duane88

I only have a cello fingerboard handy... I usually task beginners with jigs and wooden tools, and boxes to hold scrapers and finger planes. The basic thought is to teach making things flat and square with hand tools that are sharp. A bow maker friend taught me the skill of planing a tapered octagon and button making by making pernambuco hair pins with ebony buttons. I will post pics tomorrow. They are beautiful and made a wonderful gift as well as teaching a valuable skill.

Made for Bruno, Imported to the US, the West Germany pretty much dates it. Basic Student quality instrument. The Reichert has the most potential of the three.

Eduard Reichert, Dresden. Why must people scratch out labels...German-ic, early 20th c trade name.

The basics. Learn to sharpen and use a block plane. Shortcuts aren't. Consider asking your local library for the Courtnall and Johnson book via interlibrary loan. You will buy it after seeing it, but that will save you the hundred bucks for a book. It takes time. It will be as frustrating as fun.

I would say that making the f-holes appropriate for the model that you have chosen (Amati, Strad, ect) is best. Once you have "mastered" that, your own model is something that you could be, but shouldn't be, hanged for producing. One very talented apprentice/friend of mine likes Amati and wanted to put Amati scrolls/f-holes on his instruments regardless of the model. I finally got hm to see the way by comparing that to the lovely VW Beetle with the Rolls Royce grill. That, as an artist, he understood. That said, do what you want, and if you do it well enough folks can't, although they may, complain.

Somewhere I have a book on musical instrument making that has violin making by Adam Paul, Gamba Making by Diedrich Kessler, classical guitar building (can't recall who). I'll look for that. It is more an overview of the construction of each instrument than a method book. I can't recall the name, but I have it here in the shop somewhere... This:

Former boss. Customer came in with an old violin. Customer was told that it was,as we say here, "the usual" and in poor condition at that. After making the boat paddle motion with the instrument and the tomato stick motion with the bow shaped object, the owner protested that the fiddle was old and must have value because of that. The shop owner replied, "Old shit is still shit."

Subject your post patches and chest patches to a CT scan. That might be enlightening.

Most likely for inventory and depreciation purposes.

Perhaps he has changed his approach in retirement. I know that his wife is quite ill and he may be spending more time with that process. Nothing wrong with that so long as he is above board and the instrument is prices appropriately.

No, I was lamenting the fact that the maskless aspect was the first thing I noticed as opposed to the other things in the video. Perhaps I am getting old.

Sadly, that is the first thing I thought, too.

I look after the violin in the picture. If it is a workshop fiddle that he has worked over, he did quite a bit of work to hide that fact. Point is, to the OP question, if you do believe what he says in his description, then asking another player how their instrument sounds wouldn't tell you anything about Jan other than how his ability to please the customer and meet their needs holds up after the purchase.

Commissioning a violin/viola My email = jan@gviolins.com. In the text below, "violin" includes viola. I made a custom violin for virtuoso Joshua Bell, about which Josh wrote: "Your violin is powerfully resonant, yet possesses a sweet tone of great nobility. It is eminently capable of an infinite variety of tone colors. It is wonderful to know that one can find a modern violin like this that compares favorably to a fine old Italian violin but at only a fraction of the cost. To aspiring students and young professionals I would say, 'Give Jan's violins a try. Through his dedication and quality craftsmanship you could obtain a magnificent instrument that can serve you for a lifetime.' Thanks a million for all that you do, Jan!" It works like this: If you commission a custom violin from me, you pay me a non-refundable $500 starting fee. Then we talk a LOT together about sound and appearance. The whole point is that I can make the sound AND the appearance that you want: "CUSTOM"-made! After I made it, if you want it after trying it for a few weeks, you pay me the amount that we agreed on. If you don't want it, you return it in the same condition and owe me zero. My entire approach is rather unique in the USA. Tone (sound) is what I care for and do: La sonorité, toujours lasonorité! (Ysaye). I do not make the initial shell or box that will eventually become a custom violin. Any competent craftsperson can do that: Using forms, patterns, templates and sharp tools to create a Stradivarius- or Guarneri-shaped box, with purfling inlay, scroll and all, and apply the initial sealing coat. This is basically fine cabinetry, even though it takes huge skill and lots of time. So I employ and pay a few other workshops to do this for me, using very well aged wood. In this way I can produce more as well as keep the cost down. What comes next is what I do: The acoustical work, which may involve further graduation; bass-bar; f-holes; flexing, scraping, tapping and listening; varnishing (up to 8 layers of home-made Italianate “1704”); rubbing away varnish in an acoustically strategic way; “damage” (distressing) for acoustical purposes and more – tapping and listening all the time. Finally comes the set-up, which I do and which can take several days - several bridges, strings and sound-posts, for instance. My total time is of the order of 100-200 hours over a period of 2-3 months. Voila! – your custom-made dream violin at the most affordable price for such a violin in the USA! It must be stated, in order to avoid confusion, that I do NOT create collectibles, investments, furniture or artwork as such. My overriding concern is SOUND. The instruments are sound machines (even though they can be pretty, too) and must be judged/evaluated by their sound. My instruments are NOT created after the "lonely old master sitting in a dim loft creating masterpieces from scratch all by himself" stereotype. Some critics (usually other dealers!) have raised this as criticism, but they miss the point - that my method and its results ARE the point! To appreciate this requires ears, a different set of values, different thinking, and different understanding. The stereotypical method would slow production down and increase costs too much. The values at stake in my work are SOUND, AFFORDABILITY and SERVICE. I don't make instruments for the shelf - I produce only if and when commissioned. All my custom-made instruments are with their new owners. Please visit my photo albums, see pictures of my violins and read what people say. (My instruments speak for themselves and my customers speak for me!) Email me at jan@gviolins.com or send me a Facebook private message and let’s start talking! YOU WILL BE SURPRISED AT HOW AFFORDABLE MY VIOLINS/VIOLAS ARE. - Jan Ask Jan.^^ He is very approachable.

Beautiful work. Sorry it didn't sound as hoped. Maybe I'll be able to visit yo next year...