This is an amazing project! Thank you for remembering my story when I declined to build a VDS due to lack of references. I believe that many people face this difficulty, especially in countries far from their origin.
Thank you Marcos for being my inspiration. My worry is that when a maker decides to take the occasion anyway and then they doesn’t find information, they will put on the market instruments hard to be played, and this will not be good for anyone! So, better get the info available, and let the value of an instrument rely on the actual quality of the instrument than on the ability of the maker to find the info, or his money to buy expensive ones!
Trough Amazon I could dechiffer ebays advertisements, there are no viola spruce backs. I have to build them myself and then I can do better f holes.
I wrote an email to Veit Heller and am exited for an answer.
I just have finished a 7 string violin with cherry tree wood back after many, many hours. Probably it will go to France and maybe it will be my best violin.
Thankyou Daniela for your dedication and all help.
You are welcome, and thank you so much for your encouragement! I know that, as always happen, this project will become more time consuming than what I expect now. So encouragement is very much needed fuel!
I just checked on the book, but it’s not written. I think it could be, but as I have seen the copies not long ago, if they had a spruce back I think I would have noticed. Anyway, you can ask to Veit Heller at the Grassi Museum Leipzig. He might be able to tell you more if there were other similar instruments around.
The copies of the instruments were made by Hans Salger, Bremen.
Not that I know. All that I saw were maple and spruce, with maple neck and ribs.
I think this kind of little portable basses were often popular instruments. Those in the museums are professionally made, but for sure there were a number of less precious ones. If an instrument had spruce back and ribs and had been extensively used outdoors, I doubt it would reach today’s time.l
If I remember correctly the Freiberg cathedral instruments had spruce ribs, I’m not sure about the back.
I hope so! As I wrote, I will be slow, but I hope I will be useful anyway and we will have good sharing! Making spallas sometimes it feels lonely, as you have little references or comparisons! I hope at least this aspect will get better and makers will get closer one to each other!
Coming from the nyckelharpa world l am careful with the ground tone of the instrument, the tone that the instrument strengthens. This is very important with this small instrument for its tuning and I have listened to several spallas with a too high pitch ground tone and that do not sound good om my ears.
We have at least three variables here, the wood materials, the volume and the holes sizes. A spalla have obvious limitations in volume, length and height.
When I made my first had only star sawn spruce available and knowing it is a good tone wood I went for that. Also knowing that narrower f holes are lowering the frequency of the ground tone the result was surprising good for my making. So for my second one I continue choice.
I have also come to the conclusion that spruce can resonate at a lower frequency than for example birch.
Some years ago there was a lot of instruments in China with spruce backs and now I first found only two gambas, but with careful search I found new violas made from spruce in both bottom and top.
Thank you for your insight. Certainly the experience coming from other similar instruments is very interesting and welcome. My background is all Italian, so my approach concerning woods is more traditional. I never tried anything else than red spruce and flamed maple. Having those woods at practically km0, for me they are easy to source and also not expensive, so I never had a motivation to try different things. I like, anyway, to substitute ebony with sonowood. It’s very expensive, but beautiful and durable, and it cannot be mistaken for ebony at customs controls.
This is an amazing project! Thank you for remembering my story when I declined to build a VDS due to lack of references. I believe that many people face this difficulty, especially in countries far from their origin.
Thank you Marcos for being my inspiration. My worry is that when a maker decides to take the occasion anyway and then they doesn’t find information, they will put on the market instruments hard to be played, and this will not be good for anyone! So, better get the info available, and let the value of an instrument rely on the actual quality of the instrument than on the ability of the maker to find the info, or his money to buy expensive ones!
Trough Amazon I could dechiffer ebays advertisements, there are no viola spruce backs. I have to build them myself and then I can do better f holes.
I wrote an email to Veit Heller and am exited for an answer.
I just have finished a 7 string violin with cherry tree wood back after many, many hours. Probably it will go to France and maybe it will be my best violin.
Thankyou Daniela for your dedication and all help.
Best Bo
You are welcome, and thank you so much for your encouragement! I know that, as always happen, this project will become more time consuming than what I expect now. So encouragement is very much needed fuel!
The Friberg cathedral instruments, if they have spruce ribs they can also have spruce backs, how can I check this?
Bo
I just checked on the book, but it’s not written. I think it could be, but as I have seen the copies not long ago, if they had a spruce back I think I would have noticed. Anyway, you can ask to Veit Heller at the Grassi Museum Leipzig. He might be able to tell you more if there were other similar instruments around.
The copies of the instruments were made by Hans Salger, Bremen.
Hi, an important question from me, is there any old spalla with the back made of spruce wood? Or the neck?
Best
Bo
Not that I know. All that I saw were maple and spruce, with maple neck and ribs.
I think this kind of little portable basses were often popular instruments. Those in the museums are professionally made, but for sure there were a number of less precious ones. If an instrument had spruce back and ribs and had been extensively used outdoors, I doubt it would reach today’s time.l
If I remember correctly the Freiberg cathedral instruments had spruce ribs, I’m not sure about the back.
This is very interesting! My 1st VDS is getting close to completion, so your insight will be valuable for my second instrument which is in production.
I hope so! As I wrote, I will be slow, but I hope I will be useful anyway and we will have good sharing! Making spallas sometimes it feels lonely, as you have little references or comparisons! I hope at least this aspect will get better and makers will get closer one to each other!
Coming from the nyckelharpa world l am careful with the ground tone of the instrument, the tone that the instrument strengthens. This is very important with this small instrument for its tuning and I have listened to several spallas with a too high pitch ground tone and that do not sound good om my ears.
We have at least three variables here, the wood materials, the volume and the holes sizes. A spalla have obvious limitations in volume, length and height.
When I made my first had only star sawn spruce available and knowing it is a good tone wood I went for that. Also knowing that narrower f holes are lowering the frequency of the ground tone the result was surprising good for my making. So for my second one I continue choice.
I have also come to the conclusion that spruce can resonate at a lower frequency than for example birch.
Some years ago there was a lot of instruments in China with spruce backs and now I first found only two gambas, but with careful search I found new violas made from spruce in both bottom and top.
Best
Bo
Thank you for your insight. Certainly the experience coming from other similar instruments is very interesting and welcome. My background is all Italian, so my approach concerning woods is more traditional. I never tried anything else than red spruce and flamed maple. Having those woods at practically km0, for me they are easy to source and also not expensive, so I never had a motivation to try different things. I like, anyway, to substitute ebony with sonowood. It’s very expensive, but beautiful and durable, and it cannot be mistaken for ebony at customs controls.
Friberg cathedral instruments, how can I cheque this?, spruce ribs are very near the back.
Bo