◾ Sonowood - String instruments website: sonowood.swisswoodsolutions.ch/en/bowed-string-instruments 🎻🎶Tonebase: tonebase.co?ref=fabroviolins (CODE: FABROVIOLINS) Violin making apparel www.redbubble.com/people/fabroviolins/shop?asc=u 🎥🎻Online violin making course: obrienguitars.com/courses/violin 👆How to make a violin? ⚒ Some of the tools, strings and equipment I use: - Excel version: www.dropbox.com/s/c6n6zq7om6hqo9g/Tools.xlsx?dl=0 - Pdf: www.dropbox.com/s/5ua7zy0e3h2olm2/Tools.pdf?dl=0 Other media: ♦ www.lucasfabro.com ♦ Instagram: instagram.com/fabroviolins/ ♦ Facebook: facebook.com/fabroviolins/ns/
I have been studying classical violin since 2016. I have also modified a factory violin and improved its sound (I am a visual artist, not a luthier). I do enjoy the dark brown color of this fingerboard. It is not quite black but still has a beautiful look and it can add to the personality of an instrument by providing contrast with the varnish. If you still want it to be perfectly black you can use iron acetate (steel wool + vinegar soaked for 2 weeks) on the wood pre-coated with strong black tea and lay black tea and iron acetate alternatively until you get to the desired darkness. I used this on parts of my modified violin and on its Maple fingerboard and on the fingerboard where I applied more layers than on the violin the result looks great and is extremely similar to ebony - barely distinguishable.
I hope the final version turns out to be a perfect color and have a great sound. I like the idea of sustainable materials for instruments (though I play woodwinds, not strings). I especially like that you don't have to suffer allergies when working with it!
Thanks for the video, Lucas! I'm a violinist, so it's always amazing watching the process that goes into making instruments. I personally love the traditional black of the ebony, but I like the idea of a sustainable alternative, that's also a healthy alternative to the maker, if they have allergies. The color variation doesn't bother me too much, but the black is a classic. Thanks again!
Thank you very much for your comment! It’s very important to get this type of feedback :) Yep, I understand that the classical colour is quite irreplaceable, but at the same time the traditional where not even made out of ebony so 🤷♂️🙃
I think most companies don’t have alternatives for cello yet, but they’re working on it too! And trust me, I’m really looking forward to trying them! Haha
Very interesting! First of all, I'm so excited for you that you don't have to dress up in a full space suit for every fingerboard, that must be a relief! Personally I like the idea of a sustainable material. I have to admit that I haven't yet gotten it myself, because each time I say to myself "it's just one more piece of ebony, it won't hurt anything", but you can only say that so many times... The reason I dislike other materials is honestly the look, and definitely the feel if tehre is a difference. I love seeing ebony grain in fingerboards, but that is probably a sacrifice we'll have to make with time. It also tends to be way more expensive, which just isn't an option as a student... One issue I have on sustainability is the energy consumption. I wonder if they have compared the process of making these boards energy wise to slow, but sustainable farming?
Hahaha, yeah! I’ve been saying the same for years! Just one more and then I’ll start trying alternatives, but I think now it’s about time I at least start trying. I agree about the look, but I’m not a fan of how ebony looks like anyways (I mean, I think it’s very pretty, but not something I think it’s irreplaceable. Or that without it then the instrument would be ruined). However I might be biased on this because of the allergies, so my views on it are a bit clouded. Another thing why I’m not an “ebony purist” if there’s such thing is that I know that originally instruments didn’t have ebony at all, so if I had to go full on purist and baroque then I’d also be looking for another alternative. Price wise, I agree that the material itself is more expensive, but you’ll see when I make the corene video. They send it ready, and if you don’t want it with any personalised curve or anything, then it could literally just be ready to glue. So if I had to take into consideration the hours of work, then it’s def cheaper to buy the alternative. That’s a great question! (The sustainability one) It’s quite possible that they’re just talking about the wood source and not the energy that they use to compress the material, but I’m seeing the sonowood people tomorrow so I’ll ask them. However, if you wanted to argue on the subject, then I guess you can say that you compensate that by reducing the transportation pollution produced when importing the ebony.
@@LucasFabro I have to admit that I really love the look of ebony. But I prefer a slightly lower grade where you get a few brown streaks etc., not the solid black stuff. That could for all I care be a different material. I don't think it's irreplacable either. I have to admit that I care a lot more about the wood before the strings go on. I think even on guitars where you sometimes use these super fancy woods, as soon as the strings are on, you don't really notice it that much. So realistically, I don't think I would even notice the difference if it was black enough that it didn't have the very obvious grain lines. And yeah, sustainability can mean a lot of things. I suspect that it mostly means sustainable farming, not necessarily environmentally friendly. But it's also a very complex thing to assess. There are the big and obvious polluting and energy consuming steps like transport on the ebony side and factory building/maintenance on the sonowood side, but then there'll always be a lot of smaller things that are easy to forget like.. Idk, sourcing trees, promoting the product and stuff like that. I don't think you can really give a good answer, but it would be interesting to hear if they have at least considered it.
@@LucasFabro And yeah, I have considered corene fingerboards. I don't like to make fingerboards all that much, and I'm probably not the best at it either, so it's very tempting to get them. But I think since I make so few instruments, I should keep practicing at least a few years :-P
I don’t care if my fingerboard is made from real ebony. As long as it looks and function well, I’d be happy to see us moving to a more sustainable alternative
Personally, I would prefer to buy a new violin that isn't made with ebony, knowing that ebony is endangered. I'm not a professional, and even if I was, i would still look at getting a sustainable alternative so that I could start changing the tradition of ebony. As an amateur violin maker, I already use rosewood since it's available and I like working with it. The biggest problem I face is if I were to try and sell one of my creations, I would likely have to replace the finger board for ebony because of the tradition of how violins are expected to look. Its a shame it isn't as flexible as other instruments like guitars, where if it makes guitar sounds, people generally don't care what the fret board is made of...
Hi, I just saw your comment and wanted to give some thoughts from the perspective of a professional violinist/ studying guitarist who has been studying luthierie on the side (not pro but heavily researched). For violin, besides traditions about colour, rosewood isn't preferred because it can irritate people's allergies even when finished due to its oil secretions over time, whereas ebony is usually less irritant and "dry" when its finished, all of which also affects some people's choice of fittings. As for playing, ebony can resist a lot more of the repeated «downward» finger pressure (with gravity) of violin/viola playing, where rosewood, depending on its hardness, usually wears faster. For guitar it doesn't wear as much because of the playing angle (not fully with gravity), but some people feel a lack of hardness in rosewood vs ebony or maple, etc., especially for classical and when doing barre chords. But I do believe that many of these woods could be replaced with more sustainable options if not for moot traditionalist views of many classical players, especially on the parts that are more cosmetic rather than what actually matters, such as the shoulder rest and high tension strings killing the resonance of the instrument. I hope you continue your research, and wish you the best of luck in your instrument making journey! Ciao~
@@dajon33 thanks for your reply! I always appreciate when someone takes the time to share some of their experience :) the durability issue is a big one for a violin that is meant to be played for a long time, for sure, and I never considered allergies, that's an excellent point. Thanks for taking the time, I appreciate it!!
What about resale value? When this sustainability fad peters out nobody’s going to want an instrument made from fake wood. Why not just use aluminum? Ugh.
It will not affect the resale value at all, as fingerboards are nonetheless parts of the instrument that get changed over time anyways. When they get some use over them, they get removed and replaced. It’s a very common and simple process. So if someone doesn’t want that fingerboard, it can simply be changed for another one. Even though the question is rhetorical, the reason why not using something like aluminium is very simple. It’d affect the sound of instrument massively. That’s why I’m looking that these alternatives to ebony are also made out of wood, and if you reach to the end of the video you’ll see that one of the reasons that I’m giving on why I don’t think I’ll use it is exactly that one, the sound (even if it’s better for my allergies and all that). So to summarise it. No, it won’t affect the resale value. The instrument is made out of wood (same wood that has always been used). The alternative fingerboard is also wood based. Thanks for your comment though, as I said at the end of the video I’m really interested in knowing what people think of these alternatives, if they’d buy an instrument with any of them and so on. So your answer is a very honest one and certainly representative of what a lot of people might think.
◾ Sonowood - String instruments website: sonowood.swisswoodsolutions.ch/en/bowed-string-instruments
🎻🎶Tonebase: tonebase.co?ref=fabroviolins
(CODE: FABROVIOLINS)
Violin making apparel www.redbubble.com/people/fabroviolins/shop?asc=u
🎥🎻Online violin making course: obrienguitars.com/courses/violin
👆How to make a violin?
⚒ Some of the tools, strings and equipment I use:
- Excel version: www.dropbox.com/s/c6n6zq7om6hqo9g/Tools.xlsx?dl=0
- Pdf: www.dropbox.com/s/5ua7zy0e3h2olm2/Tools.pdf?dl=0
Other media:
♦ www.lucasfabro.com
♦ Instagram: instagram.com/fabroviolins/
♦ Facebook: facebook.com/fabroviolins/ns/
Very nicely done video, Lucas.
David Burgess
I have been studying classical violin since 2016. I have also modified a factory violin and improved its sound (I am a visual artist, not a luthier). I do enjoy the dark brown color of this fingerboard. It is not quite black but still has a beautiful look and it can add to the personality of an instrument by providing contrast with the varnish. If you still want it to be perfectly black you can use iron acetate (steel wool + vinegar soaked for 2 weeks) on the wood pre-coated with strong black tea and lay black tea and iron acetate alternatively until you get to the desired darkness. I used this on parts of my modified violin and on its Maple fingerboard and on the fingerboard where I applied more layers than on the violin the result looks great and is extremely similar to ebony - barely distinguishable.
I hope the final version turns out to be a perfect color and have a great sound. I like the idea of sustainable materials for instruments (though I play woodwinds, not strings). I especially like that you don't have to suffer allergies when working with it!
I hope so too!!
I know they’re working very hard on it, and it’d be great for the many of us who suffer from this 🙃
Thanks for the video, Lucas! I'm a violinist, so it's always amazing watching the process that goes into making instruments. I personally love the traditional black of the ebony, but I like the idea of a sustainable alternative, that's also a healthy alternative to the maker, if they have allergies. The color variation doesn't bother me too much, but the black is a classic. Thanks again!
Thank you very much for your comment! It’s very important to get this type of feedback :)
Yep, I understand that the classical colour is quite irreplaceable, but at the same time the traditional where not even made out of ebony so 🤷♂️🙃
Thank you for the video Lucas!!
Would this work for cello as well?
I would definitely give it a try if you’d make one 😁
I think most companies don’t have alternatives for cello yet, but they’re working on it too! And trust me, I’m really looking forward to trying them! Haha
Very interesting! First of all, I'm so excited for you that you don't have to dress up in a full space suit for every fingerboard, that must be a relief!
Personally I like the idea of a sustainable material. I have to admit that I haven't yet gotten it myself, because each time I say to myself "it's just one more piece of ebony, it won't hurt anything", but you can only say that so many times... The reason I dislike other materials is honestly the look, and definitely the feel if tehre is a difference. I love seeing ebony grain in fingerboards, but that is probably a sacrifice we'll have to make with time.
It also tends to be way more expensive, which just isn't an option as a student...
One issue I have on sustainability is the energy consumption. I wonder if they have compared the process of making these boards energy wise to slow, but sustainable farming?
Hahaha, yeah! I’ve been saying the same for years! Just one more and then I’ll start trying alternatives, but I think now it’s about time I at least start trying.
I agree about the look, but I’m not a fan of how ebony looks like anyways (I mean, I think it’s very pretty, but not something I think it’s irreplaceable. Or that without it then the instrument would be ruined). However I might be biased on this because of the allergies, so my views on it are a bit clouded.
Another thing why I’m not an “ebony purist” if there’s such thing is that I know that originally instruments didn’t have ebony at all, so if I had to go full on purist and baroque then I’d also be looking for another alternative.
Price wise, I agree that the material itself is more expensive, but you’ll see when I make the corene video. They send it ready, and if you don’t want it with any personalised curve or anything, then it could literally just be ready to glue. So if I had to take into consideration the hours of work, then it’s def cheaper to buy the alternative.
That’s a great question! (The sustainability one) It’s quite possible that they’re just talking about the wood source and not the energy that they use to compress the material, but I’m seeing the sonowood people tomorrow so I’ll ask them. However, if you wanted to argue on the subject, then I guess you can say that you compensate that by reducing the transportation pollution produced when importing the ebony.
@@LucasFabro I have to admit that I really love the look of ebony. But I prefer a slightly lower grade where you get a few brown streaks etc., not the solid black stuff. That could for all I care be a different material.
I don't think it's irreplacable either. I have to admit that I care a lot more about the wood before the strings go on. I think even on guitars where you sometimes use these super fancy woods, as soon as the strings are on, you don't really notice it that much. So realistically, I don't think I would even notice the difference if it was black enough that it didn't have the very obvious grain lines.
And yeah, sustainability can mean a lot of things. I suspect that it mostly means sustainable farming, not necessarily environmentally friendly. But it's also a very complex thing to assess. There are the big and obvious polluting and energy consuming steps like transport on the ebony side and factory building/maintenance on the sonowood side, but then there'll always be a lot of smaller things that are easy to forget like.. Idk, sourcing trees, promoting the product and stuff like that. I don't think you can really give a good answer, but it would be interesting to hear if they have at least considered it.
@@LucasFabro And yeah, I have considered corene fingerboards. I don't like to make fingerboards all that much, and I'm probably not the best at it either, so it's very tempting to get them. But I think since I make so few instruments, I should keep practicing at least a few years :-P
I don’t care if my fingerboard is made from real ebony. As long as it looks and function well, I’d be happy to see us moving to a more sustainable alternative
Thank you very much for your comment and your input! It's really helpful for me :)
@@LucasFabro Keep up with the videos! I really appreciate your work!
I have the corene on mine. It doesn't seem to wear out as much as ebony but it is so slippery. People with sweaty fingers find it too slick.
Personally, I would prefer to buy a new violin that isn't made with ebony, knowing that ebony is endangered. I'm not a professional, and even if I was, i would still look at getting a sustainable alternative so that I could start changing the tradition of ebony.
As an amateur violin maker, I already use rosewood since it's available and I like working with it. The biggest problem I face is if I were to try and sell one of my creations, I would likely have to replace the finger board for ebony because of the tradition of how violins are expected to look. Its a shame it isn't as flexible as other instruments like guitars, where if it makes guitar sounds, people generally don't care what the fret board is made of...
Hi, I just saw your comment and wanted to give some thoughts from the perspective of a professional violinist/ studying guitarist who has been studying luthierie on the side (not pro but heavily researched). For violin, besides traditions about colour, rosewood isn't preferred because it can irritate people's allergies even when finished due to its oil secretions over time, whereas ebony is usually less irritant and "dry" when its finished, all of which also affects some people's choice of fittings. As for playing, ebony can resist a lot more of the repeated «downward» finger pressure (with gravity) of violin/viola playing, where rosewood, depending on its hardness, usually wears faster. For guitar it doesn't wear as much because of the playing angle (not fully with gravity), but some people feel a lack of hardness in rosewood vs ebony or maple, etc., especially for classical and when doing barre chords. But I do believe that many of these woods could be replaced with more sustainable options if not for moot traditionalist views of many classical players, especially on the parts that are more cosmetic rather than what actually matters, such as the shoulder rest and high tension strings killing the resonance of the instrument. I hope you continue your research, and wish you the best of luck in your instrument making journey! Ciao~
@@dajon33 thanks for your reply! I always appreciate when someone takes the time to share some of their experience :) the durability issue is a big one for a violin that is meant to be played for a long time, for sure, and I never considered allergies, that's an excellent point. Thanks for taking the time, I appreciate it!!
What about resale value? When this sustainability fad peters out nobody’s going to want an instrument made from fake wood. Why not just use aluminum? Ugh.
It will not affect the resale value at all, as fingerboards are nonetheless parts of the instrument that get changed over time anyways.
When they get some use over them, they get removed and replaced. It’s a very common and simple process.
So if someone doesn’t want that fingerboard, it can simply be changed for another one.
Even though the question is rhetorical, the reason why not using something like aluminium is very simple. It’d affect the sound of instrument massively. That’s why I’m looking that these alternatives to ebony are also made out of wood, and if you reach to the end of the video you’ll see that one of the reasons that I’m giving on why I don’t think I’ll use it is exactly that one, the sound (even if it’s better for my allergies and all that).
So to summarise it. No, it won’t affect the resale value. The instrument is made out of wood (same wood that has always been used). The alternative fingerboard is also wood based.
Thanks for your comment though, as I said at the end of the video I’m really interested in knowing what people think of these alternatives, if they’d buy an instrument with any of them and so on. So your answer is a very honest one and certainly representative of what a lot of people might think.
@@LucasFabro thank you for the toughtful reply. I do admire your work and honesty