Gary Smyers' Bass

 

[February 7, 2012]

Time for Some Ribs!

Having at last secured the blocks to the mould and having spent quite a bit of time shaping them, the fun part begins; bending the ribs and gluing them to the blocks. Now the purpose of the buttresses becomes clear. Getting a good fit of the ribs to the mould can feel at times like wrestling an octopus, so having the clamps and shaped counterforms (called "cauls" by the British) is like having a third hand when you really, really need one. Or two. You can see that the upper and lower ribs fly long where they are attached at the corner blocks. The ribs in the center do the same, so they are put on first, after which the excess is trimmed away and the remainder is feathered smoothly into the curves on the blocks. The second step is gluing on the four remaining rib sections. With violins and violas, I typically do them all at once. The bass mould and all the parts start getting heavy and unwieldy, and it gets difficult to work around so many clamps. I find it best to glue both ribs to the lower block and one complete rib to the upper corner and top block on the first day. On the second day, the lower ribs get glued to the corners blocks and the other upper rib gets completely attached. It was a three-day job this time around. As an experiment, the buttressed mould has worked out quite well. It's a keeper, and I'll use it again for the next bass, if I live through this one.

 

[February 2, 2012]

Around the Block

The buttressed mould took a while to finish, partly due to the problems of finding unwarped plywood. I finally managed to progress by using the old woodworker's trick of gluing and screwing the strips in reverse relationship to each other so that all the warpages cancelled each other out. Here you can see the completed mould on risers that position it in the center of the blocks. All the blocks are shown as well, with three of the four corner blocks actually being clamped to the mould when the picture was taken. The blocks will remain in place, held by a small dab of glue, once the clamps are removed. The work is performed, very carefully, I might add, atop a thick sheet of sandblasted glass to ensure that the bottoms of the blocks all lie in the same plane. For those with sharp eyes, the pins at either end of the mould are used to align the metal template when it is needed.

 

[January 25, 2012]

Ooooh, That's What It Is!

Mystery semi-solved. The piece of plywood with the holes (see previous entry) begins the mould around whichthe bass ribs will be constructed. On the original photo, the penciled-in outline of the bass template was visible upon close inspection, but apparently the lower resolution I uploaded for the Internet made it impossible to discern. Sorry if it drove you bonkers. In the previous picture, the view is from what is now the smaller end of the bass. You can see the rectangular holes cut in the mold to facilitate handling and to provide a place for clamp feet, but notice that the corners of the cutouts are rounded. That's where the holes from the previous picture are located. In this photo, I'm installing rib buttresses at critical points. These will ensure that the ribs are perpendicular to the mould and parallel to each other. This becomes a bit of a critical job for the largest instruments, so I need to trade away some lightness and ease of handling to ensure accuracy. It also helps to have a perfectly flat surface to work on, or at least one that's perfect enough!

 

[January 18, 2012]

What Is it?

Here's something for all of you to puzzle over as I continue working on Gary's bass. I'll give you a hint and an explanation, the latter first. The photo obviously shows . . . something. My wife has borrowed my still camera, so I have to take stills with my videocam, which has a fisheye lens. The universe is not distorted, but the edges of the picture are. The hint is that this object, which you see clamped to my bench, really and actually has something to do with this project. Perhaps if you look very, very closely, you can figure out what that is. OK, here's another hint-- it's not a pinball machine table. :-)

 

[December 9, 2011]

Bob's Big, Bad, Bold, Beautiful Bass Back

Well, OK, it's actually Gary's back. Here's an image of the back glued together and in the process of being planed flat. I found one small stress crack, but I was able to plane it out. My luthier friend, Francis Morris, happened to be visiting and assisted me in the operation. An extra pair of hands ensured a perfect joint. Thanks, Francis! I bought a piece of cabinet-grade plywood to use for the mold, but it warped badly within a few days of coming into the shop and I had to buy another. It's clamped to the bench so that it can't warp until I use it. The local steel shop informed me that my aluminum sheet material had finally arrived, so last week I picked that up as well. It's also warped, but I can't wait for another three months. I can live with the curve because the material does lie flat on the plywood.

 

[October 24, 2011]

Join Me at the Table

It's been interesting around here in recent weeks. After several tropical storms and a time-out for damage repair, I now find it harder than usual to find materials for assembly. For example, I had to wait for suitable hardwood veneer plywood to make the new form for Gary's bass, and the steel fabricator where I buy .o32" aluminum sheet for the body template has been out of stock because they are waiting longer between orders. It's the economy, stupid. Still, there's lots to do, so I have been slowly preparing and amassing parts. I took a picture of the top plate right after I glued it yesterday. When the top and back are in this state, the Brits call it a "table." Pretty good name, actually. If this piece were horizontal and held up by four legs, two people could sit opposite each other and have plenty of room for silverware, saucers, and condiments. This seems to be a very nice piece of wood. If you look closely, you can see some figure (called "bear claw") perpendicular to the center joint. Hours to date: about 40.

 

[July 11, 2011]

A Block Off the Old Chip

Gary Smyers has commissioned a bass on the model I designed for Paul Unger, only this one will be a four-stringer and a little bit shorter to give certainty to the requested 39" string length. This project is not due to start until mid-September or immediately after the Altobin is finished, but I am in the process of aquiring all the raw materials. I thought you might like to see one of those arcane little secrets about bass construction, which is beginning on this bass with the head block. This block is made from willow I cut myself in Upstate New York in 1978. The piece in the photo will be the head block into which the neck of the bass will be mortised and glued, so it has to be done right. When you look at a violin family instrument with all its graceful curves, you wouldn't think there could possibly be a straight line in it. But there are lots of them. The head block must be a perfectly rectangular piece with all adjacent planes at exact right angles to each other. This means that no matter which side of the block I place down on the flat stone surface, a machinist's square placed next to it must fit perfectly. Elapsed time to date: 10 hours

 

 

 

 

Patrick Tobin's Alto Violin

 

[September 20, 2011]

Ready to Close

The mold is out and the liners are in, and after the label I'll be ready to close the box. Hmm. I see that I actually have the label in, so I guess I'm ready to button things up. The back and top of this alto have matched modes two and five, and the patterns look fabulous. It's been a while since I've had one with this good a tuning.

 

 

[September 9, 2011]

That Technicolor Moment . . .

Got a break in the flooding caused here by the remnants of a hurricane, so I used it to put the back on. Nothing new or unusual to report on this phase of the process, it's just that everyone likes to see the assembly held together by the technicolor clamps many of us use now.

 

[September 8,2011]

F-Holes

Rolling right along now after cutting the f-holes. Apologies for the distorted perspective, but this a low-budget operation here. :-) This top, which is the fourth one for Patrick's alto (a long story, folks), has proved to be quite a remarkable piece of wood. Usually any relationship between the tap tones of the top disappear once the f-holes are completely cut. That's because about half the grains in the top are severed. On this top, however, the tones have persisted throughout the process, so I'm getting exceited to know what kind of sound this instrument will produce when it's finished. Things will move pretty fast now; the bass bar will go in shortly, and after it is tuned I get to take the mold out of the body assembly and glue the top on. This will be another interesting exercise. I'll explain later.

 

[September 4,2011]

The Eyes Have It!

The top and back are off the mold and have been graduated to their final thicknesses. The outline of the f-hole has been drawn on the outside, but it's interesting to look from the inside at this point because I work on f-holes a little differently than most other makers. While the plate is still at full thickness, I carefully drill the eyes from the outside using a Forstner bit, but I don't go all the way through. I stop at the depth I have chosen for my initial working thickness, then flip the plate over and begin removing wood from the inside. When I see the eyes appear, I know I've reached that thickness, and I stop. It's a little trick I learned from my teacher, Karl Roy, who learned it from his Uncle. It saves a fair amount of time, and I have learned that the presence of the holes does not complicate the plate-tuning process as long as they are not connected.

 

[August 11, 2011]

Purfling

Somewhat belatedly, for reasons I will explain later, the top and back (shown here) have received their purfling inlays. Purfling is thought to be a holdover from the time when everyday objects were ornately decorated with carvings, gilt work, paintings, and inlays. Much inlay work was done on the fingerboards and tailpieces of baroque violins. The body itself was mostly spared, although additional inlay work can be found on instruments of Maggini and a few others. Purfling survives today because it has been reduced to its essential use as a minimal outline that beautifully accents the violin's shape, and because it functions as a practice that helps contain cracking from the edge inward, especially on the top.

 

[July 21, 2011]

In the (purfling) Groove

Work proceeds apace, and I thought you might like to have a look at the back with the purfling groove cut. Of course, the edge overhangs and corners have been brought to their final dimensions first. The picture also reveals a very lovely back made of European maple at least 30 years old. The blemishes in the center are superficial, mostly dirt and some yellowing caused by age, but all of that will come out when the final arching is done.

 

[July 17, 2011]

Tack a Back

The pieces for the top and back, which are roughly brought to an alto shape, are now tack-glued to the rib garland. The overhanging edges will be brought to their final dimensions while on the garland. I discovered a blemish in the top, which you can see on the right half, lower bout, of the top plate lying on the bench next to the rib assembly. This little bit of twig was not visible from either side of the wood when I started. It nust have been broken off the tree very early, and the tree just grew up around it. The spruce is an exceptionally nice piece of Englemann that we cut in Wyoming in 1980, and it has a wonderful, clear ring. I'm thinking that most of the blemish will come out of the final arching.

 

[July 10, 2011]

The Altobin

My friend, Patrick, has commissioned me to make him an alto violin with a specific string length for his hand. I'm calling it the "al-tobin," so we can play with his name and the name of the instrument. We're really too clever for out own good, aren't we? This picture shows the rib garland almost complete except for the rib extensions at the corner joints. The liners are glued in and beveled. This alto is going to be made entirely by hand. No electric-powered machine work. This project started with new templates and molds since the desired size did not match up with any of the other altos I've made.

 

 

 

 

 

December 9, 2009
Work on "Barantonio" Finally Resumes.

The often-delayed second baritone of my third-generation series is finally back on the bench. Due to a medical crisis and subsequent death in the family, this instrument has been hanging on a hook since February of 2009, just a few weeks short of being ready for varnish. I name most of my instruments for ease of reference while they are under construction. "Barantonio" is a combination of "baritone" and of "Antonio." The first is to recognize its place in the New Family, and the second is a reference to to the great Antonio Stradivari, whose early models of large cellos, such as the "Servais," heavily influenced this design. Here's a picture of the scroll button when I was finishing it.

 

[February 14, 2010]

I don't get much chance to work on the baritone these days. Pity, because it is just four or five hours away from being ready to varnish. Here's the lower treble corner and f-hole eye. Both still a little rough in this picture, but enough to convey the idea.

 

 

[January 5, 2011]

Ready to Varnish

After innumerable delays, poor Barantonio is finally getting some attention. As the Unger bass drew closer to being ready to varnish, I realized that with a few days' work on the baritone, I could varnish them both at the same time. This maximizes my shop effort because all other work must stop while I'm varnishing to keep wood dust off the fresh varnish.

Cyberchute Web Hosting is the server that runs this site and our sister site, Octavivo! It is owned by Tim Trott, a long-time supporter of the New Violin Family. Tim's company is small, but the service we get from him is enormous. You might save a buck or two a month by going with one of the massive services, but the first time you have a problem on Tim's site, you'll understand what good, quick, and personal service means.

 

 

The Finger Lakes Chamber Ensemble is one of the musical treasures in the lakes region of Upstate New York. Roberta Crawford, a founding member of the FLCE and a longtime friend of mine, has owned two of my standard violas and has played them exclusively over the last eleven years. If you are ever in this part of the country, check out the FLCE web page for concert and recital notices. You owe it to yourself to hear this group.

 

 

 

These are difficult times for small non-profits struggling to gain or maintain a financial foothold. Jane Hexter's company, which is local to my area, provides a great deal of information and support with classes, newsletters, blog, and a wonderfully upbeat attitude toward helping you achieve your goals.

 

This is the site for the Guild of American Luthiers, America's premier organization for makers of fretted and plucked instruments of all kinds. You'll also find some interesting violin articles in back issues of their excellent quarterly, American Lutherie.

 

The Hutchins Consort is the first and oldest performing group in the country to play exclusively on instruments of the violin octet. They're an extraordinary bunch of musicians, not to mention really good folks. Check out their site for their active performing schedule and some interesting CDs.

 

Website of the New Violin Family, with lots of interesting information about the octet. CDs are available for sale, and free downloads of back issues of their newsletter, the Violin Octet, on the publications page.

 

Paul Unger, jazz, symphonic, and chamber music bass player, owns the world's only short-scale, five-string, violin-shaped contrabass tuned in fifths. And it's one of mine! Paul is a great advocate of fifths tuning, and his site has interesting audio and video clips. Highly recommended, esepcially if you are a bassist.

 

 

 

This is a link for my friend and fellow violin maker, Joris Wouters, who lives and works in Belgium. In addition to conventional violins, Joris makes octet instruments, too. He is a good photographer, and his site is very interesting. If you live in Europe and want to see and hear octet violins, give Joris a call.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grigory Sedukhk was he first major violinist to use the treble violin as a solo instrument, and he has raised it to a virtuoso level. Sedukh, who lives in St. Petersburg, Russia, has finally put together a web site where you can learn more about him in his own words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Unger's Bass

Click to read about the first 100 hours of this project.

Click to read about the second 100 hours of this project.

Click to read about the third 100 hours of this project.

Click to read about the fourth 100 hours of this project.

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