Blogs

This series of photos shows the resurrection of a violin belonging to Chris Meredith, a very talented musician and teacher, who is trying his best to improve my guitar playing.The violin belonged to his father.

As you can see the instrument had gotten wet so was coming apart,the back and front joints starting to open,the ribs coming away from the tail block the linings parting from the ribs.The fingerboard was badly worn,the pegs did not match,there was no bridge and the poor thing looked rather battered.

Everything was glued back together using hide glue and the instrument refinished using oil varnish.New  ebony fingerboard, tail piece, saddle, pegs and nut plus a new bridge. 

What to do with The leftovers? Obvious make a cigar box violin!

Beech through neck from an old door.The fingerboard was filled with an epoxy/ebony dust mix and the old tail piece was saved by adding a brass claw.Brass saddle, ukulele tuners and corian nut.Inside a piezo strip pick up and twin sound posts.The sycamore bridge has corian inserts to stop the strings digging in.