Stephen Churchill

Hi, I'm putting together a maple electric/take-down violin. I've prepared a wenge fingerboard and I'd like to highlight the grain of the wood. Any suggestions on an acceptable coating for a fingerboard? Shellac? Tung oil? I don't want it to interfere with playability (I'll be playing it), or turn ugly with wear.... Thanks Stephen

Hi all, I have the good fortune to be going to Paris this summer and was curious if anyone know what was on display there in museums, etc. For that matter, does anyone know of a list of 'famous' violins on display around the world. I'd have thought there would be some dedication to Vuillaume maybe... I'm aware of the ‘Davidoff’ 1708 Stradivari violin at Cité de la Musique, but haven't found any other references in my quick google search. Thanks Stephen

Impressive! I agree it would look great in a nice exotic hardwood too. Maybe cocobolo with brass knobs. If you don't mind me asking where did you get your branding iron? Looks like a brass tip, is that something you had made at a shop? Thanks Stephen

The Quality Factor can be estimated by dividing the resonant frequency by the bandwidth at the 1/2 power point, which in a plot of power in decibels at 3db below the peak. So effectively the frequency of the mode divided by horizontal thickness of the resonant frequency 3 db lower then the very peak on the FFT plot. I haven't made a test of how consistent my measurements are yet. I'm curious if this is how makers are measuring Quality Factor (given that the peak is dependent on the source of energy - how hard one might be tapping, it may cause small variations in measured Q). Also is this the quantity that some makers are referring to when they talk of damping... From what I've seen here there is no consensus on whether allot or a little damping is better. I guess that might depend where it is in the response of a plate and how that relates to the spectrum of the completed violin. Cheers, Stephen

Very interesting Guy, Thanks for putting this up. I was curious on what happens to the modes when ribs are attached. I'm also interested in how these are predictors of resonances of the fully assembled violin. Do you measure Q in any way? Resonances are one thing, but I suspect that a strong resonance will have a different effect then a weak one, and I'd like to characterize this. If you subscribe to plate tuning for specific modes, Jonathan Rowe has a couple diagrams on his site on adjusting modes somewhat independently. Based on the CAS journals. I’ve tired it with some success. Stephen

I was experimenting with emulsions on the weekend. My own experiments found that Casein/Oil worked well. In my case I was using JOHA varnish. My own test samples showed that the Casein/Oil mix had similar optical results as Vernice Bianca. I also tried a Vernice Bianca/Oil emulsion with similar results. Noteably, I am hand mixing which may have impacted the results. I'll post some pictures later today for the curious. Should I expect better results from Casein/Oil or is it similar optically and superior acoustically then just using Vernice Bianca as a ground.