Probably a silly one, but what is considered a standard setup? The place I'm going tomorrow said they do a standard setup with tuning for £20 but I don't know what a standard setup is.

checking that the bridge is the right shape and thickness, that the wood isn't too soft, and that it's correctly positioned; checking the soundpost position; and making sure the pegs fit properly without slipping or sticking. this might require reshaping or replacement of any or all of the bridge, soundpost, and pegs. often includes replacement of the strings and tuning, but new strings wouldn't be included in the £20 price. it might also include replacement of the tailpiece or installation of fine tuner(s), but that's less common. during set-up, the luthier will also look over the instrument for any other problems or damage, like cracks in the wood, but you'd have to pay more to have those repaired.

basically, set-up takes the instrument and makes it playable; for a decent instrument it'll be done before you buy it, but it's often needed for cheap Chinese instruments that come directly from the manufacturer, and it's also a good idea for old instruments that haven't been used for a while.

A decent set up usually will include bridge, soundpost, fingerboard and peg adjustments if necessary, then appropriate strings for the fiddle's voice.

As your fiddle is old, the bridge may well need replacing, the soundpost adjusting and any lumps and bumps in the fingerboard.

20 pounds won't cover this - they're probably ggg oing to check it over, put the bridge in the right place and tune it for you.

In France, I'd expect to pay a couple of hundred euros for a proper set up, including strings, on an instrument that required a new bridge and soundpost.

A proper luthier's set up will get the best possible voice from an instrument. A music shop set up will just make the instrument playable.

Totally off-topic but I think your keyboard may be developing a stutter

On-topic, now there's a thought, I wouldn't mind collecting £20 every time I check a pupils violin, straighten the bridge and tune it. A nice little earner over and above the actual teaching....

Off topic. One of the keys on my oboes was sticking and my teacher sorted it out for me. This required him unscrewing several things, cleaning and oiling the offending rod then remounting the whole thing and it took him about 15 minutes. I thanked him when I'd finished and he looked quite surprised and said "Do you know, you're the first person who's ever thanked me for sorting out a problem on their instrument."

So maybe you should charge so people appreciate what you do!

If my teacher streightened my bridge and tuned my violin I'd be really happy. I want to learn to tune it myself as soon as posible and do any basic things that need doing but that is something that comes with practice I guess. They wanted to charge me £54 just for the set up. That was to resting and streighten the bridge and put a new tail on it. It did not include the strings which would be another £30 They also wanted £25 to rehair the bow. He told me that in total every thing I needed to get it up to standard would cost more then a new violin. He said it wasn't good enough of a violin to warrent doing it up and he surgested I brought a stanor 1 which was better then that one anyway. So I got a stenor which is meant to take me up to about grade 3 and then I'll think about getting something better.

I presume you mean Stentor Student 1? Never heard of Stanor bfore.

Yes you're right, especially when I've often spent half the lesson removing individual strings, pasting their sticking (or slipping) pegs, putting their new strings on the instrument and ensuring they are wound onto the pegs properly... and then they expect me to teach them the full hour/half hour lesson on top of that - for no more cash!

Me now thinks rather too generous with my favours.