Posted on January 11, 2010May 23, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Electric Violins Letter: Electric Violins by Mike Zimmerman Originally published in American Lutherie #92, 2007 Dear GAL: Back when I was a full-time luthier, I was the chief designer for the Amazing Musical Instrument Co. of Toronto, Canada, from 1987 to 1989. I’ve been out of the business for many years now, although lutherie is a serious hobby. But memories came flooding back when a friend e-mailed me from New York to say he’d seen my name on an electric violin that was on display at — of all places — the Museum of Modern Art! I’d known the museum had acquired an Amazing Violin back in 1991 for their permanent industrial design collection, but to my knowledge it had never been publicly exhibited. Here’s the story: Twenty years ago, the Amazing Violin was patented and promoted as the world’s most ergonomically correct violin. Guitar-style tuners are mounted on the body within easy right-hand reach, and the output jack throws the cable neatly over the player’s left shoulder. There is also a fully adjustable built-in shoulder support. A one-piece chambered mahogany body has a piezoelectric pickup in the chamber under the bridge. This allows the bridge to be adjusted like a standard violin bridge as there are no wires attached. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 11, 2010May 22, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Michigan Violin Makers Letter: Michigan Violin Makers by Scott Tribby, Treasurer, Michigan Violinmakers Association Originally published in American Lutherie #33, 1993 Dear Sir: The Michigan Violinmakers Association began informally in 1989, and in the spring of 1992 incorporated as a Michigan nonprofit corporation. Our members include those of us in the trade, amateur makers, and those just beginning to learn violinmaking or repair. We meet quarterly to exchange information and ideas on violinmaking and violins, tools, and other areas of interest. At each meeting there is a technical presentation, and the opportunity to view and play new instruments and the occasional important older violin. The quarterly newsletter is published the first of each meeting month.
Posted on January 11, 2010May 23, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Thoughts on Bow Hairing Letter: Thoughts on Bow Hairing by Dale Randall Originally published in American Lutherie #92, 2007 Dear Tim: American Lutherie #91 is one of the best in years. Lots of good, useful, informative articles with great pictures. I especially liked the one on rehairing bows. I’m seventy-one and have been into lutherie for forty years. Rehairing can go like clockwork or drive you to drink. I must take exception with a few of Paul Hill’s methods. He is not the first to recommend starting at the tip and working toward the frog, but this is contrary to what I have learned. The hardest work the bow hair does is nearest to the frog end, therefore the thicker base end of the hair should be on that end. I have read that the finest violinists want the hair mixed end for end so half is in one direction and half in the other, assuming that hair takes rosin better in one direction. I also believe that one should never use hardwood for plugs and never use any glue on either end plug or wedge. I do use Paul’s method of tying and supergluing the hair to keep it together. I give mine a squeeze with opened-up pliers to make it sort of flat before it sets up, and dip the end in a little baking soda to speed the hardening. This is not to criticize Paul’s methods but to try to clear up the concept of which way the hair should be mounted. I like the way Paul shared his procedure with words and pictures.
Posted on January 11, 2010May 20, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Violin String Tension Letter: Violin String Tension by Ernest Nussbaum Originally published in American Lutherie #9, 1987 Dear Tim: I’d like to point out that the article “Fiddle Facts” contains at least two non-facts. 1) The author says that raising the pitch of a violin’s “A” string to 442 (presumably from 440) is an increase of 0.05%. Wrong: it’s 0.5%. 2) More serious: He says that string tension is thereby increased by 10%. He should have said 1%. (Raising the frequency increases tension according to the square of the raise, i.e., (442/440)2 which is 1.009 or about 1.01 — therefore 1% higher. Maybe it’s bad for old violins to replace gut strings with steel. On ’cellos it seems to do no harm in most cases.
Posted on January 11, 2010May 28, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: The Art of Modern Violin Making by Ricardo B. Flores Review: The Art of Modern Violin Making by Ricardo B. Flores Reviewed by Ken Goodwin Originally published in American Lutherie #82, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 The Art of Modern Violin Making Ricardo B. Flores CD-ROM www.modernviolins.com I’m a longtime woodworker who has built a few guitars and knows next to nothing about violins. I can’t offer an expert’s analysis of the procedures presented here, but I can give you my opinion of the clarity of the instruction as well as some thoughts about the CD as a medium of information exchange compared to a book. Mr. Flores has set up his CD as a large website. No need to connect to the Internet — it’s all self-contained on the disc — but you view it in your browser and you move around by clicking on links. The typical page has a link at the bottom to move to the next page in sequence or to return home to the index page from where you can get to any section you wish. Within the text of each page various phrases are highlighted. When you click on them you are taken to a photograph illustrating the item being discussed. You go back and forth between photos and text by toggling the “back” button. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
