January 2007

Restoring an old Garage 1/2 size violin

January 29, 2007 00:07

A worthy weekend project? Here is a 40+ year old Czech "Strad" copy found in the garage of my friend who quit violin. She lent it to me to restore it figuring it can't get any worse. Fortunately it had no cracks, only a few open seams, broken tailgut and was missing a peg. So nothing major. The bridge was found on the bottom of the case.

Here's a close-up of the damage to the varnish on the top.

One thing you'll notice is the severe asymmetricalness of this violin, due to the hurried work of slapping it together. The inside top is also unfinished, gouge marks and furrows visible, and the bassbar is carved out of the top, not fitted. So we're looking at the lowest of the low here. Made in Czechoslovakia, complete with the Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno label.

First I reamed the pegbox and fitted new pegs to it. The pegholes are at an angle, not right, and slope this way and that. The scroll is off-center and twisted. It is all very Salvador Dali-like.

Then I glued the open seams with hot hide glue, clamped and glued the fingerboard down, and touched up the varnish. Finally I gave it a quick French polish, with a damp rag of denatured alcohol, mixed with a few dabs clear varnish and a few dabs of Dov Schmidt violin polish. It seemed to shine it up quickly without messing up the finish.

Oh, and I used a black Sharpie marker to darken the brown areas on the non-ebony fingerboard. Ha ha, bet they didn't have that written in any violin repair manual.

This morning I fitted a new tailpiece, and strung it up with new Visions, a new fine tuner and new chinrest, and you know? It doesn't look half bad, considering the asymmetricalness.

The back was untouched and looking original. And the sound? Well, it is comparable to the small thin sound of the new low-end Chinese fractionals. I must say that it is less congested than the new Chinese fractionals, probably because of whatever aging it had done for over 40 years sitting inside a battered broken case inside garages. I played a duet on it with my son, and being a kid, he prefers his new shiny Stringworks Crescendo, even though the sound on this old Czech beats it. His is a 1/4 and this one is a 1/2, so there is some of that for having a larger sound. However comparing to my daughter's Chinese 3/4, this 1/2 isn't so bad, and doesn't sound as congested.

But can I ever talk my kid into using it? Nah, he wants something pretty, and this Quasimodo's charm is lost on a 6 year old.

More detailed larger pictures are found at Maestronet Pegbox thread.

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Playing in a Brand New Master Violin

January 21, 2007 22:33

For the past 5 days I've been in violin shopaholic's heaven. My friend is letting me play in a violin made by Maestro Claudio Rampini that has just been finished. My first impression was, "I'm jealous!"

This newly made violin is a beaut! Reddish brown varnish, impeccable workmanship and a solid tone. Wow! This violin, although brand new, is already rich and full sounding. It is bright and sweet in the upper registers and powerful and boomy in the lower registers. What more can you want? I also love the slightly earthy grittiness of the mid-range, giving it a full-bodied heft, a real mature sounding violin.

Sure, it is still new and requires a little harder bowing, but it is very responsive nonetheless. In the few days I had it, it has smoothed out it's tiny bits of unevenness and the fuzziness is replaced by an appealing warmth with a hint of grit. This violin sings and is showing its inherently sweet voice. Only a tiny hint of nasalness betrays its newborn status. And I expect that as the weeks go by it will be opened up and sing even more sweeter and brighter. I've played a lot of new violins, being a frequent visitor of the Cremona shows and violin shops, and this one can stand up and beat most of the new violins coming out today. It has punch, spunk and expressiveness. And best of all, it is rich from the start. No thin toned nasal pinched sound that is so common with newborn fiddles.

And the back, is so gorgeous. The picture does not do justice, because the flames dance on the violin as you move it under the light. It is well arched, scooped, edged and all of the other good things done by a master maker. And best of all, it's a violin you can't put down. I have several other violins I can choose from, and this weekend I went for the Rampini Toscano each time. It's seductive alluring sound is perfect for Bach to Beethoven, Paganini to Irish fiddle. Okay, well maybe not Bach, but I don't have to make it that smoky. Let me rephrase, the clarity and focus of the violin makes it perfect for Bach and Mozart, but with the mysterious reserve for Beethoven, Paganini and Gypsy tunes. The crispness of the response and the lyrical smoothness for the lilt of the Irish while the ability to take strong bowing without getting crushed gives the aggressive violinist or fiddler a real workout.

This is one masterpiece and I'm envious of the eventual owner. However if I'm going to pursue my hobby of playing in new violins for makers, I cannot afford to let myself get attached to it. I love it and have been playing on it as much as I can before I have to give it up to the first potential customer. Makes me feel like those folks who raise seeing-eye puppies. Getting to be part of the growth and the opening up of a masterpiece violin is a neat experience because it develops your ear as well as ability to judge violins by feel and response. What a treat!

[the little arrow is from cursor where my screen capture software caught it and not on the violin]
For better pictures:

http://claudiorampini.com/cpg/thumbnails.php?album=123

Enjoy!

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More entries: February 2007 • May 2006