Cursed violins are more common than one might imagine. The details vary, but most follow a typical pattern of notoriety: the violin is stolen, someone kills for it, dies for it, pulls it from a grave, bathes it in blood.

Not surprisingly, their owners tend to keep quiet. Thus, cursed violins rarely receive regular maintenance. More than a few have been ruined, not by Hell’s Infernal Forces, but by being played without a sound post or with a backward bridge.

— Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (Page 212)