All Technical articles
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VideoThe Essence of a Sound: luthier Hans Johannsson at TEDx Reykjavik
Icelandic violin maker Hans Johannsson gives a talk exploring ‘a fascinating juxtaposition of an age-old traditional craft on the one hand and the pursuit of science and technology on the other’, filmed at a TEDx event at the Tjarnarbíó theatre in Reykjavik on 4 November 2018. The listing for the ...
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Making Matters: Shaping the head
Violin makers have always been aware of physical issues like repetitive strain injury – but it’s just as important to take care of their mental health and wellbeing. John Beames examines some of the most common problems, and suggests some ways to combat them
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Focus
Overcoming our addiction to tropical hardwoods: the latest alternatives
As ebony and rosewood become endangered, the likes of spruce, maple and boxwood are being scientifically modified to offer luthiers alternatives. Tom Stewart explores the brave new world of sustainable fittings
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Trade Secrets: Carving a ‘Hill-style’ saddle
Care and accuracy are needed to make a two-piece ebony saddle – in this case for cello
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My Space: Rainer W. Leonhardt
A Mittenwald luthier with an almost 100-year family tradition
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Feature
Ask the Experts: how to correct a violin bridge position
Three top luthiers answers a reader's query on preserving the correct instrument geometry after changing strings, in this feature from 2014
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Focus
What to do if your violin pegs keep slipping or sticking
Korinthia Klein presents a simple player’s guide to violin maintenance, without encroaching on luthiers’ territory
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Trade Secrets: Using Baker-style mechanics on a double bass
How to fit these brass pegs, gears and tuners, as used by English bass makers in times gone by
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Trade Secrets: Making a Parisian-eye ring
A step-by-step guide to this intricate part of bow repair
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News
Inaugural Philharmonie de Paris lutherie competition names winners
A total of 89 cellos were submitted for the competition, to celebrate excellence in the field and promote emerging talent
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Trade Secrets: A tool to measure string tension
How luthiers can create a device to find the optimum tension of a string – and a few good reasons to use it
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My Space: Florent Boyer
The Parisian luthier has been based in his workshop for the past 17 years
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Video
The violin made from indigenous African tonewoods
Listen to the violin made from Knysna Blackwood and Hardpear
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Copying the ‘Titian’: A study in scarlet
Jesús Alejandro Torres reports on a study by the Violin Making School of Mexico, in which three copies of Stradivari’s ‘Titian’ violin were made using wood of varying densities, to examine their signature modes and player preferences
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Trade Secrets: Making purfling
A guide for luthiers who prefer to create their own strips to use in their instruments, rather than buy them ready-made
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My Space: Maria Sandner
The Germany-based luthier specialises in making miniature violins
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Wood treatment: The magic touch
New research has revealed how Stradivari, Amati and Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ all used tonewood that had been heavily treated with chemicals prior to carving. Wenjie Cai and Hwan-Ching Tai explain the study’s findings, and suggest it could indicate that the Cremonese makers were influenced by the contemporary alchemical beliefs
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Trade Secrets: Making an invisible neck graft
A procedure that takes a little longer than the standard method, but results in an almost undetectable fitting
