First violin finished

[Colin S]

I posted this over on the OLF:

As some of you may know my wife, Penny, has been a professional violinist for many years (If I told you how many she'd kill me!), but including in her career was 20+ years with the London Symphony Orchestra, one of the two premier British orchestras.

When I started making guitars ten or so years ago I promised that I would make a violin for her. Of course I was always going to start it "when I've finished this guitar/lute".....

Well. recently we were lucky enough to handle, and Penny play, the Viotti Stradivarius and I became inspired to have a go at making a copy. So, using measurement and drawing from the Viotti my first violin was started.

Neck, back and sides are of course European maple, and the top is 'Fiemme' spruce. The finish is Baltic amber oil varnish, brushed on and rubbed out with rottenstone. It's a whole new set of skills to learn, but I can thoroughly recommend it to anyone who wants a challenge.

Most importanly, the Boss is very pleased with it and has already recorded one of her favourite Bach partitas on it, her graduation piece 30 years ago (whoops now I've said it!).

Some pictures:









This is my last four instruments, Lute, steel string, classical, violin.



Colin

[Kim]

Masterful work Colin,

You have outstanding skills and are a true craftsman. What a perfect arrangement, a world class violinist and a world class luthier together as partners in life.

Any chance of a sample of the fruits in the form of a sound clip??? I am sure we would all love to hear your wife play your violin.

Cheers

Kim

[kiwigeo]

Stradivarius was an amateur!! Nice work Colin.

Cheers Martin

[ozziebluesman]

Hello Colin,

Beautiful instruments mate. Thanks for sharing with us!

Cheers

Alan

[Tom Morici]

Colin,

Stunning work!

To have someone with the impressive background, that your
wife has, aprove it, must be the ultimate complement.
All I can say is Wow and bravo!

Tom

[Dennis Leahy]

I am sure we would all love to hear your wife play your violin.

Cheers

Kim

Kimothy Festus! I cannot believe you said a thing like that to Colin!

Oh wait, maybe you actually were talking about playing a violin!

Colin, the fact that your wife is such an accomplished violinist and that she loves the violin says a lot about what you were able to accomplish in your FIRST VIOLIN! Wow, that is amazing!

Congratulations!

Dennis

[Ron Wisdom]

No surprise here, Colin, my friend! Your craftsmanship is always second to none. That is outstanding.

Ron

[sebastiaan56]

Hi Colin,

I am another in awe of your skill as a luthier and I suspect your wife's skill on the violin. LSO is the big time! Sound clip pleaseeeeeese,

Sebastiaan

p.s. with chocolate syrup and sugar on top

[Colin S]

I did try and post a soundclip link in my original post but couldn't get it to work, I'll try again. If not there is a clip over on the OLF.

Bach gigue

Colin

OK that worked!

[Bob Connor]

Beautiful, beautiful work Colin.

There must have been a dram or two of Laphroig to celebrate that one.

And please pass on to Penny how much I enjoyed her playing.

[Allen]

Well, Colin, you've just gone and put one more thing on the to do list before I die. It's really a beautiful instrument. I think I recall you saying recently that the finish cost more than the wood. Is that so?

What about your wife's honest appraisal of the instrument? Does a violin open up after being played in for a little bit, or is it something that is going to take decades for it to really start to sing?

I listened to the sound clip this morning, and to my very untrained ears, it was simply beautiful.

[Dave White]

Colin,

That's fantastic. While most of use fiddle around making guitars and things there you are off making a fiddle - well violin. Fantastic craftmanship as usual, fabulous look and finish and divine sound. For a first attempt that is very impressive indeed.

Lovely playing by Penny and she obviously loves it - there are lots of marriages made in heaven in this one. To have slills like that betwen you and access to those fabulous old instruments - that's just Hog Heaven as the ex-colonials would say!

[sebastiaan56]

Thanks for the clip Colin, its a keeper! My suspicion is confirmed, please congratulate your wife on some damn fine fiddlin.

Sebastiaan

[Craig]

G'day Colin ,.......One word ,,,,, "superb "

[Dennis Leahy]

Brava, Penny!

Bravo, Colin!

Dennis

[Colin S]

Thanks everyone, nice when your peers appreciate your efforts.

Allen, I'm not sure if the finish costs more than the wood but as I was given a lot of the wood by one of the top violin makers, it certainly cost me a lot more. As a guide the varnish goes for £860/ltr though I only had to buy 100ml! But in my mind its worth every penny, the depth and complexity of the finish from a very thin coat is stunning in the hand. The top wood as I said is Fiemme spruce, the same wood used by the Cremonese builders, this particular sample was actully cut in the 19th century, so had a bit of a head start in the maturing stage, but like with a guitar the most noticeable change with this was in the first couple of weeks.

Colin

[matthew]

well done colin. Dare you show any closer pics? love to see your corners! Did you have a hand with setup (soundpost, bridgecut, fingerboard dressing) or did you figgah it aht yourself? What did you use for graduation patterns?

Looks squatter than the Viotti - or is that perspective error?

[Colin S]

Matthew, I had a lot of advice from the luthier that looks after the museum's violin family instruments (I tend the fretted ones), but I just winged it really. I've seen inside other Stradivarius violins in the museums collection when he has been repairing them ( I think he's restored more Strads than anyone else around as he looks after those of the three major London collections) It's taken from exact measurements.

As to setting up the bridge, soundpost (boy that's a pain) well the boss was the one that told me when it was to her liking, 1mm change in soundpost position makes a lot of difference.

Colin

[Allen]

Yikes, that comes to $1,780 AU / litre.

I don't suppose your using anything like this on a double bass are you Matthew?

[kiwigeo]

Yikes, that comes to $1,780 AU / litre.

Dont complain mate..one day youll be paying that for petrol.

[Hesh1956]

Stunning violin Colin my friend.

I have already been impressed to greatly by this violin and Penny's playing on the OLF but I am happy to say it again here.

For those who believe that "Luthier" is a title that one earns over time and by demonstrating chops on a variety of instruments you certainly qualify if anyone ever has.

Very, very well done!

[Dave Anderson]

Very,VERY nice work Colin!! You are certainly a very talented luthier and
your wife plays so wonderfully. Thanks for posting this!