distances. It doesn’t require any specialist equipment—but make sure you use the same device to record every excerpt. Listen back and compare those results to what it sounds like right under your ear. Have someone else listen, too: It’s possible to repeat something so many times you have no idea what you’re even hearing anymore! Be specific when describing what you perceive and experience. Narrowing it down gives you the best chance at actually finding a remedy, so think along the lines of “the D string tone is muddy between E and F” or “the C string tone does not start clearly regardless of bow pressure.”

You are looking for resonance and an easy, comfortable playing experience, always. Set these as your North Star, get curious about where your instrument’s strengths and weaknesses are, and consider the following.

General Setup and Adjustment

Many players visit their local luthier when there’s some acute issue, but not before then. As it turns out, instruments, like cars, require routine maintenance—and they will let you know if you leave it too long! Some of the symptoms: changes in tone and projection, notes seem to have moved from where they once were, buzzes or other noises in certain registers. There can be any number of causes, but starting with a solid foundation of a well-placed soundpost, seams that are securely glued, and a bridge that isn’t bent or twisted eliminates some of the worst ones. 

Strings

The easiest way to upgrade your sound is with a new set of strings. It is not always the case that the most expensive strings will sound the absolute best, but the reality is that the lowest-end strings are not going to do you any favors. They don’t hold a tune well, take ages to break in, are more prone to snapping and stretching, and usually produce a thin, reedy sound. For players who have never had professional grade strings, my advice is to try a set (or a mix; many retailers sell common combinations as pre-fab sets) that costs no more than 80 percent of your maximum budget. There are lots of options in the “not cheap but not exorbitant” range, and that’s where I’d start. If you feel unable to make an informed decision, ring your local violin shop and ask! 

Bridge

The bridge is astonishingly important to the sound and physical integrity of your instrument. One of the reasons experts caution against purchasing a bargain-basement stringed instrument is because you will likely have to pay more than the thing is worth to outfit it with a decent set of strings and a hand-cut bridge. Luthiers make it look easy, but it takes a skilled craftsman hours to properly carve a bridge blank and fit it precisely to the shape of your instrument. Musicians in areas with dramatic shifts in temperature and humidity have to be more vigilant about keeping the bridge straight: Cycling through seasons of damp and dry taxes the very construction of your instrument. Many cellists have two bridges for just this reason, and those clever bass players have had adjustable bridges for eons. If a winter bridge is out of your price range, many shops will put shims under the feet to boost string height for a small fee. The change in height is not as noticeable, but it should prevent the dreaded twang that happens when a string is too low.

You should expect to replace your bridge periodically as part of routine maintenance. How long between bridges varies. Some last for over a decade, so if it’s working, don’t mess with it!

Endpins

For cellists, one of the most surprising upgrades is a new endpin. This might seem like a bit of wishful legerdemain, but my personal experience with steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber variants (my cello improves with the lightest possible carbon fiber/tungsten carbide tipped model) is a testament to the difference the right spike can make. Even experts disagree about the phenomena at play here, with some suggesting the lightest material is best regardless of the instrument, with an equally fervent cohort arguing the opposite. What is clear is that a change in endpin creates a change in the sound. As is generally the rule, a trusted luthier can help navigate the options and reduce the feeling of blindly hurling darts at problems and hoping something helps. 

Fingerboard

Over the years, playing wears furrows into the fingerboard under the strings. If left long enough, this can alter the playing surface. It effectively raises the action, making each note harder to play, and without a nice flat surface to make contact with, fingers struggle to find purchase and intonation inevitably suffers. Fingerboards are meant to be planed periodically, and older examples that have been planed many times should be replaced. 

One way to know if a replacement is in order is to look at the side profile while you play: If the fingerboard flexes toward the face of the instrument when you play in higher positions, it’s time for a new one. There is also an option to adjust the projection—the angle at which the fingerboard and neck cantilever out over the body of your instrument. This can be accomplished by adjusting the neck or shaving/shimming the fingerboard, depending on the desired result. 

Shoulder Rest

Violinists and violists can explore advances in shoulder rest technology, which seeks to change the accessory’s dubious reputation of muffling and darkening the sound. Some models use lightweight material purporting to enhance tone and reduce the sibilance of the E string. Other models stick with traditional materials but employ a pared-down construction and cutouts to reduce any dampening effect. 

Rosin

Premium rosin brands make some bold claims in defense of their prices. Promises of tonal flexibility, enhanced artistry, and general improvement are reminiscent of the family’s use of glass cleaner as an answer to every ailment in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. My suggestion is to view rosin as icing on a cake: When it works, it adds something pleasant to the experience and seems to facilitate the work you’re already doing. When it’s not the right fit—in combination with technique, strings, bow, weather, and the stylistic expectations of the repertoire—it can be ruinous.

It is not uncommon to find some players using one kind of compound near the frog and something else on the remaining hair. Other folks like a finer, lighter rosin in humid conditions and something stickier when dry air rolls in. The way rosin gets applied has as much bearing on its effect as its recipe, regardless of one’s particular habits. Taking the extra step of pulling/fanning the tightened hair with a lint free cloth spreads the rosin between the hairs, keeping it in the hair rather than depositing a massive chalky coating atop the strings you’ll just have to wipe off anyway. 

Rehair 

I’ve been playing the cello for about 40 years. Yet, after all that time, there comes a point every four or five months when I abandon a practice session, make a strong cup of tea, and consider what else to do with my life. I am no longer able to make a sound that is satisfactory to my ear. As a last resort, I make an appointment with my luthier, asking him to listen and make any adjustments he deems necessary. Sometimes there is wine, as I am very sad in this moment. Like clockwork, he picks up my bow and, peering over his glasses, asks, “When w as the last time this thing had fresh hair?” He sends me to a café in town while he rehairs my bow. I head home, sheepish with relief, giddy to play again.