Needing help with restoration of our zither

[ejleinenbach]

Hello, I am new to this site. I recently acquired a zither that has been owned by someone in my husband's family. On the back, the date 1915 is etched. It seems to be in relatively good condition, I think, but it defintely needs to have its strings replaced at the minimum. My daughter is graduating from high school next month and plans to pursue a degree in music therapy. My mother-in-law thought that this instrument could be a wonderful addition to my daughter's instrument collection. She already plays the viola, violin, piano and guitar. We are located in Rochester, NY and are wondering how we might go about getting this zither looked at and restored to working order. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Rudy Mueller]

Sorry for the late reply.

Start by finding a local (if possible, player, (Buffalo? Wilkes Barre? NY city? or?) a person with zither experience. Local Bavarian Trachten groups will be a starting point; The Gauverband Nord Amerika web site might be useful.

I have told this anecdote several times on this site, my uncle George tried to tune up a zither (stored in his basement) after several years. And the bottom dropped off! Meh! Watch out. How was this instrument stored? Before doing too much, you might want to check the wood humidity levels and/or have a luthier estimate/look at it. ESTIMATE! Watch out for potential charges $$$!

If the instrument is structurally sound, you might consider just cleaning it up and changing strings. A set will be about $200 US; there are sources on this site, Old zither finishes are fragile, cleaning products are aggressive. If you decide to "clean", start with a SMALL area on the back.

Any builder's identification?

Any sound board/surface cracks, top or bottom? This might be a deal killer.

…..and another thousand questions....

rudi, da oida
rmuellermke@gmail.com

[Rudy Mueller]

The website of the Rochester NY group is ALPENGRUEN.WIXSITE.COM/BVA1932

rudi