Technical – Page 2
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Bow tip replacement – part two
How to shape the new tip after having replaced the ebony and ivory
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Premium ❘ FeatureRaising the bar: Bass-bar experiments
Joseph Curtin reports on a series of experiments at the 2023 Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, which attempted to ascertain the acoustic effects of altering the height and scoop of the violin’s bass-bar
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1969 viola by Gio Batta Morassi
Yuri Pochekin examines his own mentor’s viola
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Bow tip replacement – part one
Jenelle Steele explains a detailed method to remove an old tip and fit a new one, before shaping
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Premium ❘ FeatureA closer look: Examining the ‘Salabue, Martzy’ violin
The Strad’s lutherie consultant Philip Ihle put together this month’s poster of the ‘Salabue, Martzy’. Here he points out several extra details to help luthiers make an exact copy of the instrument
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: A workshop facility to measure violin family acoustics
Creating an apparatus for routine quick and easy measurements while making and setting up the violin and related instruments
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1927 violin by Evasio Emilio Guerra
Andrea Schudtz examines the Turin maker’s early 20th-century instrument
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Premium ❘ FeatureTaking acoustic measurements from internal vibrations
Normally, acoustic measurements are taken from outside the instrument – but the internal vibrations can reveal even more. Colin Gough presents a method for listening inside the soundbox and demonstrates what it can tell us about the sound
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Premium ❘ FeatureDecorating a bow frog: let the flowers bloom
A very specialist part of the bow maker’s craft is the addition of decorative inlay into a bow frog. Vladimiros Sorokin-Andreou presents his method for this intricate and delicate part of the process
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Focus8 tips for perfecting your violin varnish
Advice from The Strad Archive on preparing, applying and drying varnish for best results
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FocusAsk the Experts: protecting your instrument in hot and humid temperatures
Four luthiers and restorers advise a musician on how to care for her instrument during the hot summer months. From August 2014
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NewsHarry Mairson to speak online about digitally curating and studying the Italian violin making tradition
The computer science professor and amateur luthier will discuss his ’Digital Amati’ project using digital methods for understanding the structure and interpretation of classical stringed instruments, with digital curation, in a free Zoom talk to be held on 15 May 2024
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FocusAsk the experts: What should a luthier look for when choosing tonewood?
For a beginner luthier, choosing the perfect spruce and maple for an instrument can be a confusing process. Three experts in wood selection offer some guidelines
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: An alternative rib construction method
Luthier Alan Beavitt shares an option that can guarantee an accurate overhang at the end of the process
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1759 violin by Joseph Marquès
Jordi Pinto examines the Spanish maker’s mid-century instrument
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Making a decorative fleur-de-lys
Luthier Evan Davenport illustrates a method to add a striking decoration to the back of a Baroque instrument
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FeatureAsk the Experts: protecting your instrument from chips and nicks
A panel of luthiers give their thoughts on some unusual marks that have appeared on the surface of a violinist's instrument over the course of his playing career
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Premium ❘ FeatureCello bridge design: X marks the spot
For many years the design of the cello bridge has remained constant – but could it be improved? Sebastian Gonzalez presents the results of a comparison between the standard French bridge and a newly designed model, while Gaian Amorim tracks the development of the bridge
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Premium ❘ FeatureDouble bass set-up: not a giant violin
The size and shape of the double bass mean its set-up differs greatly from the other bowed stringed instruments. Bass maker Arnold E. Schnitzer presents a comprehensive guide, designed for both luthiers and practically minded bassists
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FocusNew in at The Strad Shop: The Best of Trade Secrets 6
The Strad’s latest collection of articles on all aspects of stringed instrument making and restoration
