I’ve been a musician all my life and you cannot imagine the look of horror that appeared on my face when i saw the humidity damaged violin. and especially for a client who loves the violin with all her heart??? that must have been terrifying when she saw that!!! it’s not even my instrument and i was scared 😭😭
@rossthefiddler5890 if people play multiple times a day and struggle with tuning then they don't want to have to loosen and tighten repeatedly. They want to play not tune
I've always felt that playing my violin was therapeutic. After a difficult day of work or just needing to unwind, playing the violin is like meditation.
I had that happen to a violin once. I left it in a spare room at my mothers house, came back a few weeks later and it had basically peeled under the string tension in its case. It looked horrific bu the Luthier worked magic on it and today it's my favourite violin.
Fascinating information as always! I miss having personal contact with the string repair person working on my instruments, but the local person chooses to work through the music stores. When I was a student, the luthier was right across the street from my college, extremely convenient!! Even after I moved away, I sometimes brought my instruments to him or his bow repair person. Unfortunately for me, he retired.
Yes, there is a difference between adding a few light cleats and adding blocks of wood and timber. Fun when you open up an instrument and find paint stirrers, Popsicle sticks, tongue depressors, pieces of old oak furniture, broken off bits of bed slats, sections of yard sticks/rulers and other extraneous items instead of cleats along with perhaps a piece of iron with a lag bolt through it behind the block to reinforce a neck joint. Best!
Oil on the bridge? Would that be pale boiled linseed oil (with drying agent)? I've been brought a viola da gamba with the neck that has come off & previously poorly repaired broken in the neck root. More fun. 😉
Olaf I always really enjoy your videos.....but something changed in your setup? There's a really terrible background hiss being picked up. Real ly evident around 18:25 in . Maybe burner on hide glue pot or tea kettle... a little wind screen on the mic might clear that up? Thought you'd want to know. Cheers.
Patients….. The instruments souls are put back into the instruments you repair. I definitely could feel the absolute horror at seeing your violin falling apart. Always love your work. 🤟☮️🇦🇺😎👍 J
Olaf, I picked up an old Karl Knilling student violin. Someone repaired a sound post crack with I believe super glue. Didn’t even get the crack back together evenly!! Can this be repaired?
Olaf, messy worktable is a sign of success, but unorganized tools is a sign of major frustration. I did custom picture framing for many years and the shop was well organized, but the man who owned the building would "borrow" tools from us and when we needed them, we would have go go searching. WE told him to leave our tools alone, but it didn't always work, we had to hide the most important ones. You own your place so that doesn't happen, does it? Cheers, Rik Spector
That's just not acceptable. It's not good when someone else decides to tidy up the workshop, especially when they don't understand the importance of all the little tools & materials etc.
I really enjoy your videos. You did one on sound posts where you emphasize the criticality of the sound post placement, but in this video it looks like you just casually set it in place. Are you cutting out the actual process for brevity, or is there some “magic” going on. You make it look so easy!
19:32 he says he’s really going to have to work on the sound post, and at the end he says he needs to do the final setup tomorrow- perhaps part of that setup.
Sorry I have a few Qns? What do you use to clear the glue off? And, if I were transporting a violin or cello through different climate zones from high humidity to very low, how is it best to pack and cater for this? I am going to live in a remote dry zone and want to gather instruments in good order for people and students to have available. 🙃✨
Hi Olaf, I often hear of a player going from beginner toward professional violinist and that they have to upgrade their violin at different levels of expertise. What determines if a violin is not up to higher standards? Is it that the violin, when playing higher up the neck does not sound as good as a professional violin? How does one test their violin to see if it meets professional standards?
When one advances through the grades & the teacher says, "You need a better violin" & once sent off to try something better it becomes obvious that the 'better violin' allows for a better sound & response & is better made etc, including looks.
I have in my home town (UK) - A visiting busker played an electric 5 string violin. The extra string is a C string like on a viola. As a beginner violinist, it would be a nightmare to play!
I set up a 15" viola with 5 strings, knowing that I could get away with stretching the E string that much more without it breaking & it sounds so much better when playing down on the C string than that on a 14" violin (body). It's ideal for folk & bluegrass type playing when a lot of double stopping (two strings) is used, but a bridge with a tighter radius may be needed if playing other styles when playing a melody on single strings most of the time without striking the other strings unintentionally (& with practice at more accurate bowing).
@@wakingtheworld That's when folk players sometimes prefer a 'flatter' bridge to classical, where a classical soloist need to be able to 'power out' a melody on individual strings while folk playing is less likely to be doing that, because of the different style of playing.
Just ran to check the old school violin of my daughter's and thankfully the strings and bow were loose. However, the bow is shedding like a mangy horse heading to the glue factory. sigh.
I really enjoy these videos Olaf where it is an instrument in a sorry state and you bring it back to life. That is where you really shine.
I’ve been a musician all my life and you cannot imagine the look of horror that appeared on my face when i saw the humidity damaged violin. and especially for a client who loves the violin with all her heart??? that must have been terrifying when she saw that!!! it’s not even my instrument and i was scared 😭😭
That exactly the impact I felt as the description rolled on… lol
When they leave the strings tensioned, that is something I wish they would think to release to minimise the damage though.
@rossthefiddler5890 if people play multiple times a day and struggle with tuning then they don't want to have to loosen and tighten repeatedly. They want to play not tune
I've always felt that playing my violin was therapeutic. After a difficult day of work or just needing to unwind, playing the violin is like meditation.
Playing freely like that can be. Practising music for a concert, not really. 😉 More like, stressful. 😅
i love that the violins are called ‘patients’, it makes them feel well looked after!
Probably even better than medical patients to be honest.
I would love to hear more stories about your time working in Germany. The 1990s were such an impactful time for the country
I had that happen to a violin once. I left it in a spare room at my mothers house, came back a few weeks later and it had basically peeled under the string tension in its case. It looked horrific bu the Luthier worked magic on it and today it's my favourite violin.
Looking forward to the video on the humidity violin! 👍👍
I'm a hobby player 🎻 and I just love and enjoy watching your videos, Olaf. 😊
The scenery on that bike ride was so beautiful I would love to go to Australia but it's too far, too hot, too many dangerous animals lol
Meditation........I should try....
Fascinating information as always! I miss having personal contact with the string repair person working on my instruments, but the local person chooses to work through the music stores. When I was a student, the luthier was right across the street from my college, extremely convenient!! Even after I moved away, I sometimes brought my instruments to him or his bow repair person. Unfortunately for me, he retired.
I'd love to see more with the humidity damaged instrument
Thank you for showing us all this, Olaf. Always a wonderful start to the day to share Motivation with you and watch your passion and process.
Yes, there is a difference between adding a few light cleats and adding blocks of wood and timber.
Fun when you open up an instrument and find paint stirrers, Popsicle sticks, tongue depressors, pieces of old oak furniture, broken off bits of bed slats, sections of yard sticks/rulers and other extraneous items instead of cleats along with perhaps a piece of iron with a lag bolt through it behind the block to reinforce a neck joint.
Best!
Another beautiful day. Thank you!
That is a gorgeous instrument. I'm glad to know that you can fix it.
A 5 string violin? Never heard of one of those, I am intrigued!
Johnny Gimble has played one for decades.
Oil on the bridge? Would that be pale boiled linseed oil (with drying agent)?
I've been brought a viola da gamba with the neck that has come off & previously poorly repaired broken in the neck root. More fun. 😉
Good morning Olaf!!!!! Thank you for all of the amazing, informative content you provide dude. i really do enjoy watching your work process :)
Olaf I always really enjoy your videos.....but something changed in your setup? There's a really terrible background hiss being picked up. Real ly evident around 18:25 in . Maybe burner on hide glue pot or tea kettle... a little wind screen on the mic might clear that up? Thought you'd want to know.
Cheers.
Cicadas...
They're really loud here in summer and there are more this year because we've had a really wet summer 🏝️
@AskOlaftheViolinmaker ha! Bugs! Would have never guessed that!..Hopefully only a 7 year cycle problem! 😅
Patients…..
The instruments souls are put back into the instruments you repair.
I definitely could feel the absolute horror at seeing your violin falling apart.
Always love your work.
🤟☮️🇦🇺😎👍 J
Olaf, I picked up an old Karl Knilling student violin. Someone repaired a sound post crack with I believe super glue. Didn’t even get the crack back together evenly!! Can this be repaired?
Olaf,
messy worktable is a sign of success, but
unorganized tools is a sign of major frustration.
I did custom picture framing for many years and the shop was well organized, but the man who owned the building
would "borrow" tools from us and when we needed them, we would have go go searching.
WE told him to leave our tools alone, but it didn't always work, we had to hide the most important ones.
You own your place so that doesn't happen, does it?
Cheers,
Rik Spector
That's just not acceptable. It's not good when someone else decides to tidy up the workshop, especially when they don't understand the importance of all the little tools & materials etc.
@@rossthefiddler5890 Exactly!
That damaged violin is quite a nice instrument.. I'm sure you will do a good job. Enjoy your work
I really enjoy your videos. You did one on sound posts where you emphasize the criticality of the sound post placement, but in this video it looks like you just casually set it in place. Are you cutting out the actual process for brevity, or is there some “magic” going on. You make it look so easy!
19:32 he says he’s really going to have to work on the sound post, and at the end he says he needs to do the final setup tomorrow- perhaps part of that setup.
Why do you oil the bridges before putting them on?
For the person who won't use the case.
Put a clear panel on the case. Perhaps seeing is believing.
💜 🎶
Sorry I have a few Qns?
What do you use to clear the glue off?
And, if I were transporting a violin or cello through different climate zones from high humidity to very low, how is it best to pack and cater for this?
I am going to live in a remote dry zone and want to gather instruments in good order for people and students to have available. 🙃✨
Hi Olaf, I often hear of a player going from beginner toward professional violinist and that they have to upgrade their violin at different levels of expertise. What determines if a violin is not up to higher standards? Is it that the violin, when playing higher up the neck does not sound as good as a professional violin? How does one test their violin to see if it meets professional standards?
When one advances through the grades & the teacher says, "You need a better violin" & once sent off to try something better it becomes obvious that the 'better violin' allows for a better sound & response & is better made etc, including looks.
What is the best thing to use to remove old peg paste from a violin?
Have you ever had a David Tecchler violin in your workshop?
Wow i have never ever seen a 5 stringed violin before 😮
It's pretty much a different instrument, and is a heap of fun to play!
I have in my home town (UK) - A visiting busker played an electric 5 string violin. The extra string is a C string like on a viola. As a beginner violinist, it would be a nightmare to play!
I set up a 15" viola with 5 strings, knowing that I could get away with stretching the E string that much more without it breaking & it sounds so much better when playing down on the C string than that on a 14" violin (body). It's ideal for folk & bluegrass type playing when a lot of double stopping (two strings) is used, but a bridge with a tighter radius may be needed if playing other styles when playing a melody on single strings most of the time without striking the other strings unintentionally (& with practice at more accurate bowing).
@@rossthefiddler5890 Fascinating. Never thought about the arch of the bridge but yes, a major factor.
@@wakingtheworld That's when folk players sometimes prefer a 'flatter' bridge to classical, where a classical soloist need to be able to 'power out' a melody on individual strings while folk playing is less likely to be doing that, because of the different style of playing.
I just noticed the 2 Set stickler on the band saw. How long has that been there? I assume for a while, I am just not observant.
How do you determine the needed height for the sound post?
I have a special measuring tool
Olaf, what situation/condition requires
the planing of the fingerboard? 😁✌🖖
Is it worth re-thicknessing the plates if it that sentimental?
Omg!!!!
Just ran to check the old school violin of my daughter's and thankfully the strings and bow were loose. However, the bow is shedding like a mangy horse heading to the glue factory. sigh.
Please no idol worship :(