Violin Forum/Message Board

ollieken · Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 10:04 pm Post subject: Neck off

Hi I have a fiddle here with the neck unglued also the neck block is off
as well . My guess that liquid hide glue was used the top is loose in some places & the back is started to come unglued the neck & front block came
off clean even on the button .
What is the best way to replace this, re glue the top ? & remove the back
to get the block re glued how much trouble am I going to get into lining the ribs back in the same place ?.also the finger board is going to have be at the right height at the end .This maybe simple for you folks
so any advice would be a great help to me . Ken

ctviolin · Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 10:28 pm Post subject: Re: Neck off

Mat Roop · Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 12:08 am Post subject:

Ken, I'll take a stab at your question, but there are many variables, so its all at your peril! Here goes....
if you think liquid hide glue was used, then I would be certain to completely disassemble any parts that may have been set with the liquid glue and thoroughly wash out any residue of that glue. The value of the instrument may determine how you proceed. If the instrument is valuable, you should make a new mould to fit, disassemble all parts and reassemble as if making a new instrument.

If not, I would follow the following sequence...(I never tried gluing a back on after the top was glued)
1- With the top off, reglue the existing neck block to the back (if it is in good condition), but you need to be sure it is exactly centered and squared
2-Reglue the ribs to the back & neck block
3-At this stage, If the ribs do not nicely mate with the top, I would remove the top linings
4-Dry fit the top to be sure ribs are in proper alignment with the top. If not, make some dowels to hold the ribs apart where they are caved in and use clamps where they are too far out. Then reglue the top linings and that should help hold the proper shape when you clamp the top on
5-Reglue the top by dry clamping all around to hold everything in place and then remove only enough clamps to reglue ony a few inches at a time
6-reset neck being sure it is centered and angled correctly, on cheap violins I just clean out the neck mortise and trim the mortise to get the correct fit side to side and up& down... If the mortise is too deep. I fill it with a full spruce wedge that makes the right adjustment left, right, up, down, in, out. If the neck is too short in the overstand, just add a slip of maple to the heel to lift it up.... but you will also need to partly fill the neck mortise on one or both sides

When dry clamping the top, and before gluing, check the fit of the neck keeping in mind that it is important that there is no gap between the neck and the edge of the top, otherwise the neck will compress into the soft spruce neck block dropping the elevation of the fingerboard projection.

Let us know if you need help setting the neck... which I always do with the body of the violin all glued up.

Good luck Ken!... Mat

ollieken · Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 8:05 am Post subject: Thanks

Thank you Craig & mat for the reply Mat I think you outlined it well what
has to done as you don't know what you can run into when you start at it .
If the fiddle was mine I would do it But he paid good money for it
& I would sooner let someone that has done this kind of repair before do it .

We have been friends for a long time & I would like to keep it that way .
I am going to pass on the job ken

Mat Roop · Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 9:11 am Post subject:

You are a wise man Ken!
Cheers, Mat

ctviolin · Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 9:53 am Post subject:

ollieken · Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 7:09 pm Post subject: Another ?

We all know that when you build a fiddle you are going to come out with a sound that is ok or maybe not so good
Now when you take one apart & reassemble are you going to have the same sound as before it was dissembled as the body is not going
to have the same pressure on the top or bottom plate or am I way
off in my thinking .What I am getting at the owner is going to want it the same as before or better . any idea on this Craig , Mat thanks Ken

Mat Roop · Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 9:20 am Post subject:

For sure, the sound will be different.... The set up will have a big effect on the tone and then there is the issue of perception... can one really remember a tone accurately? I know my memory fades pretty quickly. Then there is also the issue that once reassembled , it will take some time perhaps months for the instrument to settle in.
Usually though, the tone improves because we are doing a perfect job of putting it all back together... not like the sloppy work of the original ... Razz

Cheers, Mat