Brad Dorsey

Repairing broken buttons has been discussed a number of times previously on this forum. One recent example: https://maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/343940-repair-question-button-repairneck-graft/ You can find more by searching the Google for key words followed by "site colon maestronet dot com" for example "broken button site:maestronet.com"

You would be more likely to get a response if you specify whether you want to know about a new violin you are making whose button you cut off by mistake or an old violin whose button broke off that you want to repair.

This bow came in for rehairing today: I told the customer that he won the prize for the least amount of hair that I have ever seen on a bow currently being used. Does anyone else here have a prize-winning bow that you'd like to show us?

The button definitely needs reinforcement. I put up some pictures showing how I do it here: https://maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/316319-neck-repair/ In order to do it like this, you need to remove the back. But I don't like the idea of having the rib structure separated from both plates at the same time. So before removing the back I would fit a new upper block and glue it to the ribs only; separate the corner blocks and lower block from the back while the top is still off and you can work from the inside; reglue the top; and then remove the back. Ideally, before patching the button you would clean the dirt, glue and retouching varnish out of the break in the button as Jacob suggested, so that when the job is finished the button break becomes invisible. This might require separating the break and then regluing it. You should not attempt this unless you are sure you can make it better.

The same thing happens to me, except that the A string wears out at the C note position. And my customers always wear out their A strings first, too. I think that the explanation is simply that the A string receives the most use.

These are both pretty good descriptions of what I have been experiencing.

I like this approach very much. Now I now what to say to the customer. Can I quote you? Lest you get the wrong impression of my clientele, I should make it clear that this was a performer who I went to hear, not a customer.

It must have been somebody else who asked about it, because I did not. But I would like to read that discussion. Can you direct me to it? Edit: I found the discussion and you're right: it was me who asked. Thank you for your insights -- very helpful.

It has metal fine tuners attached to an ebony tailpiece. But the fine tuners are not buzzing. The strings are rattling against each other. And today another cello came in for some work. The strings rattle against each other in the same manner as the other three that I have tried. I'm beginning to think that all cellos do this. I should have mentioned earlier that the strings don't rattle while they are being bowed. It happens for just a split second right after the bow is lifted off the strings.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm experiencing. Do you consider it to be a fault or a problem?

I don't see how an open seam would cause pairs of strings to rattle against each other (on three different cellos) or how gluing the seam would stop them from rattling against each other.

I'm asking myself the same question.

I’ve been wrestling with a cello conundrum lately: Buzzing when the open C and G strings are both bowed very vigorously, and the same with the open G and D. No string buzzes separately. Of course I first suspected the bridge height or the nut height or the shape of the fingerboard. But I have figured out that the buzz is caused by the two strings rattling against each other. The arcs of the two vibrating strings visibly intersect each other when they are bowed together in a way that maximally displaces them, causing them to vibrate against each other. I’ve tried several different strings including Dominant, Jargar and unidentified used strings with the same result. Both of the cellos in my shop right now do the same thing. I have asked several cellists performing in our area about this. None could provide any useful information. One of them could make his cello, a 1715 David Tecchler, do the same thing. Questions: Has anyone else here experienced this? Is this common or normal for cellos? Is it a problem? Is there any way to stop it? Is it something that cellists just have to live with? I'm also posting this on the Pegbox to get input from luthiers.

I’ve been wrestling with a cello conundrum lately: Buzzing when the open C and G strings are both bowed very vigorously, and the same with the open G and D. No string buzzes separately. Of course I first suspected the bridge height or the nut height or the shape of the fingerboard. But I have figured out that the buzz is caused by the two strings rattling against each other. The arcs of the two vibrating strings visibly intersect each other when they are bowed together in a way that maximally displaces them, causing them to vibrate against each other. I’ve tried several different strings including Dominant, Jargar and unidentified used strings with the same result. Both of the cellos in my shop right now do the same thing. I have asked several cellists performing in our area about this. None could provide any useful information. One of them could make his cello, a 1715 David Tecchler, do the same thing. Questions: Has anyone else here experienced this? Is this common or normal for cellos? Is it a problem? Is there any way to stop it? Is it something that cellists just have to live with? I'm also posting this on the Fingerboard to get input from players.

And to answer your question: This is not a significant bow.