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Patients waiting patiently for some TLC.
A bit like a classic car, every stringed instrument needs plenty of TLC and regular maintenance. And the best place for that is an expert luthier – someone who specialises in returning out-of-sorts violins, violas and cellos to full song.
Auckland-based luthier Annette Voll has been servicing stringed instruments for around 30 years and has tended to all kinds of ailments – from minor tweaks to major surgery.
“Musicians tend to be fastidious about their instruments – and rightly so – but the wear eventually catches up and they need attention. The major component of my work is what I’d call basic maintenance – fitting new strings, rehairing and repairing bows, replacing a broken or a warped bridge, adjusting or fitting a new sound post – perhaps refitting pegs which have lost their ‘grip’.
“That progresses to more serious restoration issues – say repairing a crack (or worse) which usually means the instrument has to be disassembled into its various parts. Sometimes it requires fitting a new fingerboard, or even a new neck. In rare cases I might have to shape and install a new back or top – if the original is beyond salvation.
“It’s very detailed work – and I often feel a bit like a detective. You can glean a lot about an instrument’s probable provenance from how it was made. Of course, it’s always a huge privilege to work on a 300-year-old instrument.”
Annette’s career began some 35 years ago at the Staatliche Berufsfachschule für Musikinstrumentenbau – an internationally-renowned luthier school in Mittenwald (Southern Germany). After graduating she worked in the Netherlands and New Zealand, and finally decided to settle here.
Restoration
Is it really worth restoring a badly damaged instrument?
“It’s quite a complex decision,” says Annette. “Obviously, I will do everything possible to repair or restore a beautiful, top-quality instrument so it can be played again. But sometimes clients just want an instrument repaired for nostalgic reasons. Maybe an old violin that belonged to a great-grandmother.
“I always ask them what they hope to achieve. Is the instrument going to be played again? Or just a fond memento? The answer has a significant bearing on the cost. I offer an assessment of the instrument’s ‘value’. They need to consider whether the restoration is worth the time and money. I like to ‘tailor’ the work to the client’s expectations.”
A fine old cello she restored recently serves as a good example. “The spruce top’s ‘arching’ had collapsed – complicated by numerous cracks – and it required reshaping and reinforcing. That involved disassembling the instrument and making a series of plaster casts of the top’s existing profile.
“I then reshaped the plaster casts, carving away at each progressively until the final one reflected the original shape of the top. In effect, the final plaster cast became the ‘mould’ for the top, and with gentle, repeated applications of warm sandbags and pressure I was able to coax the spruce back to its original form.
“I added reinforcing so that it would retain its new (old) profile and repaired the cracks. I’m happy to say it’s as good as new and sounds wonderful.”
She stresses that while some projects might require an entirely new top or back – it’s very unusual. “I always try to save and repair the original timber. It’s important for the instrument’s provenance and trying to ‘blend’ a new piece of timber into the existing instrument can be very difficult.”
Neck grafts, she adds, can be particularly demanding. “A neck that’s broken is usually beyond saving – the instrument will receive a new one. But I like to retain the scroll, even though the scroll and neck are always crafted from a single piece of maple.
“That means grafting a new neck to the scroll and the mark of a good job is a seamless repair, with the join undetectable to the naked eye.”
Timber
Stringed instruments are usually made from spruce and maple (spruce for the top; maple for the back, sides, neck and scroll). Fingerboards are typically ebony. Ebony is also used for the tuning pegs, though rosewood is also popular. Bridges are maple and are easily replaced when they’re warped/bent (very common) or broken.
Stocks of spruce and maple in Annette's workshop, and planing a new back for a violin.
“While spruce and maple are traditional and have been used for centuries, they’re by no means the only timbers used for stringed instruments. Pearwood and plumwood were also popular – particularly with the cello’s predecessor, the viola da gamba. Of course, such ‘exotics’ make things tricky if you have to find new timber for a repair.”
Annette buys spruce and maple from an agent in Germany who sources the timber from various areas of Europe. “He gets most of his stock from a region between southern Germany and northern Italy. The timber is highly regarded for its ‘uniform’ growth. Evenly-spaced tree rings and consistent density are essential for good tone.”
Bows
Although she doesn’t make bows (a very different craft) Annette rehairs and repairs them. “The best hair comes from the tails of Mongolian and Siberian stallions. I hasten to add the horses are deceased when their tails are ‘plucked’. Like the horses, the hair is tough and resilient, with a uniform thickness and a fine white colour.
The hair is sourced from the tails of Mongolian and Siberian stallions.
Repairing a bow is a much more delicate operation. “Most quality bows are made from pernambuco – a Brazilian timber favoured for its flexibility and strength. But as any string player will tell you, bows are also very fragile – especially at the tip – and easily damaged. A repair often means inserting a splice to rejoin the broken pieces – and you must make sure the bow’s ‘balance’ isn’t affected.”
Breaks like this are very common. Note the thin splice in the repaired tip.
The 18th century Italian masters were famously secretive about the varnish they used on their instruments (it was believed to contribute to tonal quality). Annette is a little sceptical about this theory – “I think they were just incredibly talented craftsmen.”
But she does subscribe to using a spirit-based varnish for her work. “Some luthiers use oil-based varnishes – I prefer the spirit-based variations. The raw ingredients are shellac and resin – and they leave a lovely sheen on the timber. It accentuates the glorious grain of the timber – especially the maple.”
For more information, contact Annette at 021 02729211.