Posted on April 7, 2022March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips Violin Setups, Part Two Violin Setups, Part Two by Michael Darnton from his 1990 GAL Convention lecture Originally published in American Lutherie #37, 1994 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004 See also, Violin Setups, Part One by Michael Darnton Bridge When fitting a bridge, the first thing to determine is the proper placement. Ideally the bridge is exactly centered between the inner nicks on the f-holes. This assumes that the holes are centrally located on the violin, which is not always the case, and that the fingerboard is pointed at that position, which it commonly isn’t. The most important aspect of bridge placement is that the string path should be in a straight line. That is, the bridge should be directly between the nut and the end button. In this centering I would expect a maximum total deviation of about .5MM, and I would try to compromise this adjustment the least, assuming that the strings remained pretty much over the center of the fingerboard. If the neck was pointed really wrong I might consider resetting it. Also, I always check to be sure of the position of the end button, and I’ll move it if necessary. In some instances this can be an easy method of correcting for a slightly-wrong neck set. If the f-holes were really off center on an old instrument and I had the time and money, I’d consider resetting the neck and end button off center to match, possibly replacing the neck so that the heel would still point (although crookedly) at the button at the top of the back, minimizing changes to the button. Anyway, with an understanding of the problem and the possibilities, find a good place for the bridge to sit in the “east-west” dimension, then determine the proper “north-south” location. Ideally, the length of the neck from the nut to the edge of the top next to the neck on the E-string side should be 130MM, and from that point to the middle of the bridge 195MM; a ratio of 2:3. Consistency in this ratio keeps the positions of the player’s fingers relatively the same compared to the edge of the body, no matter what the total string length — an important factor in finding notes in the upper positions. If the length on the neck is off, the position of the bridge should be altered to compensate. For instance, if the neck length is 128MM, the distance to the bridge (the “stop”) would be (128/2)×3=192MM. This is the theory, at least, but I should also warn you that like most things in the violin world this is a subject of controversy, because some people believe that the total length of the string is the most important thing and would deal with the 128MM neck by making the stop 197MM instead. These people maintain two things. Firstly, that the player will quickly adjust to the new ratio. This is true — just ask a viola player. Violas are notoriously nonstandard. Secondly, they assert that the proper string length is important for the tone of the instrument. This is possibly but not necessarily true. Now you know the logic; the decision is yours. 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 March 4, 2022March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips The Piccolo Bass The Piccolo Bass by Frederick C. Lyman, Jr. Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Quarterly, Volume 8 ,#1, 1980 In the last ten or fifteen years there has been a virtual explosion of interest in the string bass. Many bassists now use their instruments in ways that were hardly thought of just a few years ago. Especially, solo playing employing the extreme upper register of the bass is a prominent technique among soloists in the classical and jazz fields. Modern string technology permits a brilliance, solidity, and assurance of sound in this register that was hard to obtain previously. Electronic means of recording and amplification have brought the sounds closer to the consciousness of a large audience. Most existing basses, build in other eras for other not necessarily good( reasons, are not much help to the skilled and ambitious player of today. They are hard to play and hard to hear, except in the limited roles they were designed to fulfill. This situation suggested a new instrument which would fill the large gap between the bass and the ‘cello’ and which could be used in the melodic register but with the tonal density of the bass rather than the thinner sound of the ‘cello. I think many people had this idea, and of course we know of Mr. Hutchins’ work which approached the problem from a scientific direction. However, I had never seen a small bass that had the musical properties which were needed. 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 March 4, 2022March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips The Early and the “Modern” Viol The Early and the “Modern” Viol by Theron McClure Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Quarterly, Volume 6, #1, 1978 The study of paintings, drawings, and woodcuts of early viols shows us that all the viols made and played today are copied from those made and used during the final seventy-five years of the three century span of viol playing. In those last years, instruments had been modified to cope with the tonal and advanced technical demands made upon viol players: trio-sonatas required performances of the same degree of virtuosity and lushness of tone possessed by the skilled flautist and violinist of the day, the end of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries. 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 December 21, 2021March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips Restoring a “Church Bass” Restoring a “Church Bass” by Frederick C. Lyman Originally published in American Lutherie #98, 2009 “Restoration” is not really a good term for what is done by luthiers who work on old bass fiddles. They are trying to create an instrument that has not existed before, using pieces that give it historical continuity and prestige. Connection with the past, recent or distant, is important to musicians. Having an instrument that can be connected to a previous musical era seems to do a lot to build a player’s confidence and help him or her form a conception of music-to-be. So given an old instrument that needs a lot of work to be playable, the repairman tries to keep in mind the continuing identity of that particular fiddle. It must seem that there is an unbroken link between what was in the mind of the original creator, and the present-day sound. If this is an illusion, that may be better yet, as we are already in a realm of rampant subjectivity. 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 December 21, 2021March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips The Power of Circles The Power of Circles by Michael Darnton from his 2004 GAL Convention lecture Originally published in American Lutherie #87, 2006 Violins and guitars that are strong visually have a solid underlying structure that you might not see if you’re just casually looking. But it’s there. Designers of the past constructed a shape with straightedge and compass on concrete geometric forms. There are many equally valid ways to look at designs, but I hope everyone will at least consider the concept that I’m going to talk about today: that strong instrument design comes most easily from the consistent use of very simple geometric shapes. This doesn’t eliminate creativity and new forms. Rather, it can strengthen the impact of any design, traditional or modern, by drawing on a common language to promote immediate visual understanding, usually on a subconscious, but effective, level. 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.
