Shop Talk
Preparing Your Instrument for
Historical Performance
Photo Essay Part One

by Sarah Freiberg
photographs by Daniel Larson


PHOTO ESSAY
BEGINS ON THIS PAGE
  A modern violin ready for conversion.
  A thin, flexible blade is used to gently separate the belly from the ribs.
  The existing bass bar is removed from the underside of the belly.
  A new bass-bar blank is glued in place.
  The new bass bar blank is hand carved and shaped to match the specifications of typical Baroque instruments.
  The finished bass bar is shorter and thinner than the original modern-style bar.
  Next, the existing fingerboard must be removed.
  Once the fingerboard is removed, the next step is to detach the neck block and the neck itself.
  The neck block is carefully pared away from the ribs and the neck with a chisel.
  The neck is ready to be detached.
  A thin blade separates the neck from the ribs and the back button as shown here.
 

The detached neck and scroll are ready for the next step.

To see more, click here.



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