Professional Setup Process

Often the difference between a violin that is exciting to play and a pleasure to listen to and one that is difficult and tiring is in the setup. Lance Bellamy is a violin maker and a violinist who has made and repaired instruments for over 25 years. His professional setup process brings out the best qualities in each instrument. No instrument is put up for sale until it meets his exacting standards.

The following outlines the steps that are performed on each violin during the setup process:

1. The Pegs And Endpin

A good set of ebony, rosewood or boxwood pegs is fitted. The peg holes are reamed to a standard taper. The pegs are then shaved to the same taper and lubricated to ensure the pegs turn smoothly and hold properly when tuning. A matching endpin is then fitted using the same method.

2. The Fingerboard

The nut is removed and the fingerboard is planed to obtain the proper concavity allowing the strings to vibrate freely when fingered. The finger board is then finely scraped and finished to provide a smooth playing surface.

3. The Nut

The nut is carefully shaped and reglued to the neck. Each string groove is carefully filed and sized according to the diameter of the string it will hold. This allows each string to vibrate freely and gives the player a uniform feel of string pressure under the fingers. An improperly sized grove can cause the string to be pinched and negatively impact the string motion thus making the instrument difficult to play.

4. The Soundpost

A soundpost made of finely grained spruce is fitted to the interior of the instrument. Looking through the end pin hole, the angle of the top and bottom of the soundpost are checked to ensure that each fits the compound interior curvature of the top and back respectively.

5. The Bridge

A fine French bridge is fitted to the instrument. The feet of the bridge are carefully cut to fit the curvature of the violin top. The height of the bridge is then determined by measuring the height of the end of the fingerboard and the neck angle to ensure each string will have the proper clearance. The curve of the top of the bridge is then cut and the overall thickness and shape of the bridge chest is set.

The instrument is then strung up and played to hear the overall tone of the instrument. The kidney and heart shaped cut outs are then trimmed with a sharp knife to adjust and enhance the sound of the instrument. The string grooves are then filed and the bridge finishing is completed. The importance of a well cut bridge, with regard to the sound quality of an instrument, cannot be over emphasized.

6. The Strings

A set of good quality violins strings, usually Thomastic Dominants, are put on every instrument. Various E strings may be tried before the final brand is selected.

7. Final Adjustment

After the instrument has been setup and allowed to stabilize for 1 to 2 weeks final adjustments are made. The soundpost is adjusted for optimum sound and playability. The height of the bridge may be adjusted ever so slightly to achieve the desired string clearance and the cutouts in the bridge may be enlarged to move the sound in a particular direction.