Violin Forum/Message Board

[MANFIO]

I received a comission from Yaroslav Wenger, from Kiev, Ukraine, to make a viola. I had met him here when I've made a small repair in his viola. In that ocasion he tried my instruments. His orchestra was perfoming the opera Aida here.

He gave me freedom to make it but asked for old wood, one piece back and to name the instrument "Anna Yaroslavna", after a princess. That interrupted my Italian Courtesans series, but no problem, comissioners are entitled to name their instruments.

His current viola is quite big, 43.5 cms, with a string length 15 mm longer than my standart string length, that is 375 mm. But he told that perhaps a smaller instrument would be wellcomed, so I decided to make a midway betwen my two viola models (430 and 418 milimeters) and decided for a 42.4 centimeters soundbox.

I used the same form I use for my 41.8 violas but left the lower block proud from the form in order to make a longer soundbox, as suggested by Roger Hargrave on his article about Del Gesù building techniques on Biddulph's book.

He is quite a fine player and produces a big sound, so I decided to make an instrument that could bear the attack of a biting bow, with relatevely thicker plates. So I left the back with a small region in the center (a bit up the center) with 6.2 mm and 3.3 on the "polmone", that is, on the lower and upper bouts.

The weight of the (unvarnished) back is 166 grams and it gave a D tap tone.

For the long arching of the back I used these heigths, from the endpin to the nut (in the position of the "quinte di curvature"): 13 mm, 17.8, 19.3, 16.7, 12.2.

The top and bass bar came from Simeon Chambers, from those trees that died in the forties and remained drying in the forest. For the long arching, again from the endpin up, and in the position of the "quinte di curvature" I used this heights: 15.7, 19.5, 19.5, 19, 14.5.

The unvarnished top weighted 116 without the bar, and gave a D tap tone. With the bar it weighted 120.6 grams (just 4.6 grams more) and the tap tone was raised to a F.

The back glued to the rib cage weighted 231 grams.

The closed soundbox weighted 359.8 grams, with an inside coat of untreated propolis in spirits (another suggestion of the comissioner).

I followed Christophe Landon's advice and made the projection of the neck over the fingerboard with 10 milimeters, and it worked fine.

I also followed Samuel Zygmuntowicz advice and reduced the corduroy effect on the top.

I used my normal varnishing system but added some "terra di Siena naturale" pigment from Meimeri (Licastro gave a bit of it) to the ground in order to give it a golden colour. I also used some untreated propolis in spirits over the ground.

I finished it a week ago and yesterday Andrès Lepage, my official viola test driver and photographer came here to test it and take the pictures. He is not satisfied with the pictures and told me he will send me better pictures, I'll put them here later. He took the viola with him to test drive it on the orchestra, I'll be there tomorrow to see Walton's cello concert.

Well, "parole, parole parole", now the pics, first the scroll:













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[MANFIO]

Andrès Lepage just sent me some more photos that he took at his home, with a different lightning. I think that he could go to a VSA convention and take pics from instruments there, I think he would make a huge success with makers, since taking pics of instruments is quite a difficult thing.







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[M.Lange]

Very Nice, Manfio. As usual.
I like the scroll very much.
I also like that you have developed your own model. What I mean is, that it is instantly recognisable, without being too far off the traditional design.
I think this can not be said about too many makers.

There are just two things that look a bit strange to me:
1. You added a bit of dirt, but kept the instrument fully varnished.
2. The tailgut looks very long.

Matthias

[MANFIO]

Hi! Thank you!

My model is intended to produce the sound I want, and I'm getting it, I think.

Yes, there is some patina over the varnish. I'm moving towards making antiquated instruments, but I'm doing that without rush... "pian piano si va lontano..."

Yes, the tailgut is long, but you can see that in many cellos too. The instrument is being tested in an orchestra and the player (who already owns one of my violas) loves it. But perhaps I'll try a longer tailpiece, I'll keep the same string afterlength, that I think is about 72 milimeters.

Ciao!
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[violinarius]

Thank You for sharing your viola with us!

Bravisimo!

[Dave Chandler]

Manfio:
You always give us something to strive for, and I greatly appreciate your participation in this forum. Your contributions are always so positive and encouraging.
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Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill

"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo

[Chris Knowlton]

Beautiful Manfio, Your finishes are always so nice, as if the light comes from within the wood.

Chris
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I make sawdust mostly

[Jack H.]

very nice as usual Luis.
Seems that you can see more of the yellow ground than usual and the corners seem a bit smaller also.
The work is very clean and nice.

keep giving them what they want!!

[actonern]

Luis:

To my eye the slightly less corduroy top is more beautiful...

And the varnish...mmmmmmm.....

[MANFIO]

Thank you all!

The wood I used for the top (from Simeon Chambers, pick of the pile) was less prone to produce the corduroy effect, I think.

Jack, I used some "Terra di Siena naturale" (Meimari, transparent) pigment on the ground.

Ciao!
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