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Value judgements: What is your time and labour worth?

2023-04-05T09:06:00

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Benjamin Schilbach gives a guide to determining an hourly rate as the cost of living rises daily

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Violin makers are absolute professionals in their field and devote all their attention to making and restoring instruments, working with musicians and providing expert opinions. However, from numerous conversations with luthiers from countries around the world, I have observed that many of them would like to improve their competence in the area of preparing and calculating quotations. The basis of every calculation of this kind is the determination of an hourly rate.

For every violin maker, the hourly rate is an individual matter that depends on many factors. There is a minimum hourly rate for every violin maker: if they offer their time for less than this, the additional expense will be entirely on them…

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