After gluing in the neck, we can finish off shaping the neck, heel and button. We then do the set-up, which involves making and installing the saddle, reaming the holes for the pegs and the button, cutting a sound post and bridge and finally stringing it up. I never ceased to be amazed at how [...]
With all of the pieces made and the body assembled, it is time to make a neck for “The Edward”. The first step it to plane the neck block so that the width is 42 mm and the two sides are perfectly perpendicular to the face. Then using our template we layout the neck on [...]
The making of the top goes generally along the same lines as the back. We join the two pieces of spruce and trace the outline from the rib assembly. The outline is cut, shaped and a purfling platform is established. The purfling channel is then cut, the purfling installed and the outside arching shape is [...]
We are now ready the make the back for “The Edward”. We start off by joining the two pieces. The rib assembly is clamped to the joined pieces and the outline is traced with a 2.5mm offset. The back is then cut out just proud of this line. Next, we establish the purfling platform, trim [...]
I am starting a new violin, “The Edward”. This is commission from Ed Lawrence (former Principal Violist with the Houston Ballet and Opera Orchestra). Ed has chosen a Strad model and picked out the wood to use from my stores (notice the beautiful flame in the maple for the ribs and back). We will start [...]
A couple of years ago, I made an Andrea Guarneri model viola for Ed Lawrence. Ed used to be the Principal Violist with the Houston Ballet and Opera Orchestra. He now has a thriving teaching business in Houston. Ed was kind enough to let me record him playing a brief clip. Click below to see [...]
I just delivered “The Rebecca” to Rebekah Kim (yes I have been mis-spelling her name all this time). We were all quite pleased with the end product. The tone is sonorous, powerful and amazingly balanced on every string. She makes it sound so much better than I can. Here is a clip of her playing [...]
Now that all of the individual pieces are done, we can start the assembly process. The first step is to remove the rib assembly from the form and clean up the blocks. We then cut a small chamfer along the bottom edge of the top and bottom plates. We are now ready to glue together [...]
With the plates tuned, we are ready to cut the f-holes (my favourite part of violin making) and install the bassbar (my least favourite part of violin making). To start with, we layout the f-holes and cut the “hole” part. The layout is very critical because of the relationship between the location of the f-holes [...]
We are now ready to tune the top and back plates of “The Rebecca”. My method of plate tuning is based upon the work of Carleen Hutchins. Carleen spent a lifetime researching the relationships between the various resonant frequencies of free-standing violin plates and the tone of the resulting violin. I look primarily at two [...]