Off and on, as I have time, I graduate, bar, and finish nice imported instruments. Last year I got some new, old stock Bulgarian instruments in. Very nice, as I used to use for my "Rose" model long ago. I also went to the Southern Violinmakers Convention and heard a nice talk on antiquing violins. This is the result. It's one of the first from my new venture, the Appalachian Violin Company. Ms. Rebecca is running the commercial and sale end of things leaving me time for my violin work and my "hobby" of civil litigation representation.
Design: Sort of generic Stradivari, with a bit of an idiosyncratic scroll.
Top: Very fine medium grain spruce, probably from around Kazanlak.
Back: Two-piece descending flame, moderate figure
Ribs: Lightly figured
Arching: Fairly full, fairly flat with moderate channel, unfluted F holes
Neck/Scoll: Lightly figured
Graduation: Hybrid, reverse with influences from Fry, Chambers, and average Stradivari, evolved to match what the arching wanted
Bar: Fairly light compared to stock, tapped out starting from the Becker uniform taper model.
Finish schedule: Wood darkened with tea and UV. Gum arabic sealer, the fumed silica in hydrophylic ground, with slight yellow/gold tint, then sealed with amber shellac, followed by Kremer pigment gold and red-gold muted with amber, moderate antiquing, and umber shading
Set: Ebony Swiss professional pegs, vintage style chinrest, Wittner ultra fine tuner tailpiece, Despiau bridge, hand split Engelmann post, Helicore heavy strings.
Plays very nicely, warm, full, more than expected carrying power, forgiving but nicely crisp response. A very nice project, with way too much work in it!
↧