Mark Norfleet

I heard of this happening at the Salt Lake school decades ago. I did something similar when I sent a cello neck and scroll back to a colleague, who is well known for his sense of humor. The scroll had been sent to me to get rid of several dramatic buzzes, which I did. Of course when he got it out of the box he rapped it against his hand and it rattled.

This reminds me of the time a client came in to have me work on his instrument. He knew that I also had the instrument of a heavy handed member of his section in my shop. When I finished up with the work on his instrument he produced a can of expanding polyurethane spay foam and asked me to fill his colleagues instrument with it, being certain that he would never notice. I wanted to turn the joke on him and make F shaped bits of the foam to have the intended victim put in his instrument for when he went to the next rehearsal, but unfortunately the can was old and no longer viable.

No. You should be able to bend ribs to fit that curve, but there’s a bit of learning that goes into it…

I've been trying to sort that one out too, and considering possible typos...

They however could easily be a result of lack of maintenance and competent adjustment. Purfling openings alone could cause those characteristics.

From your description and the perspective this violin maker/repair person, the instrument is very likely in need of adjustment in order to get it to work better with your bow. Whether or not the place you purchased if from is capable of that work is another question. Good Luck!

Not to mention the material. Recognizing that it will be more expensive and you can't go to your local hardware store for the material, you'll have fewer problems long term if you use aluminum or stainless steel for the "iron".

The how is interesting, and the why might be too. Years ago a cello came into the shop where I was working with a bunch of odd marks on its back. Apparently the owner had become frustrated with his instrument, removed the endpin and stabbed the cello with it repeatedly.

There was a prior thread which discussed the various attributes of roughing gouges. David and I both brought up the point that mass is very useful, especially when cutting spruce. A roughing gouge with greater mass takes less effort in some ways and affords greater control. Even with my relative feebleness, I’m fairly confident that I, or you, could remove more material accurately with my roughing gouge, or with yours if the handle gained some weight, than with yours the way it is now.

That's not really a monster, it just has a long handle. You must have forgotten... I'd be happy to disprove that claim, even though I'm likely close to twice your age.

Yes, I do use the extended drills through the end button hole. I’ve done it both ways, with the top (or back) off and with the body fully assembled.

I think one never really knows what the potential of any instrument is until it's properly set up. A few decades ago I had a young customer who brought me an inexpensive german made violin that his mother had bought and wanted it set up. It was something that I wouldn't have picked up to look at in a yard sale unless I wanted to use it for a prank. I did what I could do dissuade him from spending the money on it as I knew he didn't have much and already had a decent instrument to use. He persisted and I did the work. It sounded FANTASTIC. He's a very talented player and had a good solo career with Columbia Artists management on that violin for quite a while until someone loaned him a Strad. Good "set-up" and careful attention to physical health and adjustment is very important.

I use exactly one, pretty much in the center of the block, but if I’m feeling brave I’ll go a bit back towards the button. I use the sheet metal style, rather than wood, as the underside of the head is flat and won’t impart any wedging action to the block. I drill through the block and into the neck just the right amount, and then counterbore (drill) a hole equal to the OD of the screw just through the block so that all of the drawing (clamping) force of the screw is from the neck to the head of the screw. These are the tools I’ve used for that. The larger diameter drill has a brass sleeve on it as a depth stop. If I were to do this again, I would probably switch to Phillips head screws for the reduced chance of the driver slipping out of the head or at least put a locating collar on the driver. I’m not sure Phillips head sheet metal screws were readily available when I first did this decades ago.

Many of David's instruments are indeed historic by now, but I've never heard of anyone claiming that relative those of Stradivari, or even Strad O Various Jr. You have an exceptional talent for erroneous convolution.

I wonder how genetically different the sheep are now from the ones used to make strings 350 years ago…

But they are arguably more historically appropriate than a baroque era instrument, even if it has the original neck... Fake how?

Clicking the link might be faster…

But do you know how many Burgess necks I've had to re-set after they came out?!

Not at all! Make it fit as well as you can at the end grain of the top. I would not leave any more than a 1/10 of a mm gap at sides of the neck at the top, if that. Just don't compress the wood of the edge of the top as you're fitting it.

https://www.academia.edu/25898590/Shapes_of_the_baroque Page 49. There's probably plenty of interest for you in this volume. Size 16 (UK) please. Low to zero drop with a nice roomy toe box. I'll gladly leave the details of style to you.

Take up boot making too and use the nails for them. Screws just work so well for early necks and can even be removed without opening the instrument with a bit of creativity.

I'll second the use of SS screws. In addition to the considerations Mr. Darnton brings up, the iron can also swell if it corrodes and hasten cracks in the heel. There's an Xray of an original neck with it's nail that I saw recently and I'll post it, or a link to it, later if no one beats me to it.

Of course! Yes, they’re Satinwood.

Thanks! The internals might give you some ideas for development, if you can ever twist John’s arm just right.

I have no idea of even who made them. I got the steel years ago from a Japanese maker who was a friend of the guy who used to own the Franke Stainer. I made the handles.