And...Done!

I finished the violin I've been working on!

There is really nothing quite like stringing up a an instrument for the first time that you've spent so many hours creating and finally getting to hear its voice.

I mean, it started like this:

Spruce, maple, and neck block

And now, all by my own hands, it is this:

Most days lutherie is just a fun job that feels fairly ordinary, but on days like today where I come to the end of the long process and can kind of step back I am momentarily awed that I am capable of such a thing.  I go from "I make violins" to "Oh my god look I actually made this violin!"

I'm really pleased with it.  I spent about half an hour playing it after I got the bridge finished (the first thing I am compelled to play on my new instruments is "Happy Birthday") and it has more power than I was expecting.  It's comfortable to play, but when I get it into the new player's hands this weekend I'll find out if there is any further tweaking I need to do to customize it.

It needs to be played in to warm it up, because right now it has that slightly hyper sound of a violin under tension for the first time and it's not sure about the whole idea yet.  Despite that, it sounds well balanced and clear, and I know with time it will warm up and the edges of the sound will soften.

In the past few weeks I had one frustrating setback that literally gave me nightmares, but it turned out to be a useful learning moment.  After I got the instrument to color I put on the final coat of clear varnish that is used to polish through, but compared to the conditions I originally did all my varnishing in, the combination of AC and sunlight in my shop were problematic.  The scroll burst out into the varnish equivalent of a rash and I freaked out.

Aaagghh!

I had never had a problem like this before, but thankfully I have a varnish guru I can consult, and Joe always makes things better.  He explained the problem and walked me through all the steps I needed to get it under control again, and it all worked out:

All better.

I now have much improved varnish doctor skills, but that was still not fun.

Speaking of varnish, check out how beautiful it looked after the final polishing when I held it outside at sunset:

I would normally describe the color of this instrument as a "warm caramel" but varnish is different in different light, and here you can see all the lovely ways the sunlight can dance through the wood and the ground and bring out many colors at once.  (I love to varnish. I can't wait until I get to do it again.)

Anyway, welcome to the world new violin!  I hope you get to play wonderful things.