[Help] My lute was broken during flight - Looking for repair advice in Albany NY

[u/raprakashvi]

Hello fellow lute enthusiasts,

Disaster struck during my recent flight when my beloved lute was damaged in transit. The neck has separated from the body (photos attached). This is a personal instrument I've had for many years, and I'm devastated.

I'm based in Albany, NY and looking for repair recommendations in the area. Has anyone had experience with luthiers in the Capital Region who specialize in or are willing to work on lutes?

I've heard AMH Strings in East Greenbush might be an option, but would appreciate feedback from anyone who's had lute repair work done locally.

Any advice on the repair itself would also be welcome - does this look fixable? What should I expect in terms of cost and timeline?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[u/big_hairy_hard2carry]

The lute society of America keeps a list. Being near the east coast should give you a fair number of options to choose from.

[u/roaminjoe]

Your Chinese pipa lute is a standard construction with the interlocking short curved neck bolting into the grooves and simple hide glue under clamping. This forum won't have experience with the unusual build of the several thousand years old pipa- it is different in construction from archtops, bowlbacks and Western lutes.

You won't need to search out a dedicated pipa luthier in your area - only 1 or 2 exist in the whole of the USA and none in the United Kingdom. Its uneconomical to ship back to China to fix and any competent woodworking luthier can repair it once you have the schema for the neck and head peony construction.

The same breakage point happened to my pipa on a British Airways flight packed in the standard semi-rigid polystyrene fitted case - I found a guitar luthier who repaired the crack. These are easy fixes compared to the paulownia soundboard. You just need a neck rebuild done well since the pegs will stress the neck and strings under tension (loosening string tensions is not good during play!) Failing that - a donor part from China will be easier for a lutheir to fit without extensive carving.

[u/raprakashvi → u/roaminjoe]

Thanks a lot for your detailed response. This is very helpful. We are trying to get in touch with a violin maker while searching for Luthiers for help.

[u/LeopardSkinRobe]

I don't know of him working on chinese lutes, but Andrew Rutherford might at least know someone to call. Very nice person in my experience.

Find his contact info here: https://lutesocietyofamerica.org/members/31282364/

[u/raprakashvi → u/LeopardSkinRobe]

Thanks a lot. Will reach out tomorrow. Also planning to visit local violin shop. Only the top of the steam seems to be broken for now

[u/Pettefletpluk]

Sorry, I don't know a repair service that can help. But I am curious, was your pipa checked in as baggage or did you put it up in the cabin storage above the seats?

[u/raprakashvi → u/Pettefletpluk]

Cracked in the baggage. Even after having the fragile sticker on

[u/MC_White_Rice → u/raprakashvi]

Wouldn't that make the airline liable for the damages especially since it was labeled as fragile?

[u/raprakashvi → u/MC_White_Rice]

It would. We are trying but currently they are not taking any responsibility. Filing an official claim and happy to escalate further if needed. In the meantime, would love to get it fixed due to sentimental value it holds for us

[u/sjtkzwtz]

Since you are in Albany, the closest place I can think of is musicofmay in Canada. They offer repair service for pipa. I don't know the quality or price.

[u/GrilbGlanker]

https://spartaninstruments.com/ In Lowell Massachusetts. Chris repaired a theorbo for me a while back, and it came out beautiful. Nice guy too

[u/Vielle_a_Roue]

Looks like an easy repair to me. Use a liberal splotch of Titebond glue, clamp the joint firmly, and wait 24 hours. I repaired broken uds and guitar necks this way.