Aubert Deluxe identification and opinions

[hnryhouuu]

7 minutes ago, Andrew Victor said:

The bridges on my violins tend to weigh 2.1 grams.

How heavy is yours?

Haven’t really checked but it’s above 2 grams for sure, but maybe on the heavy side due to apparent mass left on the bridge

[hnryhouuu]

17 minutes ago, Blank face said:

There are a lot of ways and styles to carve a bridge, but this I would call the 5 minutes version.

Does this affect sound of the violin, making is dull? Should I find a luthier and further carve the bridge for me or should I simply change a new one?

[Blank face]

4 minutes ago, hnryhouuu said:

Does this affect sound of the violin, making is dull? Should I find a luthier and further carve the bridge for me or should I simply change a new one?

It surely affects the sound, but wether for good or bad is hard to tell from a photo.

I would guess that most of the luthiers won't work on an existing bridge by somebody else but prefer to make their own, but one would need to ask.

[jacobsaunders]

23 minutes ago, violinnewb said:

 

Does it matter whether the bridge is "authentic"?  Serious question.

Hardly. A bridge blank is just that – a blank. i.e. a roughly sawn out lump of wood which is the starting point for carving one. It doesn’t really make a fat lot of difference if you use one from Aubert, or a good quality Teller, one from Stam, or whoever. I currently have some from someone in Serbia, whose name I have forgotten. Sawing one out yourself from a solid lump of wood takes all day.

[violinnewb]

26 minutes ago, jacobsaunders said:

Hardly. A bridge blank is just that – a blank. i.e. a roughly sawn out lump of wood which is the starting point for carving one. It doesn’t really make a fat lot of difference if you use one from Aubert, or a good quality Teller, one from Stam, or whoever. I currently have some from someone in Serbia, whose name I have forgotten. Sawing one out yourself from a solid lump of wood takes all day.

Ok. Thank you.  I was thinking that might be the case.  As I understand it, as long as the bridge is maple or some other suitable wood, it is ultimately recarved by the luthier to fit the individual violin anyways.  Your reply is most appreciated!

[Davide Sora]

2 hours ago, violinnewb said:

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.

It depends on whether someone decides to fake the brand of "Aubert de luxe" or another that costs a lot, and print it on cheap bridge blanks selling them at twenty times their price. That would be a scam, but that's what "authenticity" refers to. Personally, I always remove the blank manufacturer's brand and put my own. My customers will have to trust me about the quality of my bridges, the blank's manufacturer is actually not an absolute guarantee at all.

[violinnewb]

34 minutes ago, Davide Sora said:

It depends on whether someone decides to fake the brand of "Aubert de luxe" or another that costs a lot, and print it on cheap bridge blanks selling them at twenty times their price. That would be a scam, but that's what "authenticity" refers to. Personally, I always remove the blank manufacturer's brand and put my own. My customers will have to trust me about the quality of my bridges, the blank's manufacturer is actually not an absolute guarantee at all.

I don't think I have ever been charged more than $15 USD for the bridge itself.  But I see how the "scam" part of it applies.  

[nathan slobodkin]

[nathan slobodkin]

Just now, nathan slobodkin said:

Blank on left, bridge on right. I use this to explain to clients why bridges cost as much as they do. As many others said the blank itself can be good or bad regardless of what is stamped on it. For some years Aubert has been choosing deluxe bridges on the basis of flashy looking wood with no regard at all for tonal considerations.

[Davide Sora]

3 hours ago, violinnewb said:

I don't think I have ever been charged more than $15 USD for the bridge itself.  But I see how the "scam" part of it applies.  

I believe that a top-of-the-range bridge from famous brands (Aubert, Despiau, Milo Stamm) goes for over 20 euros, but even 15 would not be cheap. if they took 1 or 2 euro bridges and marked them falsely, they would earn 10 times or more. But I wouldn't want to give bad ideas to anyone, a luthier who knows what he's doing would notice, but many don't. Otherwise, there would be no need to leave visible trademarks on the bridge if everyone would notice the quality just by looking at the wood and the cut.

[Davide Sora]

1 hour ago, nathan slobodkin said:

Blank on left, bridge on right. I use this to explain to clients why bridges cost as much as they do. As many others said the blank itself can be good or bad regardless of what is stamped on it. For some years Aubert has been choosing deluxe bridges on the basis of flashy looking wood with no regard at all for tonal considerations.

I made a series of videos to show the work from the rough piece to the finished bridge, but your image is very eloquent and definitely has the merit of synthesis, which is a bit missing from my videos

[David Burgess]

7 hours ago, Blank face said:

There are a lot of ways and styles to carve a bridge, but this I would call the 5 minutes version.

I like to avoid making judgements like that, when I don't know exactly what it was that the person who made the bridge was trying to accomplish.

[Guido]

1 hour ago, David Burgess said:

I like to avoid making judgements like that, when I don't know exactly what it was that the person who made the bridge was trying to accomplish.

I'd guess the person who made the bridge was perfectly attuned to the customer's needs: what matters most is the brand and model on the back.

I don't think it's a conscious approach of wanting to have the bridge filter out as little as possible. I'd get that with little or no carving around the kidneys and leaving the centre strong (pregnant), etc... But those feet are just killing me.

[Guido]

9 hours ago, hnryhouuu said:

Does this affect sound of the violin, making is dull? Should I find a luthier and further carve the bridge for me or should I simply change a new one?

This is my mental model. Acoustically, the bridge has two jobs to do. (a) Pick-up the vibrations from the stings and (b) pass them on to the violin. The first works better with less mass. The second is a little more complicated, as the bridge works as a filter on frequencies, which can be used to influence the sound character. But it is a process that can only take away (filter) from what is picked up from the strings. Hence, there is a case for less enthusiastic carving (in particular around the centre) and get as much energy to the violin as possible.

[hnryhouuu]

41 minutes ago, Guido said:

I'd guess the person who made the bridge was perfectly attuned to the customer's needs: what matters most is the brand and model on the back.

I don't think it's a conscious approach of wanting to have the bridge filter out as little as possible. I'd get that with little or no carving around the kidneys and leaving the centre strong (pregnant), etc... But those feet are just killing me.

You mean the feet of my bridge or other one?

[hnryhouuu]

7 minutes ago, Guido said:

This is my mental model. Acoustically, the bridge has two jobs to do. (a) Pick-up the vibrations from the stings and (b) pass them on to the violin. The first works better with less mass. The second is a little more complicated, as the bridge works as a filter on frequencies, which can be used to influence the sound character. But it is a process that can only take away (filter) from what is picked up from the strings. Hence, there is a case for less enthusiastic carving (in particular around the centre) and get as much energy to the violin as possible.

My A string sound muted as a result, but has a very powerful G and E string. Is it too thick?

[Guido]

3 hours ago, hnryhouuu said:

My A string sound muted as a result, but has a very powerful G and E string. Is it too thick?

Where is your soundpost?

Best advice (as stated by many above). Find a good luthier to help you.