I have my Great Grandfathers violin. After he passed in 1947, it sat in a closet for sixty years. I repaired my Aunts viola, after which she handed the old violin to me. Where the sound post sat touching the soundboard, there was a crack, so I took it apart and made all the repairs. It is very loud and plays very well. It was made in Boston in the mid 1700’s. The maker is unknown. I keep it played and it improves in sound. Great Grandpa John, had huge hands and he was very good at it. I also have one of those massed produced Strad copies. It was built in 1900 and sold through the Sears catalog. It also sat in a closet, in Germany, for fifty years. I went through it and didn’t need a lot of repair, no cracks. It also improved in sound as I played it. Subscribed.
Ozark fiddler here, I really appreciate the fact that he does things properly, and doesn’t belittle the fact the customer wants to stay inexpensive. So many violin people will be so pretentious about folks trying to have a working instrument on a budget. Thanks.
Just referred to this video in order to sneak up on a poorly fit tail pin. It's now snug as a bug in a rug and holding tune nicely. Thanks Mr Rosa, sir
I wish I still had my Papaw's old fiddle, but it did stay in the family, & it did go to a multi Grammy winning fiddle player, but I still wish I still had it. That fiddle was under my chin, per my Papaw, when I was old enough to sit up on his lap. He would put it under my chin & play it. I miss him so much. It was the only thing I ever had that was his, that was given to me when he passed, per my father, but one of his brothers wanted it to give to his granddaughter & that's where it went. After she decided she didn't want it a few years later it went to my Father's cousin's son. He is the Grammy winner & I understand that he has it. I just wish every day that it would show up on my door step one day. I know it will never happen & that my Father will never ask him for it back, but I sure would. That fiddle was the closest thing ever between me & my Grandfather. I was the only person that he ever say on his lap & put it under their chin & played it. You see he passed very young & everyone in my family pretty much took everything of his & since I was only seven years old when he passed & never had a chance to tell everyone that he wanted me to have it & play it. It hurts knowing that. I guess this rant was long over due. I could never say this to my family member that it's been passed to now. I know that I'll never have the chance to put it under my chin again, ever. I'll be filled with sorrow until my dying day. I miss you Papaw!
I am sentimental too, and It really upset me when my instrument is rejected, because repair is not worth it. Thats why I love Jerry, he always tries his best to satisfy customers wishes!
One of the things that you've shown me is that I'm never going to work on or play a fiddle. :-) I still like to learn about them and to watch you work on them. Thanks for posting this.
Hi Jerry; Years ago I did research on violin construction for repairing a copy of a Strad. At that time the inch system was still used. The book that I had said to make the scale 13" which comes out just a hair over 330 mm. That's why a lot of older violins come out to 330 mm. Especially violins made in the USA and England. I think some other countries also used the inch system back then. I love your videos. I have watched other luthiers repair violins and they don't use as practical of metheds as yo I just watched one where the luthier took both the belly and the back at the same time. He then had to fight to get the sides to line up right again. I'm not sure, but the violin he was working on was a high end violin. Thanks for sharing your work. Keep on truchin.
Jerry, Great video! Often times, after I get the soundpost in the instrument, I tilt the instrument treble side down. Then gravity helps keep the post from falling while I adjust the position.
I think that’s a nice looking old violin. IMO sentimentality aside, the Fiddle should be super structurally good and hold up well in a Session. I’ve learned an awful lot from you. Thanks much!!! 😎🎻
I must have missed you covering the wear on the upper bought with lacquer…to protect the wood. I always enjoy your channel and said to myself….myself that reds not gonna work? But by Jove it turned out nicely!
I love watching your videos, one thing I’ve learnt from you is ,not to rush, I’m not a luthier but I’m always doing small repair jibs, patience is the way to go.keep up the good work.
The other thing Jerry teaches us is to have a decent look over the project inside and out and make intelligent decisions about what you are trying to do.
Very beautiful instrument Jerry,I know the owner will be very happy with the final finishing touches and repair.. Also love the shirt Jerry ,great statement...
i just glued up my fiddle...its old like before 1938...its got lesson card in it...also my nails are like yours....must be a picking thing...never wear sweaters.....hahaha....but it holds tuning good...its stradavarius copy too from germany.....i am getting better at it....thanks for this
I ordered that finger plane you recommended as the best general one, and you're right about how quick they are! Despite being tiny it easily helps shape belly carves, gets in there for headstock transitions, and anything in between! I'm yet to start on a carve top but I imagine it'll be just the trick for one of those too.
I have some older violins with low fingerboards that I put a maple wedge underneath. I can do that and it works well, those are sold by luthier suppliers.
Well I know a lot of makers and repair people don’t use a reamer they have a tool that holds the end pin and use a peg shaver like a pencil sharpener that will shape it exactly in the shape of the reamer so they naturally fit almost perfectly not any better or worse then Jerry’s approach just faster .
One thing about scrape fitting that end pin is if you make it to small you can always get another 1 out of a package if you make the hole 2 big in the violin well you know the answer to that
There must have been hundreds of thousands of those Strad copies made in Germany, as I have one myself, gotten at a cheap price but very playable and quite decent sounding. I know on mine you have to look very closely with a flashlight to see what is penciled in (above the label or hereabouts), probably at production. From memory, a 34 and a 57, which I think is the number manufactured in the year 1957. Just a guess, mind you.
Maybe you could have put the wedge from the other side in this case, inserting the bigger part of the wedge in the middle of the f hole and pulling it up in the narrow part.
You didn't show you or anybody playing/demoing it, nor your fixing the bow. And what was inside? Probably nothing. I know you ran long on this video, but we really don't care, if that's what you worry about. Thanks Jerry! Great repair work, and a great video, as always!!
Adding a little rosin to the shafts on the tuning pegs and the tail pin will keep them from slipping out of tune.... Also placing the sound post 'before' adding the strings helps it stay in place....
Jerry I've been wondering if it might help to cut your pencils in half when you are marking profiles for the bridge, bridge feet, saddle and the nut, so that the pencil is half flat, that way you dont have to maintain a good angle with your hand.
Hey Jerry! Reference the tab repair that you recently did on a Mandolin. Here’s a video (part two) of Kimon (Greek Luthier working in the Netherlands) doing a similar repair on a Violin. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nn8vnRjfIpw.html. 😎
