hnryhouuu Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 I would like to know if my violin bridge is authentic aubert deluxe and can someone comment on the skill of carving and the style? Also, what is the very best bridge blank I can get?
MikeC Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 I am not an expert but I think it needs some refinement.
hnryhouuu Posted September 13, 2023 Author Report Posted September 13, 2023 Just now, MikeC said: I am not an expert but I think it needs some refinement. May I ask where is the indicator or that? And would you suggest getting a new blank for the better?
GeorgeH Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 Recommendation: Take it to a reputable luthier who knows how to cut bridges well, and let them select the blank. Take a look at pictures of well cut bridges to compare to yours. Sorry to say, but yours looks like it was installed at a Music Store.
MikeC Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 I don't think there's anything wrong with the blank but it appears the bare minimum was done in fitting it. Feet look like they are fitted fairly well, except a tiny bit of the back corner on the bass side. Feet look too thick especially on the inner side. The bottom between the feet is left straight where normally it would be carved into a slight arch. The back looks rough, perhaps the luthier didn't want to lose the Aubert logo so did no smoothing of the wood on that side. The decorative notches on the 'knees' could be extended for aesthetic looks. just my opinion, I'm an amateur builder.
Guido Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 The bridge looks competent but utterly uninspired. At the very least the legs and feet are much too thick for my taste.
Guido Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 Here are some rather thin feet (and legs) for comparison.
MikeC Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 That looks really thin. I'll show a picture of mine later tonight.
hnryhouuu Posted September 13, 2023 Author Report Posted September 13, 2023 23 minutes ago, GeorgeH said: Recommendation: Take it to a reputable luthier who knows how to cut bridges well, and let them select the blank. Take a look at pictures of well cut bridges to compare to yours. Sorry to say, but yours looks like it was installed at a Music Store. 22 minutes ago, MikeC said: I don't think there's anything wrong with the blank but it appears the bare minimum was done in fitting it. Feet look like they are fitted fairly well, except a tiny bit of the back corner on the bass side. Feet look too thick especially on the inner side. The bottom between the feet is left straight where normally it would be carved into a slight arch. The back looks rough, perhaps the luthier didn't want to lose the Aubert logo so did no smoothing of the wood on that side. The decorative notches on the 'knees' could be extended for aesthetic looks. just my opinion, I'm an amateur builder. So it’s a undecorated cutted bridge? does it affect the sound? I’m more of a violinist than a luthier myself, so performance is the key for me. do I have to pay for new, even better blank for another respected luthier to carve my bridge? I feel like when crossing strings in ysaye 3 it feels disconnected from each string, and the G and E is a bit too low (pressing strings is slightly annoying)
JacksonMaberry Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 1 hour ago, Guido said: Here are some rather thin feet (and legs) for comparison. My experience, while limited to 8 years, leads me to feel that those ankles and feet are much too thin for an appropriate balance of performance and longevity.
JacksonMaberry Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 56 minutes ago, hnryhouuu said: So it’s a undecorated cutted bridge? does it affect the sound? I’m more of a violinist than a luthier myself, so performance is the key for me. do I have to pay for new, even better blank for another respected luthier to carve my bridge? I feel like when crossing strings in ysaye 3 it feels disconnected from each string, and the G and E is a bit too low (pressing strings is slightly annoying) While the quality of the bridge blank is important, it can't be guaranteed by a stamp. I don't even preserve the stamp on bridges I cut, I find it tacky. Sorting through piles of bridges from deluxe down to no. 5s, you will find (if you know what to look/listen for) good bridges amongst all of them, and lousy ones too. The point being that some deluxes just... suck, despite being stamped "deluxe". I get that people want some kind of guarantee, especially when they don't know how to personally select the best. But in a world of marketing bs, there are no guarantees. You can only hope to trust the good judgment of people who know what they're doing. What's more important in how well a bridge functions is how well it fits and how well it has been optimized by a competent luthier. If they can do that well, they can also probably select the best blank for the job. So find a shop you trust and leave it in their capable hands.
David Burgess Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 2 hours ago, JacksonMaberry said: While the quality of the bridge blank is important, it can't be guaranteed by a stamp. I don't even preserve the stamp on bridges I cut, I find it tacky. Sorting through piles of bridges from deluxe down to no. 5s, you will find (if you know what to look/listen for) good bridges amongst all of them, and lousy ones too. The point being that some deluxes just... suck, despite being stamped "deluxe". Agreed. To me, this appears to be a genuine Aubert Deluxe bridge, carved in such a way as to leave a lot of mass. I don't think anyone here has any way of knowing, from our side of the screen, whether or not leaving a lot of mass was done deliberately, to achieve a certain sonic outcome.
GeorgeH Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 When you take it to the luthier, get the string action checked to be sure they are not too high from the fingerboard. If you're happy with the tone and the action is fine, then you don't have to do anything. It is just a very inelegantly cut and fitted bridge.
David Burgess Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 41 minutes ago, GeorgeH said: If you're happy with the tone and the action is fine, then you don't have to do anything. It is just a very inelegantly cut and fitted bridge. Considering the differences between Beare bridges of the early last century, and Wurlitzer bridges, what is considered to be an elegant bridge can be different things to different high-level people in the trade, right?
JacksonMaberry Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 2 minutes ago, David Burgess said: Considering the differences between Beare bridges of the early last century, and Wurlitzer bridges, what is considered to be an elegant bridge can be different things to different high-level people in the trade, right? That seems fair. There is a staggering variety across shops and time. The only thing I would call non negotiable in that case is the fit of the feet
GeorgeH Posted September 13, 2023 Report Posted September 13, 2023 45 minutes ago, David Burgess said: Considering the differences between Beare bridges of the early last century, and Wurlitzer bridges, what is considered to be an elegant bridge can be different things to different high-level people in the trade, right? Of course. You can even enter your bridge in a competition judged by "high-level people in the trade," and also buy a coffee table book with pictures of elegant bridges to impress your friends and family. I kinda doubt this bridge would place very high in that competition, but I could always be wrong about that.
MikeC Posted September 14, 2023 Report Posted September 14, 2023 Mine is not much better, and I can't seem to get a good clear picture with my iphone camera.
Guido Posted September 14, 2023 Report Posted September 14, 2023 9 hours ago, JacksonMaberry said: My experience, while limited to 8 years, leads me to feel that those ankles and feet are much too thin for an appropriate balance of performance and longevity. I find longevity never seems an issue at the feet. This one is about 100 years old and going strong :-) But I don't cut them quite so petite either. Just posted to illustrate the other end of the spectrum vs the OP.
Guido Posted September 14, 2023 Report Posted September 14, 2023 And here are some more tiny feet and angles that have survived 100 years.
David Burgess Posted September 14, 2023 Report Posted September 14, 2023 5 hours ago, Guido said: And here are some more tiny feet and angles that have survived 100 years. If you look at the shape of the bottom of the feet, you can see that this came from a violin which had indentations on the top under the feet (they do not follow the curvature of a normal arching). The poor load distribution of these thin feet, even if they weren't the single cause of the indentations, would have exacerbated this.
hnryhouuu Posted September 14, 2023 Author Report Posted September 14, 2023 38 minutes ago, David Burgess said: If you look at the shape of the bottom of the feet, you can see that this came from a violin which had indentations on the top under the feet (they do not follow the curvature of a normal arching). The poor load distribution of these thin feet, even if they weren't the single cause of the indentations, would have exacerbated this. Does the bridge of mine have indentations?
David Burgess Posted September 14, 2023 Report Posted September 14, 2023 2 hours ago, hnryhouuu said: Does the bridge of mine have indentations? The indentations I'm talking about are on the top of the violin itself
Blank face Posted September 14, 2023 Report Posted September 14, 2023 On 9/13/2023 at 2:43 PM, hnryhouuu said: There are a lot of ways and styles to carve a bridge, but this I would call the 5 minutes version.
violinnewb Posted September 14, 2023 Report Posted September 14, 2023 On 9/13/2023 at 5:43 AM, hnryhouuu said: authentic aubert deluxe I have never really paid attention to bridges because I have always let my luthier, who I trust, to take care of selection, carving, fitting, etc. Does it matter whether the bridge is "authentic"? Serious question.
Andrew Victor Posted September 14, 2023 Report Posted September 14, 2023 The bridges on my violins tend to weigh 2.1 grams. How heavy is yours?
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