Gluing on a fingerboard is not a hard job. On the other hand there’s a school that believes in making easy jobs hard, in this case… Read more »
1/8-size Cello Accident
When we started a rental program, a friend warned me that I’d regret renting cellos. Here’s one reason why.… Read more »
Making a Top Cast
I recently showed a violin getting a breast patch. Here’s a shot of that same top, prepared for making a plaster cast. The top has been spot tacked to a sheet of plywood, then a sheet of very thin latex stretched over it to protect it.… Read more »
A Dutch Job
Usually tops and backs are just glued directly to the ribs and linings, nothing fancy. At various places and times in the past, though, sometimes makers locked the top and back in place.… Read more »
A Breast Patch
Sometimes a violin’s arching is vulnerably flat, perhaps the wood is weak, or thin, or a combination of those, and the center under the bridge starts to collapse. Often this is accompanied by the top puffing up under the board and the tailpiece, towards the ends. In such a situation, the arching is first corrected back to the way it originally was made, and then… Read more »
Exquisite
Here’s a repair! I guess someone felt that a shim was needed under the board. I’m not even sure what the fix was supposed to be fixing. From this view, outside, I couldn’t see what I was looking at. Removing the board, I found a spruce shim of sorts. I still don’t know what the mess […]
Studs Gone Wild!
Studs are used behind cracks to provide reinforcement. If the crack was a clean one, and properly glued, they may not even be necessary. I bet you could remove half of these, though, and not miss them.… Read more »