Violin Forum/Message Board

sdantonio · Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 2:00 pm Post subject:

One thing that I found early on with the Strad posters (and I assume this is true for all the posters) is that is a lot of cases, if you trace out one side and flip it over then you will not get an accurate representation of the instrument and your measurements will be off.

I have been through a number of viola and cello strad patterns and have found all to be asymmetrical. I was told from a number of sources to keep the asymmetry in the pattern when I make the mold. With the asymmetry you can hit the strad poster numbers pretty exactly so things are at least self consistent.

Steven

Dave Chandler · Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 6:28 pm Post subject: Patterns

Do you include the anomaly, or pursue the makers intent? If the maker's intent was to set the neck straight on line would you intentionally set it slightly off line in order to make an exact copy? (The Messiah neck/fingerboard IS off centerline slightly).
_________________
Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

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Chad48309 · Member Joined: 26 Sep 2010 Posts: 110 Location: Michigan

sdantonio · Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 11:13 pm Post subject:

Hi,

take the 1560 da Salò. One side is physically smaller than the other. Did the maker intend this to be the case? Did the maker intend for the instrument to be symmetrical? Is the asymmetrical nature of the instrument something that is necessary to the particular tone of the instrument that a number of violists like? Do you make a symmetrical instrument based on the large side of the small, or a hybrid of the two?

I do completely understand and respect Dave's point, but how many "corrections" can you make before it is no longer a da Salò model or an instrument based on the da Salò. Maybe da Salò wanted that instrument to have a 17" body length like all the other violas he made, but he didn't have a long enough piece of wood (IIRC the 1560 is the only 15" viola he made and it is considered his best, at least according to one viola players forum I polled a few years ago).

My interpretation of a da Salò copy is just that, an exact copy (with each and every blemish reproduced as exactly as possible). My interpretation of a da Salò model is something as faithful to the existing instrument as possible with a nicer looking coat of varnish and cleaning up only the blemishes and defects. Maybe my interpretation a "model" is wrong and to strict.

Steven

DonLeister · Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 11:17 pm Post subject:

Dave, according to the drawing the neck is off center but not in the direction indicated by their centerline which is off by 1.5 mm in the lower bout! No indication as to why but by the time you draw your own centerline the neck is off the other way.
Michael Darnton is very big on centering the neck and f's btw.

John Cadd · Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:07 am Post subject:

Manfio may know some answers to this question. The Messiah is shown in recent posters and it was made in the Golden Period .We have to trust it sounds well as they are not allowed to use it.But have makers ever tried to pin down what changes produced the step up in tone quality.that came about in that time? Have makers compared important features to narrow down what happened? Which instrument was the first (datewise ) to be classed as a Golden Period violin. If you see some dated records of measurements it looks as if Strad deviated left then right and gradually found his direction by testing and correcting quite small measurements. All that`s a question by the way.