More progress on the viol, why I'm not making guitars...

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Douglas Ingram
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More progress on the viol, why I'm not making guitars...

Post by Douglas Ingram »

It pains me whenever I am seeing new guitars being posted, I want to post about guitars that I've been working on!

However, I have not been idle.

A bit of progress on the viola da gamba. The back of the soundboard is carved to final dimension, the "C" holes are cut, and the bass bar is being fitted. Once that is done I can close it up! Yeah! This has been a long time coming.

Then I can start on the fingerboard, tailpiece, pegs, and finishing. Still lots to do.
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Neal Carey
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Re: More progress on the viol, why I'm not making guitars...

Post by Neal Carey »

Doug, It's looking great so far.! I really like the look of the back. Could you perhaps post a closer picture of it?
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Steve Senseney
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Re: More progress on the viol, why I'm not making guitars...

Post by Steve Senseney »

Very nice work!

It looks like it has taken a lot of time.
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Barry Guest
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Re: More progress on the viol, why I'm not making guitars...

Post by Barry Guest »

Beautiful job Doug. What graduations are you using for the plates?
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Douglas Ingram
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Re: More progress on the viol, why I'm not making guitars...

Post by Douglas Ingram »

Barry, the arch graduations on a viol are not done the same way as violin family instruments. The long arch is set by the bent center stave. The outer staves are flat, and the side of the long arch just blend it together. There is no reverse arching around the perimeter. I carved the inside to be 4 mm along the center and 3.5 at the sides.

There is very little information available about the viol top thicknesses! I had to gleam whatever I could where ever I could. In comparison, there is a wealth of info about violins. I wish that I knew what I know now back when I started. I've been toying with the idea of making a viol style arpegionne as a follow up.
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Barry Guest
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Re: More progress on the viol, why I'm not making guitars...

Post by Barry Guest »

They are so different aren't they? Not related to the violin family at all, bowed differently, tuned differently, held between the knees. Do they have their own repertoire? Ok, I'll bite. What is the difference between a viol and an arpegionne?
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Douglas Ingram
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Re: More progress on the viol, why I'm not making guitars...

Post by Douglas Ingram »

Do they have their own repertoire?! Oh my, they have hundreds of years of repertore. Fantastic stuff. check out players like Jordi Savall or Paulo Pandolfo for starters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHLgwW9oofg

Viols were THE instrument of choice for a long time before fiddles ever became violins and concert hall got bigger. Actually, viols are more related to guitars than to violins/cellos. Both viols and guitars evolved out of the vihuela. The vihuela remaining the insturment of choice in Spain. The vihuela differentiated over time into the vihueal a mano (hand) and the vihuela a gamba (leg)

An arpegionne is an instrument that had only a short run and was developed be Johannes Stauffer as a guitar that was built and played like a cello. Schubert even wrote some very famous music for it. Six strings,guitar tuning, mechanical tuning machines, metal frets, etc. I figure that if I made a viol-like arpegionne then I could play along with my wife. I still have materials left to make one more bent stave top and 3 viol bodies. Either I use it or re-purpose it.
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Gilbert Fredrickson
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Re: More progress on the viol, why I'm not making guitars...

Post by Gilbert Fredrickson »

Beautiful. Yes, early music rocks.
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