Nick Allen

I read it. Seems like they went just slightly over the top.

Joha oil varnishes from International Violin are fairly easy to apply. I've used their pre coloured oil varnishes. If you thin them just a little and apply them with your finger/hand in thin layers they are pretty easy to get a reasonably consistent coat on with. I do believe that they still require some UV to cure, but they dry in a few hours though.

That makes sense. Necks are usually flat sawn anyways.

I would imagine quartered wood. To keep the wedge from pushing up if it we're slab when it expands in humid environments. For the most part, a quartered wedge would be kept in check by the glue and if anything would move with the neck/fb. But perhaps this is splitting hairs.

I have to admit that I've cut bridges backwards before. With the long rays fingerboard side. So I can confirm this confusion lol.

That would be a scarf joint. Most guitars with an angled headstock exhibit them.

I imagine that violin makers haven't moved on just for the sake of sticking to tradition. Surely there can be better alternatives that are readily rejected out of tenacity to the traditions of the craft. Maybe there aren't viable alternatives. Who knows. Why can't I just put a coat of Arm-R-Seal on a violin and be happy?

The arching is far too low for my liking. I think that the outline is nice, and with higher arches, it probably has the potential to sound good as a model.

Are you suggesting a burn in lol?

Is the lower bout basically just a circle drawn from a compass?

On another note, your countersinks are too big for the scroll turn layout. They're the right size for the peg holes, though. I'd use an awl next time for the scroll turns, and poke a pencil dot into them. Keeps them small, accurate, and they are easy to carve out later.

Conte Vitale is a classic. Any Strad CV pattern may need to be widened in the C bouts in order to get the most from that model. Tons of makers modify the CV to their liking to satisfactory results. Of course Brescian violas are always en Vogue.

Fungus?

If the joint is planned well then that shouldn't be an issue. I've used them too and they work well. The only thing I don't like is the disposability and they seem to take forever to clean.

I have their coarse, gold, and live that the guy at the VSA gave me along with the tinyest espresso. The coarse is fine for viola and cello. Not too many kinky hairs to pick through. Their pre cut hanks come with enough hair for a viola, so they have to be picked through a second time anyways.