Hi, Mr. Russ, when I bought two cellos from a Chinese maker in the early 1990s. He told me that he happened to spill some alcohol on the wood with which he had made a violin for a customer, and that violin sounded much better than those without the liquor. So I told him to make me a drunk cello by sinking the wood into cooking wine. What happened was my drunk cello sounded much better than the other one that wasn't drunk. My drunk cello compared to old English cellos of the 1800s.
I think.....I think A.Strad has his own preferred method to treat fresh wood before making into violin. To produce so many instruments, he definately had a reliable process to convert green wood into suitable violin making wood.
Most people who work with wood, would do well to dig down into the bowels of firewood handling/management. Wood is dynamic and constantly changing, but you can ruin an entire log within about 12 hours of cutting it down. If it's wet, fungal spores invade the wood and trap moisture inside. If this happens, the ONLY way to dry it after that is in a kiln. As for seasoning duration, wood is about as dry as it will ever be after about 3-4 years, for a billet. After that, it's equalized to the environment. The only reason to season it longer is if you just don't need it yet. It doesn't hurt to season it for 10, 50 or 300 years. It just takes up inventory space.
Chinese violin makers are using wood from old demolished houses. I bought one as a practice fiddle. It's not great, but it's good for what i need. The measurements are right and the timber is pretty good. I have to practice with a mute anyway.
I think Strad instruments have seasoned over time but he must have started with well dried wood or his instruments would show drying cracks. I’ve worked on several cheap violins which have been made with unseasoned wood and the most common fault is centre join separation.
Precision in crafting and the knowledge of making a good instrument is more important than the seasoning of wood in my opinion. Although both are important, I guess. My current viola has a nice, rich lower sound, but as a whole, it's a bit unbalanced. I'm thinking that that it has such a nice c-string sound is because of the height of the arch of the body and the well-seasoned wood. But for further satisfaction, I'd rather have to ask for some adjustments from a good luthier, whom I haven't found yet in my city. That will cost me another $1000+ anyway.
Your first sentence says it very well! But me as a violinmaker can’t say it too loud! 😂 But it is definitely nicer to work with well seasoned wood even so the quality of the result depends on many many tiny details! All the best from Cremona Edgar
@@EdgarRuss Well, after I heard all the samples of violas you guys made, I can say that your studio obviously holding that right recipe. I'm living in Japan though, wishing that I could visit your shop someday!
If the objective is to use the most seasoned dried wood then why would you need to put a humidifier in one’s case ? As soon as the instrument is removed from the case won’t it match the humidity in its present environment?
I think an important factor is "when" the tree was cut relatively to lunar cycle (difficult information to get, i don't know of any wood dealers who care to document this and it may be directly impossible to know) and how and in what conditions it was stored to season. In spanish we call this "Calendario Biodinámico".
@@masonmp1889 for wood i don't know exactly, i think it may be when the moon is in it's descent phase, and it's energy is placed on its roots, but i may be wrong; there's also a cycle which shifts between leaves, roots, fruit, etc, phases, and some other factors, you can Read about it if you search for "Biodinamic calendar"
Hello Edgar, I apologize for contacting you through this channel. I am planning to copy and paste this message onto a few of your videos because I understand that you are very busy. I hope you will take notice of my message and respond to my emails. I have sent you a few emails about my low-budget violin, and I am hoping to have it customized. I need your expert guidance and suggestions. I truly appreciate your work and I hope that your channel will soon have more subscribers. With less than 19k subscribers, you are an amazing luthier who deserves to have more subscribers. Thank you.
people who try to find the magical piece of perfect wood are just compensating for lack of skill. if it feels right and just wants to sing when you pick it up its good enough.. theres a difrence between dead wood and some that wants to make music but some magical seasoned wood is nonsense
@@ghlscitel6714 it does, it shows people do ridiculous things like marry a piece of wood because it will magicly turn into stradavari spruce. or other ridiculous stuff like that.
I would love to hear the final result and your thoughts on it 😉🤓
Hi, Mr. Russ, when I bought two cellos from a Chinese maker in the early 1990s. He told me that he happened to spill some alcohol on the wood with which he had made a violin for a customer, and that violin sounded much better than those without the liquor. So I told him to make me a drunk cello by sinking the wood into cooking wine. What happened was my drunk cello sounded much better than the other one that wasn't drunk. My drunk cello compared to old English cellos of the 1800s.
There's a lot of emotion and hype about violins. It reminds me of the same that exists about automobiles.
Master Edgar violin myth busting again!! Really hopeful we can get a new livestream MondoMusica like you did a couple years ago!
I think.....I think A.Strad has his own preferred method to treat fresh wood before making into violin. To produce so many instruments, he definately had a reliable process to convert green wood into suitable violin making wood.
Most people who work with wood, would do well to dig down into the bowels of firewood handling/management. Wood is dynamic and constantly changing, but you can ruin an entire log within about 12 hours of cutting it down. If it's wet, fungal spores invade the wood and trap moisture inside. If this happens, the ONLY way to dry it after that is in a kiln.
As for seasoning duration, wood is about as dry as it will ever be after about 3-4 years, for a billet. After that, it's equalized to the environment. The only reason to season it longer is if you just don't need it yet. It doesn't hurt to season it for 10, 50 or 300 years. It just takes up inventory space.
Chinese violin makers are using wood from old demolished houses. I bought one as a practice fiddle. It's not great, but it's good for what i need. The measurements are right and the timber is pretty good. I have to practice with a mute anyway.
I think Strad instruments have seasoned over time but he must have started with well dried wood or his instruments would show drying cracks. I’ve worked on several cheap violins which have been made with unseasoned wood and the most common fault is centre join separation.
The 1-inch floor planks of the house are seasoned at least 60 years long. They look like spruce.
+
I don't know how for violin , but for icons and frames for pictures - the older wood the better to use , because it's dry and stable
How does it sound?
I’m amused that you drove a Ford Fiesta. I had one too. 😅
Precision in crafting and the knowledge of making a good instrument is more important than the seasoning of wood in my opinion. Although both are important, I guess.
My current viola has a nice, rich lower sound, but as a whole, it's a bit unbalanced. I'm thinking that that it has such a nice c-string sound is because of the height of the arch of the body and the well-seasoned wood. But for further satisfaction, I'd rather have to ask for some adjustments from a good luthier, whom I haven't found yet in my city. That will cost me another $1000+ anyway.
Your first sentence says it very well! But me as a violinmaker can’t say it too loud!
😂
But it is definitely nicer to work with well seasoned wood even so the quality of the result depends on many many tiny details!
All the best from Cremona
Edgar
@@EdgarRuss Well, after I heard all the samples of violas you guys made, I can say that your studio obviously holding that right recipe.
I'm living in Japan though, wishing that I could visit your shop someday!
If the objective is to use the most seasoned dried wood then why would you need to put a humidifier in one’s case ? As soon as the instrument is removed from the case won’t it match the humidity in its present environment?
Talk to the wood !
😂 feel it , smell it touch it and dance with if you like it then work with it !
Well sayed!
All the best
I think an important factor is "when" the tree was cut relatively to lunar cycle (difficult information to get, i don't know of any wood dealers who care to document this and it may be directly impossible to know) and how and in what conditions it was stored to season. In spanish we call this "Calendario Biodinámico".
which moon cycle is best?
@@masonmp1889 for wood i don't know exactly, i think it may be when the moon is in it's descent phase, and it's energy is placed on its roots, but i may be wrong; there's also a cycle which shifts between leaves, roots, fruit, etc, phases, and some other factors, you can Read about it if you search for "Biodinamic calendar"
Hello Edgar, I apologize for contacting you through this channel. I am planning to copy and paste this message onto a few of your videos because I understand that you are very busy. I hope you will take notice of my message and respond to my emails. I have sent you a few emails about my low-budget violin, and I am hoping to have it customized. I need your expert guidance and suggestions. I truly appreciate your work and I hope that your channel will soon have more subscribers. With less than 19k subscribers, you are an amazing luthier who deserves to have more subscribers. Thank you.
people who try to find the magical piece of perfect wood are just compensating for lack of skill.
if it feels right and just wants to sing when you pick it up its good enough..
theres a difrence between dead wood and some that wants to make music but some magical seasoned wood is nonsense
Some even season spruce with fungus to make a Strad-like instrument.
@@ghlscitel6714 some people also jump from a bridge or eat tidepods
@@eliseveldt How true how true, but that does not even sound minimally comparable.
@@ghlscitel6714 it does, it shows people do ridiculous things like marry a piece of wood because it will magicly turn into stradavari spruce. or other ridiculous stuff like that.
@@eliseveldt Well behind the fungus stuff there is quite some elaborate science. Check it out.