With a little general constructional knowledge (Guitars mainly!)....along with a love of *that* Anton Karas tune, I acquired a very old Zither, in a pretty un-loved condition, here in the UK.
I've attached some pics, and have a few questions....if this is the right place??!
For starters....Is this instrument worth repairing? I'm not thinking of re-sale values here, as I'm looking for something to play.
Strings....possible that many of these are 'original'....yikes. Scale length of' melody strings is 410mm. 'Bass' range from 435mm to 478mm, and there is space for 34 in all. (some missing) I'm looking for recommended string gauges....perhaps there's a string 'calculator' out there??
There are several cracks to both back and front. Would the wisdom be, that I remove back for repair, and thus enable repair to front from inside??
Perhaps there are online resources....I'm thinking of string layout here...and the logic??
1. You have quite a good zither from a well-known maker, well made in the first place. I think it probably IS worth repairing, but is also a bit of a challenge. It is made from a soft tone-wood with an Indian Rosewood / Palisander veneer, which is quite normal. Do the cracks in the veneer on the back go right through the back, or is it only the veneer that had shrunk and peeled back? If it is only the latter, it is definitely do-able. If the former, you might have to take the whole back off. In which case, go to an instrument restorer, perhaps.
By the way, the back or bottom IS THE SOUNDBOARD, so this is important to the sound of the zither.
2. If the melody strings are 410 mm, it's a standard concert zither. Do NOT get involved in string gauges and improvising the strings, or at least not to begin with! You need a set of Bergfee "Gruen" concert zither strings.
3. You seem to have square wrest-pins. Breathe a sigh of relief, you can still get a tuning key for them!
4. This forum is BRILLIANT! Ransack it for information! Most of the answers are here already.
5. I started off by repairing two zithers as a COVID project, found this website, and now play regularly. Good Luck!
Well.....
Cracks on both top and back are definitely all the way through....so no relatively simple 'shrinkage' type problem to recover from
Did a quick Google on the Bergfee strings....Wow....not cheap are they!!
I wouldn't be taking this to a Pro for repair, and will have to rely on basic know-how, friends...and of course...t'interweb.
A little section of binding was loose around the back....and I can see the 'way-in' for the hot knife.
Assuming I can get the thing apart....as far as large cracks are concerned...would it be a matter of clamping flat/gluing, perhaps cleating on the inside......or even inserting a small 'filet'...if I've got the term right!!??
Good luck with the cracks. There are some clever tools and glues, etc. available for veneering, so if you can get in you are off to a good start. I was fortunate to find a zither without cracks, though it had an alarming looking warp around the soundhole, which has flattened out a bit since restringing and bringing up to tension.
Yes, strings cost more than a zither. But without them .....!
I acquired a very old Zither, in a pretty un-loved condition, here in the UK.
