Violin Forum/Message Board

Jeremiah · Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 2:25 pm Post subject: A knot in my violin top

Sometimes I find surprises inside my engelmann spruce. I thought this one looked nice.

Jeremiah

Chet Bishop · Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 3:35 pm Post subject:

Is that #22? I am looking forward to seeing it. It is really interesting seeing freshly scraped spruce under magnification-- I had no idea how rough it looked. I wonder how people will respond to the knot? Some people really like anomalies like that. Others act as though you have tried to sell them a steak that was past its pull-date.

Did #21 sell, or is it still in the shop? That was a real beauty...just my opinion.

Chet

Moodivarius · Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 4:03 pm Post subject: A knot in my violin top

Trying to embed photos.

No luck.
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Moodivarius · Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 4:04 pm Post subject: A knot in my violin top

I think it looks interesting.

Gives it a signature that no other one will duplicate.

Take a look at one of Stradivari's early violins. "Tullaye" c.1670

http://groups.msn.com/violinCAD/photoalbum1.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=165

http://groups.msn.com/violinCAD/photoalbum1.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=166

http://groups.msn.com/violinCAD/photoalbum1.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=167
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Jeremiah · Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 4:31 pm Post subject:

Jeremiah · Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 4:41 pm Post subject: Re: A knot in my violin top

MANFIO · Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 6:55 pm Post subject:

That knot is quite small, no problem, use a good varnish to make it beautifull under it! Wood is a natural thing, rarely it's flawless. I think these little imperfections add character and charm to the violin.
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/7875988@N02/with/464604020/

Jeremiah · Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:08 pm Post subject:

Here's the finished violin, #23; http://jeremiahsviolins.com/violin.html

I'm very happy with the sound and playability so far but the violin is only a couple hours old or so right now.

Jeremiah

Jack Rushing · Member Joined: 23 Mar 2007 Posts: 170

Jeremiah, #23 is very nice. I especially like the scroll and the neck.

MANFIO · Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 12:45 pm Post subject:

I liked it too, congrats! For the next, I would make the transition varnish/french polishing in the neck more subtle. I would carve the scroll a bit more deep too. But I may be wrong. Fine violin!
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Jeremiah · Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 1:00 pm Post subject:

Thanks...

I made a mistake bandsawing the scroll and I decided to salvage the wood... the scroll is 2mm narrower than I intended as a result. It would look much nicer to my eye if that hadn't happened. This whole violin was an exercise in using up old tonewood that I had laying around for years. I'm completely surprised at just how good this thing plays and sounds!

It seems that around 8 years ago I was going to use this very wood and make a violin when I was visiting Leif Luscombe in Canada, but he didn't think it would make a very good sounding violin so I didn't use it. Leif would probably have been correct, at that time... but I must have learned alot about how to get good sound between then and now.

Jeremiah

MANFIO · Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 4:27 pm Post subject:

Yes, but even if you had 2 milimeters less, you could carve it a bit more, it helps making the neck and scroll lighter too. This is one of my viola scrolls inspired in Andrea Guarneri:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/206/465252249_f513af4d5d.jpg?v=0

Well, I've tried in vain to post pictures here...
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Jeremiah · Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 9:40 pm Post subject:

There's a reason I don't carve my scrolls too deeply. I heard at violin making school that Strad didn't carve his deeply, and I'm making a Strad model violin. I've also looked at some of Strad's scrolls and I haven't found a reason to believe otherwise. However, if I had modified the proportions of this 2mm narrow scroll a bit more, I could have made it look alot more "right".

Jeremiah

MANFIO · Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 8:15 pm Post subject:

Hi, yes, I know that, but I think that even Strad scrolls are carved a bit more deeply.
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