Violin Forum/Message Board

rs · Last edited by rs on Fri Feb 08, 2013 12:08 pm; edited 1 time in total

Two years ago I built a violin for a client modeled from a 1666 Nicoló Amati. It is small at 350 mm. I was pleased with the model I used. About that time I started to re-think one of my approaches to the art, namely, confining my work to just a few models as opposed to a barrage of such. The nudge to the changeover was reading Michael Darnton's recommendation to do so. This is now the fifth made from this form and I am surprised at the advantage this gives me as a maker. Not only does the repitition help in building a better product, but the nuances unique to this particular model start to become clearer. For example, on all five examples the tailpiece needed drawn to be directly over the saddle or the power fell remarkably, so much so that the last two I made with wire line instead of nylon. This was much more pronounced than on other small instruments I have made. Also, the post when pulled slightly east dramatically increased brilliance, again, much more so than on other models I have worked on. Obligatos with a Lenzner 27 g. E worked the best on all five as well.

The corpse is from a 1666 Amati and is broad at the bouts. Because the violin is small, this appears to compensate well and gives the instrument some sock. A larger instrument with this proportion would end up sounding diffused I believe. The head is from some sketches of later period Amati instruments I scouted until I settled on an elongated one from the 1680's I found in a Sotheby's catalog.

IMGP1579 by violinsbypaco, on Flickr

IMGP1582 by violinsbypaco, on Flickr

IMGP1591 by violinsbypaco, on Flickr

IMGP1597 by violinsbypaco, on Flickr
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Randall Shenefelt

actonern · Super Member Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 444

Nice rs:

how wide are the mid bouts... would they get to 112 mm?

Nice deep color.

Are the mid bouts that straight/vertical on the original too?

Best regards,

E

rs · Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:55 pm Post subject:

Thanks. The C's are 108 mm on mine and the original, but my C's are more north/south than the original when I compare to the original's photographs.
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Randall Shenefelt

Lemuel · Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 11:27 pm Post subject:

Nice art work on the elongated head. Those pegs...did you carve those as well? They are very nice.

rs · Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 11:42 pm Post subject:

Thanks. The long head was hard for me. The first couple or so kind of looked exaggerated, almost like a caricature of a scroll. It helped me when I opened the throat just a little and lowered the box from the board to about 2.5 mm or so. I carved the pegs, boxwood on ebony.
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Randall Shenefelt

kjb · Super Member Joined: 06 Feb 2013 Posts: 385

very nice, the system you are using sounds well thought out.

Michael Darnton · Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 10:46 am Post subject:

I take care of one of the small Amatis for a local violinist. It's a good model for small people, and can be surprisingly powerful. People forget that quite a few del Gesus are close to that small, too.
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pmccombs · Member Joined: 15 Jan 2013 Posts: 87 Location: Utah

Hey, I'm working off of a Nicolo Amati 1666 plan right now. Yeaaahh... It's not going to be quite this nice. Wink

I'm grateful for these photos, though. They help!

rs · Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 3:37 pm Post subject:

I have always been a fan of the Amatis. I compare everything prior to 1700 to them as they were lightyears ahead of their contemporaries. I then compare everything else afterwards to Stradivari and all modern and contemporary work to Carl Becker, Simone Sacconi and Michael Darnton (that is not an exaggeration). I like other work, but these represent the pinnacle of the craft to me from their time periods. I could have easily added many others to the list, del Gesu for example. I only have so many hours in the day, so I felt streamlined lists are better than comprehensive ones if I intend to improve myself. Because I seldomly have the luxury of handling premier instruments, I am at the mercy of what photographs (either published or shared with me) can instruct me. The link between me and the photographs is my sketching that I do of them. This has helped me resolve a lot of issues and see things I was missing previously.

Michael, I have a couple of questions for you if you would be so kind as to share your thoughts:

First, what adjustments have you found unique to the Amati violin you just mentioned that help bring out its potential.

Second, I am wanting to start working from a del Gesu model this year. I am looking for power. Which one would you recommend (is the Cannon too obvious or is there one you think more highly of)?

Thank you.
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Randall Shenefelt

Michael Darnton · Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 3:42 pm Post subject:

2/ The Cannone is the one I copy because, in my opinion, it's the best violin I've ever heard.

1/ You'll find that setting the post farther inside, say 2.5mm or 3.0mm, will open up the G string quite a bit for this particular model, though if it makes it sound tubby, go for a normal setting.
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rs · Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:15 pm Post subject:

Thank you very much.
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Janito · Member Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 114 Location: USA

Three points on aesthetics for consideration:
- The pegs look unbalanced. The heads are too large relative to the thickness of the shafts. I much prefer clean simple heads.

- The step down to the pegbox from the fingerboard/nut looks very large.

- The corners look short.

Michael Darnton · Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 11:03 am Post subject:

I was taught 35-37mm from the side of the pegbox to the outside of the peg, exclusive of the pip on the end. Some people consider this too long, and I suppose it does look long in the context of only seeing pegs that have been drilling themselves in for decades, but it's a conservative starting point in terms of getting the most years from the peg, balanced against fitting the violin into a shaped case. On older shaped cases, the hard black leatherette ones, even 37mm is a bit much.

Yeah, the corners look short to me, too. There's always the next time. . .

I'm guessing that the front of the pegbox got out of control--it looks a bit small, front-to-back, at that point.
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pmccombs · Member Joined: 15 Jan 2013 Posts: 87 Location: Utah

I recall that my teacher told me that Amati didn't flute his f-hole wings. Is that true? Maybe he was talking about a different Amati, and not Nicolo.

Michael Darnton · Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 1:18 pm Post subject:

It's a delicate thing. If he hadn't done something to them, they'd have come out puffy, or flat, or something less attractive. Instead, they're sculpted, to just barely concave, something that you can't really call fluted in the context of later makers, but certainly not just left alone.
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new blog at my site! http://darntonviolins.com/blog
my work sites: http://darntonviolins.com and http://darntonhersh.com