Melvin Goldsmith Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 I made this violin for a friend who wanted a violin based on the Alard del Gesu of 1742 but styled slightly more more to my friend's taste which would require some tidying of the late DG aproach to symetry and toolwork and a new look finish. I made a mold from a symetricalised outline of the Alard back and worked freely from that. The F hole from the bass side of the Alard was used and the scroll was based on the Joseph Filus on the Plowden del Gesu. Most folk will be aware that the majority of my work is antiqued so it was nice to be asked to make a new looking violin for a change. Following the mint condition 'Chardon' pochette I blacked the rib mitres, the button, the scroll chamfer and an internal chamfer on the pegbox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Pollard Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Very nice! I like the blackening on the chamfer and rib-ends. And I'm partial to new instruments looking new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimMurphy Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Very nice, Melvin. The accentuated rib mitres work well with that changing rib flame pattern and those nice long arches. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actonern Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Quality is relative... you may be one of those hors concours guys but to my eye it's spectacular! E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbjörn Zethelius Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Nice work Melving! Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Hill Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Beautiful work, Melvin. Joe himself would have been proud of such work. Tell us a little about the arches and what you use for varnish. Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.B.Fiddler Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Stunning work. An inspiration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean_Lapinel Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 I made this violin for a friend who wanted a violin based on the Alard del Gesu of 1742 but styled slightly more more to my friend's taste which would require some tidying of the late DG aproach to symetry and toolwork and a new look finish. I made a mold from a symetricalised outline of the Alard back and worked freely from that. The F hole from the bass side of the Alard was used and the scroll was based on the Joseph Filus on the Plowden del Gesu. Most folk will be aware that the majority of my work is antiqued so it was nice to be asked to make a new looking violin for a change. Following the mint condition 'Chardon' pochette I blacked the rib mitres, the button, the scroll chamfer and an internal chamfer on the pegbox. That's just plain disgusting. It's unnatural and odd for someone to have so much talent. Witchery (or is it warlock something?) I say! Actually this is just friggin genius at work. How did you do the black work? How did you get the spruce edge so crisp yet smooth looking? It's almost like you made the hard reed vanish on the edge. Unbelievable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Liu Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Beautiful violin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolas Temino Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Very nice violin. Congratulations!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Tucker Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Ok, I give up! Exceptionally clean work. And yet, in no way is this work sterile. This violin is superb and clean and economical, in a way I have rarely seen. Congratulations Melving - keep doing whatever it is you're doing , because it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean_Lapinel Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Exceptionally clean work.And yet, in no way is this work sterile. That's it Craig! You pegged it. So many exceptional new violins can look sterile for some reason. Should we put our tools on ebay and go smoke pot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Tucker Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Should we put our tools on ebay and go smoke pot? I'm considering both options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Pollard Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Melvin, Did you consider leaving the inside of the peg-box unvarnished? I've been intrigued by that idea since seeing Bruce Carlson's photos of the pochette. Dean, are you offering prescriptions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiingfiddler Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 A really nice looking violin. Just goes to show that a cleanly made, symmetrical del Gesu model can look great. Proof that elegance in making and a del Gesu pattern can work well together, and positive proof that a straight varnished violin can look really attractive, every bit as interesting for the eye as the best done antiquing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANFIO Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Wow!!!! I love it!!! Congrats Melving! I particularly liked the scroll and f holes, as well as the fresh look! Congrats!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean_Lapinel Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Melvin, Did you consider leaving the inside of the peg-box unvarnished? I've been intrigued by that idea since seeing Bruce Carlson's photos of the pochette.Dean, are you offering prescriptions? LOL...Ken, this ain't California yet. If we get to that point then no problem. I'll give you a call soon. We need to get together with some of the other stringed instruments folks in this area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_N Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 I like the clean look. I'm not even close to being able to get anything that perfect looking. It's something to strive for. Then you can rough it up a little if you want to, not because that's the best you have! Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roderick Quiros Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 That's a beautiful fiddle. Outstanding. Congratulations. rq Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andres Sender Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Really lovely Melvin, others have already said it, it is very lush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvin Goldsmith Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Beautiful work, Melvin. Joe himself would have been proud of such work. Tell us a little about the arches and what you use for varnish. Thanks, .................... Hi Roger I based the arches on those of the Alard working from a Strad poster. The Alard is very similar to the Lord Wilton but as much as I love the Wilton the Alard is easier for me to get to grips with conceptually and has long arches that I favour for stability and see in DG's latest works. In my interpretation the long arches are an approximation of a constant radius arch done by eye. The cross arches take their theme from the Strad poster to fit the long arch but I always interpret and arch I might be copying and try to imagine how it might have distorted from how it looked new but also the underlying theme. Quite often the separate details of the original will not all conform to the copy I make. I am happy to accept that and most keen to keep the theme intact. For varnish I used a version of the Marciana recipe 50% oil 25% mastic and 25% colophony. I pre cooked the resins to reduce them to their darkest state, then crushed them in a pestle and mortar before combining with linseed oil in the above proportions by weight . The remaining varnish colour is mulled Perego Madder lake and some asphalt disolved in turpentine spirit plus some tiny amount of pre mulled lamp black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvin Goldsmith Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 That's just plain disgusting. It's unnatural and odd for someone to have so much talent. Witchery (or is it warlock something?) I say!Actually this is just friggin genius at work. How did you do the black work? How did you get the spruce edge so crisp yet smooth looking? It's almost like you made the hard reed vanish on the edge. Unbelievable! ..................... Hi Dean I am not sure my method for the black work is historically correct but what I do is wait until the instrument has one or two coats of varnish on. Then I scrape back the varnish on the chamfers and apply the black . I use a quick drying model makers matt black paint that dries real fast but a subtler black might be nice. I then carry on varnishing as normal. I am sure there can be variations on this method. I am glad and honoured you asked the question about the spruce edges as the effect was actually quite deliberate. Looking at the Alard and Wilton the crests of the edgework seems straight of the gouge yet abraded also. My attempt to get something similar where I see this is to abrade the wood with pumice on a rag as the final finish....It seems to keep the original form better than paper backed abrasives yet still soften the effect we see on the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Hill Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 ....................Hi Roger I based the arches on those of the Alard working from a Strad poster. The Alard is very similar to the Lord Wilton but as much as I love the Wilton the Alard is easier for me to get to grips with conceptually and has long arches that I favour for stability and see in DG's latest works. In my interpretation the long arches are an approximation of a constant radius arch done by eye. The cross arches take their theme from the Strad poster to fit the long arch but I always interpret and arch I might be copying and try to imagine how it might have distorted from how it looked new but also the underlying theme. Quite often the separate details of the original will not all conform to the copy I make. I am happy to accept that and most keen to keep the theme intact. For varnish I used a version of the Marciana recipe 50% oil 25% mastic and 25% colophony. I pre cooked the resins to reduce them to their darkest state, then crushed them in a pestle and mortar before combining with linseed oil in the above proportions by weight . The remaining varnish colour is mulled Perego Madder lake and some asphalt disolved in turpentine spirit plus some tiny amount of pre mulled lamp black. Thanks, Melvin. Simply stunning work. I can't imagine how you could ever improve on this violin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvin Goldsmith Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Melvin, Did you consider leaving the inside of the peg-box unvarnished? I've been intrigued by that idea since seeing Bruce Carlson's photos of the pochette Hi Ken. I was also intrigued by pictures I had of the pochette and inspired and influenced by the amazing pics Bruce Carlson posted for us. My varnish was near as dammit solvent free and actually ended up looking like the varnish orders at the F hole that Bruce showed us. I did consider leaving the peg hole edges and peg box in their natural wood state but in the end darkened them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Sellers Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Really amazing. Such an inspiration. Hope your well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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