Bernhard Ritschard

Melvin, I hope you have a happy client!

Yes, you are enough of a gut string freak!

Hi Lyndon, thank you very much for posting the videos! I am really sorry for the trouble you had on the other forum... your work is really impressive! Congratulation!

Thank you Jacob, and congratulation to Lyndon! The clavichord sounds great! I would like to hear the other ones too...

Thank you, guys. Yes, it is a huge one and it has been a companion in my workshop for many months. Now, without it's presence, I feel somewhat lonely in the workshop. The bass player in Patrick Süskind's "The Double Bass" comes to mind... I really like the sound of bowed instruments with frets, there is a lot of "ring", and I hope I will be able to build more da gamba instruments. Flat backs are nice too, and less expensive!

Jezzupe, it wasn't that much fun - the height of the bending iron is 22cm, the height of the finished ribs is 23.5cm... But I'm glad it worked.

Beautiful, Melvin, and I am sure it sounds great! Ok, I will expand, but unfortunately (or fortunately!) I don't have pictures of the finished (D-)violone, because it left the workshop before the strings stayed in tune, but after having tied the frets. It will come back in a week or two for an adjustment, and I will take some more pictures. The thickest string, the low D (34,62Hz) has a diameter of 6mmm, and I am glad it responds easily with almost no bow pressure. Great strings, but still a little smelly. This is a reconstruction of an instrument by G.P. Maggini, the original (in the Museo Santa Giulia, Brescia) has been transformed into a modern doublebass with only 4 strings, unfortunately. Some more pictures of the unfinished instrument:

Melvin, that looks great, more photos please! Looks like a great varnish job...! It's not too shiny, that's what I like.

Need more guts to get it finished....

Maggini made scrolls like that on his basses, here's a painting by Evaristo Baschenis (Bergamo, 1617-1677):

This one? http://www.camera2000.com/en/white-leds-1-12-cmos-30fps-usb-mini-tube-camera.html Dia. 7mm, 640x480px, 77$

http://www.cremonatools.com/product_info.php?products_id=3256 This one?

Andrew Dipper talked about (coloured) mica and mineral ground back in 1993. Interesting stuff, I used it a lot, but it's not magic.

I bought these irons years ago in Cremona, don't know if they are still available from Giò Batta Morassi: I like them, but I would prefer an electric one... Bernhard

There is a nice baroque cello button on this website: http://www.harmonie.net/us/index.html Go to "endpins". baroquecello, I like your practical thinking!