Will this unusual Soviet instrument ever play again?

Custom inlay and full restoration of a Soviet-era balalaika built in Leningrad.
In this video I repair the neck, refret the instrument, make a bone nut, replace the hardware, and play the finished balalaika.

In this 26-minute restoration, I work on an old Soviet-era balalaika built in Leningrad, combining historical context with hands-on luthiery. The project includes a custom inlay, structural neck repair, a full refret, and replacing nearly all of the hardware before bringing the instrument back to life.

Balalaikas like this were mass-produced in Soviet factories during the mid-20th century, but each one still carries its own quirks. In this video, I talk about the history of the instrument, where it was made, and what typically needs attention on aging Soviet folk instruments — then walk through the entire restoration process step by step.

Work performed in this video:

• Custom inlay work
• Neck repair
• Full fret replacement
• Hand-made bone nut
• New tailpiece installation
• New tuning machines
• Final setup & play-through

The video finishes with a full play test of the completed balalaika so you can hear how it sounds after the work is done.

If you’re interested in instrument restoration, folk instruments, or the intersection of history and craftsmanship, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

👍 Like, subscribe, and feel free to leave a comment — especially if you’ve worked on or played a balalaika before.

#Balalaika
#InstrumentRestoration
#SovietVintage
#Luthier
#FolkInstrument
#CustomInlay
#NeckRepair
#Fretwork
#BoneNut
#VintageInstruments
#russianfolkmusic

The music comes from a record my uncle gave me which was published pre-1973 in the USSR. They are the Kalinushka Quartet