Otis Tomas

With the purfling completed, it's time to turn our attention to the neck. I will be using more of the same wood as in the back and ribs. Because this piece has an odd shape (it's a tapered wedge that wasn't big enough for a back) , I will prepare the block by temporarily gluing some scraps to the sides that will allow me to square up the block so when I cut it on the bandsaw, the edges will all be perpendicular to the fingerboard surface.

While the neck blank is still square, I mark out the centre line and drill the pilot holes for the pegs.

The turns of the scroll are marked out, then a few initial saw cuts helps the removal of the waste.

The gouges and scrapers finish the work of carving the scroll. The lines of the traditional scroll make for a classic blend of simplicity and complexity. The eye is guided around the graceful turns, taking in the symmetry, proportion and delicacy, while the mind is directed to contemplation of the infinite contained within form.

The neck is then joined to the body of the fiddle. Unlike in Stradivari's day when the neck was glued and nailed flat on to the ribs, the modern neck is set into a tapered mortise. Special care must be taken to fit this well, to provide strong support and to prevent settling of the neck under the tension of the strings. It must simultaneously fit the face of the mortise and the button of the back (which provides much of the strength and stability of the neck) while keeping its alignment down the centre of the body (between the f-holes) and allowing for a fingerboard projection of around 27mm at the bridge. I set it up with a "dummy" fingerboard to make the measurements and alignment easier. I'll want a neck overstand of 6mm above the edge of the top, and a resulting string angle over the bridge of 158 degrees. It is the sharpness of this angle that determines the downward force through the bridge and to the belly. With an arching and model of fairly standard dimensions, all these parameters should fall into place together with the additional correspondence that a line sighted down the edge of he back will point to the eye of the scroll and a line sighted down the edge of the top will point to the end of the fingerboard at the nut.

With the neck and heel still fairly rough, it is glued into the mortise with fresh hot glue, taking care to keep everything aligned properly. Final shaping will take place once the strings are on.

The fingerboard blank is roughed out from a piece of straight grained ebony.

The blank is cut out slightly oversize, then the top surface is shaped to a conical radius of about 42mm with the help of a straightedge and curved template.

The underside is then planed to leave an even edge of 5mm for the length of the board. The overhanging end is hollowed out to remove weight, yet leave stiffness and support for the end of the board. It is interesting to note that the end of the neck is the midpoint of the board, and after hollowing, can also become the balance point.

The fingerboard is glued in place after giving a final check of the projection height. The nut is put in place, and then the entire neck and fingerboard unit is trimmed and shaped to comfortable dimensions so that the profile rolls nicely in the fingers and the thumbstop at the heel feels comfortable and familiar. The nut end of the fingerboard should be aligned square with the chin of the scroll and the stop length (from the bridge line to the upper end of the body) should be in a relationship of 3/2 with the remaining distance from the edge of the body to the nut.

After fitting a saddle and an old set of pegs, all that's needed before a trial run is a bridge and soundpost. The rough bridge blank must first be worked over all its edges and surfaces. The feet are trimmed and fit to the arch of the instrument, then the curve of the top. The bridge is slightly thinned and the front surface is gently domed up toward the narrow top edge. The kidneys and heart opened up a bit, the lower arch is increased, and the sides are trimmed and chamfered. Makers develop a personal signature in the way they carve a bridge, but the main idea (aside from providing a proper playing action) is to lighten up the bridge, removing excess mass that might tend to mute its response. Nearly all the energy of the vibrating string must first pass through the bridge, so it is worth a bit of attention. It must be substantial enough not to warp under the pressure of the strings, and it acts as a filter to the incoming vibration. Too light and thin, and you might find the tone getting a bit raw and brittle, but too heavy a bridge can make it sound stiff and repressed.

The post is made of spruce cut from the waste from the belly. It is carefully fit and wedged in place just behind the treble foot of the bridge. It not only provides support for the bridge against the downward pressure of the strings, but it also serves to communicate the vibration from the bridge directly through to the back plate. In this role it also functions as a pivot for the bridge's vibration, setting up a kind of pumping action to the other foot, situated over the bass bar. The exact location of the post, up close to the bridge or a little further back, a bit toward the treble or bass side, a little tighter or looser fit, can have a significant effect in the response of the instrument by altering the balance of these factors. These are adjustments that will later be made after the strings are on the instrument and it has had a chance to settle.

And now the fiddle is ready for a trial run. I put some strings on it and pass the bow over them. It has a surprisingly big, full sound and a G string that is solid and strong. It's a bit edgy as it hasn't any time to settle yet, and just a bit tight which is to be expected with the edges of the plates still as thick as they are. But from a first impression, I think it has great potential. It's bright and full, lots of snap, but rich and deep as well.

After a few days of settling, the violin has come into its first equilibrium. It will now stay in tune and some of the original wolfiness has gone out of the tone. The fiddle is getting used to itself. Now is the time to continue on to the final graduations and to sculpt the finishing touches before varnishing. Until now the original edges have been left flat and thick. The purfling was trimmed back flush to the surface but with none of the graceful scooping that will now finish the arching.

The tone of the instrument is largely set in the materials, the model, and the arching. These final graduations will not significantly change the basic quality of its voice, but as the plates become thinner and more flexible, the tone noticeably becomes freer and more responsive. I don't want to lose the sense of solidity, especially under the G string, which often seems to happen if the plates are too compliant.

As I carve away at the edges, alternating between the gouge and the bow, I feel as though I were liberating the voice that is there, but yet trying to keep it within the discipline of the overall character of the instrument. The plates do not vibrate in isolation, but only as subordinate partners to the complexity of the whole.

I do this final carving not only with ears open to the changes in tone, but also with the eye of a sculptor, finalizing and blending the curves of the arching, the shape of the corners, and the flow of edgework. Now I will return to the scroll to give a final smoothing to the surfaces and to cut the chamfered edges to the turns of the scroll. I'll give the maple a bit of fine sanding, but I must be careful not to mush the crisp lines of the scroll and edging. The top will get only the scraper, because I want to try to leave a bit of the texture of the grain in the finished surface. Here are some photos of the white fiddle, as it stands ready for varnishing.