F.A.Q.

Average time is 200 – 300 hours from start to finish.

The traditional recipe is maple for back, sides, and neck. Spuce for the belly.
The reason being that violins actually work similarly to a drum – with the soft flexible drum skin making the sound and the drum body reflecting the sound out to our ears. Violins have a flexible soft wood spruce belly (the top) which produces most of the sound, and the hardwood maple back and sides reflect the sound out to our ears.

They’re physically exactly the same, the difference is all in the setup. Violins are mainly setup for classical players, usually with sweet sounding nylon/perlon strings, and with standardised string spacings, string heights, and bridge radius. Fiddles are mainly setup for ‘fiddlers’ or fast players, usually with the brighter sounding steel strings, a lower string height, and a flatter bridge to help with fast string crossing.

If the peg seems too loose:
First, when tuning, make sure you 'push' the peg inwards into the scroll as you turn it. Pegs are tapered in shape, and turning them normally just makes then loose. You need to 'push & turn' simultaneously while tuning.
Second: try a very very small drop of water on the the peg where it goes through the scroll on each side. This swells the wood fibres and makes the peg fit immediately more tight.

Very important!
In all cases, make sure the string is wound correctly onto the peg. Winding the string onto the peg the wrong way will quickly prevent the peg from holding its position correctly, and makes tuning impossible. Here is a recommended video tutorial:
https://youtu.be/I5GlmQmy_PA

A very common problem during winter time, because the damp air swells the pegs and makes them larger, so tighter in the hole. Sometimes the peg won't turn at all! In this case, remove the peg and try some household chalk on the peg where it normally touches the sides of the holes. Chalk can help in an emergency, though more professional peg compounds such as "Hill"'peg paste can also be purchased from any good music store.

NB: If the peg has become so tight that it cannot be removed, then the peg needs to be professionally extracted by a Luthier. Don't try to force it, as you may crack the wood.

Bows range in weight anywhere between 55 grams to 69 grams. The average weight is around 62 grams. Bows are a personal choice, and an extension of the players arm. The bone density and arm length of the player will directly affect the way a bow works for them. We're all different in physique, so of course there is no all-round bow that is perfect for everybody.

Thanks for trusting us to give you advice about the violin you've seen on Ebay. It is our policy to never give recommendations about second hand violins that are for sale on the internet. There are so many variables when buying a second hand violin, that it is impossible to be 100% certain about a violin with physically seeing it, and ideally also hearing it. Probems are often not visible in photos, and many times unknown to the seller too! Worn pegs, chips, cracks, borer/woodworm, open glue joints, misaligned necks, warped bridges, worn or warped fingerboards, worn and dull strings ... and the list goes on. At the String Workshop we have a great range of New, Pre-loved, and Antique violins to suit every size, age group and skill level, beginner to expert. All violins are professionally set up and serviced to be in top playing condition, and you're always welcome to try before you buy.

A bow rehair and service is recommended once per year for players who practice for one hour per day. Or twice per year for players who practice more than two hours per day.
Even though your old bow hairs may look good, your bow may not function as well as with fresh hair. This is because new hair has tiny 'barbs' and texture along the length of the strands which are invisible tpo the human eye but help the hair to grip the string while playing. Older hair becomes too smooth and slippery, requires extra rosin, and make it more difficult to achive a crisp and clear precision tone.

You’ve found a violin case in your attic, forgotten long ago and now covered in dust. You blow away the dust, open the case and find an old violin inside and wonder what it could be worth., A quick google search, and you learn that the maker's name should be written on a small label inside the violin, that can be seen by looking through the f- hole. You find that it says “Antonio Stradivarius”

The violin looks well made and beautiful, so does this mean you have an extremely valuable violin in your possession ??? Sorry to report that 99.99% of the time the answer is "No".

Antonio Stradivari died in 1737, and since his death thousands of replicas and copies have been well made, and contain a Stradivarius label inside. Some of these imitation Stradivarius violins were made by completely dishonest people trying to make fast money, while others were sold honestly as tributary replicas. In the honest scenario, the makers made a Stradivarius model violin, using his dimensions and patterns hoping to achieve a beautiful sound, then the Stradivarius label was inserted as a record and tribute to the model and year of the original genuine Stradivarius violin that they used for the design.

Thousands of these Stradivarius model violins were made in workshops and factories by a team of craftsmen, who each made individual components repetitively, and the components assembled later by another team member, then the final finishing and varnishing by somebody else. Though completely hand carved, these violins could not bear the name of any one maker and it was more straightforward to insert a Stradivarius label as a record and tribute to the model and year of Stradivarius violin they had collectively created. The greatest number of these violins were made in Czechoslovakia, Germany and France. Many of these violins are beautifully carved, well made and can be considered as high quality European instruments.

A violin expert can recognise which country a violin was originally made, and also the approximate age. If you’d like to know more about your violin, bring it in to show Phil Whitehead at The String Workshop, or to any other reputable violin specialist.