IVAdagioThe craft

How a handmade violin is made

From a split billet of spruce to an instrument that answers the bow: the five stages through which every violin, viola, cello and double bass by Gregorio Martini passes.

The wood

Spruce for the voice, maple for the reflection. Tonewood is chosen by eye, by hand and by ear — tapped, flexed and seasoned for years before the first cut.

A violin family instrument is made from two principal tonewoods. Spruce, light and stiff along the grain, becomes the top — the plate that vibrates and gives the instrument its voice. Maple, denser and often beautifully flamed, becomes the back, the ribs, the neck and the scroll. Each billet is examined for straight grain, even growth rings and the right weight, then tapped to hear how it rings.

The plates

Top and back are carved and graduated with gouges and finger planes, tenth of a millimetre by tenth of a millimetre, until each plate rings with the right tone.

The arching of top and back is carved by hand with gouges and small finger planes, then the plates are hollowed out from the inside. This “graduation” — the varying thickness across each plate — is checked constantly with callipers, by flexing and by tapping. It is where much of the instrument’s tone is decided, and no two pieces of wood are ever graduated the same way.

III

The scroll

Carved freehand from a single block of maple, the scroll is the maker’s signature — its spiral reveals the hand behind the instrument.

The neck and scroll are carved from a single block of maple. The volute is cut freehand, turn by turn, and finished with the fine chamfers that catch the light. Because it is the part of the instrument where the maker’s hand is most visible, the scroll is often called the luthier’s signature.

The varnish

Applied in thin layers and cured slowly, the varnish protects the wood, sets the flame alight and gives the instrument its final colour.

Once the body is assembled and the neck set, the instrument “in the white” receives a ground to seal the wood, followed by many thin coats of varnish. Each coat is left to cure before the next is applied. The varnish protects the instrument, deepens the colour and makes the flame of the maple seem to move as the instrument turns.

The voice

Bridge, soundpost and strings: the set-up is where the instrument learns to speak. It is played, adjusted and played again until it answers.

Finally the instrument is set up: the soundpost is fitted inside, the bridge is cut to the arching and the strings are brought up to pitch for the first time. Then it is played, listened to and adjusted — soundpost position, bridge, string height — until its voice is balanced across all four strings.

AnatomiaGlossary

The anatomy of a violin

Some seventy parts make up a violin. These are the ones that shape its voice.

Top (belly): The spruce plate that vibrates and projects the sound; its arching and thickness largely define the tone.
Back: Usually maple, often flamed; it reflects and colours the sound.
Ribs: Thin maple sides, bent with heat, that join top and back.
F-holes: The two sound holes; their shape and position influence response and power.
Bass bar: A spruce bar glued under the top on the bass side, supporting the low register.
Soundpost: A small spruce dowel standing inside the body — the “soul” of the instrument (anima, in Italian).
Bridge: Carved maple that transmits the strings’ vibration to the top.
Scroll: The carved volute crowning the pegbox — the maker’s signature.

Finale

Let us make an instrument that sounds like you.

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