Our 'Revamped' Shop

Hello all! Even with a questionable economy we have continued to burst our seams, so recently we took on a series of projects.

We began with a discussion period as to where to place and how to rearrange the shop. With a plan of action, Alex ordered 6 additional violin racks to aid in organizing and optimizing the space of our show/trial room. While waiting for the racks to be completed, yet another organizing topic was brought to the board - the case room was, quite frankly, dis-functional and we were in need of better placement for beginner bows. Just prior to Alex's most recent road trip, the violin racks arrived and the 'revamping' began. To keep a long, agonizing, and frustrating story short it took about double the anticipated time to complete the project. With that, we would like to share photos of our most recent shop project.

We started 'smooth sailing'

We had it all laid out...

Leave it at that this was rack 5 of 6 and closing on hour 4

Finished project

Result of initial project (optimized case room)

With you, the customer, in mind we successfully completed this project to enhance your experience at the shop. Stop in and visit!

Hope to see you soon,
~ Cassandra General Manager

A Wopperjonged Viola Bridge

A few days ago a long-time customer walked in with a viola that he had deemed as an online bargain viola. Purchased for just a few dollars, including shipping, this viola had served him over the past 3 years. With just a glance, it was impossible for Alex to miss something extremely wrong:


Yes, that is what the bridge looked like... warped, tilted, twisted, any of the above applied to the appearance and stance. The customer did not realize that all of these descriptions made the viola dysfunctional.

As a purchaser, online shopping may appear convenient, especially in possibly meeting budget constraints; however, it has a great potential to turn into a costly investment that may not have any real retail value. The bridge incident is a prime example! It costs about $100 to get a bridge made for the viola between labor and materials... luckily, we dug into our 'Bridge Graveyard' for this customer, simply placing on a 'functional enough' bridge for his needs.

Helpful Bridge Maintenance Tips
(violin, viola, cello, & bass)

• The side closest to the tailpiece should be perpendicular to the top
• The side closest to the fingerboard should be curved, with a small "pot belly"
  
• Generally, the bridge should be placed so the strings are centered on the fingerboard with the inner notches of the f-holes pointing towards the center of the bridge.
• The top edge of the bridge should look straight when viewed from above.
• Over time, due to tuning, a bridge will usually tilt or lean towards the fingerboard. The key is to monitor the position and straighten it according to the angle of the side closest to the tailpiece.
  
• If a bridge is not kept straight, it will warp, creating problems with tuning and tone
• Once a bridge is warped, there is no other solution besides having a new one made
• Adjustments on the bridge tilt should always be made by gently grasping the top of the bridge between strings 1-2 and 3-4.
• The placement of the bridge feet should always be done by grasping the feet. Often, tension on the strings must be partially relieved before moving the bridge.
• Never grab the bridge by the middle or you may break it!

In the end, be aware of your bridge. If you are uncomfortable adjusting the bridge, take it to a good violin shop, there should be no or little charge for this service. Also, be a smart consumer when finding online bargains.

Here's to straight bridges!
You will play in tune more easily, and the fiddle should sing!

Youngest Customer Yet!

The other day, Alex received a phone call from a mother checking out our shop. As new arrivals to Nebraska, she was looking for someone to aid her in repairing her son's 1/32 size violin. This family came to visit us recently, and we must tell of their visit!

Upon their arrival, we realized that this young boy is our youngest customer at 21 months. Soon after arriving, he looked around the shop pointing and informing us: "bass", "violin", "violin bow"; he was obviously overwhelmed by the shop.

When Alex opened the case, there was a not only a broken bridge, but a hair-less bow! Immediately, we all jumped into action - a 'new' bridge from our 'Bridge Graveyard' and then a new bow and rosin. As all of this was all being pieced together, the young boy was as patient as possible while growing more and more excited.

The boy looked on in awe as Alex tuned the violin and rosined the bow. Then, it was his turn! Come to find out, he had never been able to actually make a sound with the violin due to the bow's condition; so... all he could do was play a little then giggle!

We finished up business for the day with this family, watching as the young boy marched out the door, violin and bow in hand!

- Cassandra
General Manager at A. Cavallo Violins, LLC

Clocks and Squirrels!

Squirrels
This week has been quite exciting here at the shop! A while ago a gentleman brought in a cello he had handcrafted for his daughter with a koala bear carved on the scroll. Today he stopped in again, but to purchase a violin case for a violin he had just completed for another daughter.

Upon the unveiling of his new creation, we were all very impressed to see an adorable squirrel and his big tail carved onto the scroll! He had also done some impressive and unique purfle on the back including the letter "A" for the first letter in his daughters name. It is always nice to see modern creations, especially with such the fun carvings!

Aside from this violin and the previously mentioned cello, he has also made two violas and a violin; all of which have uniquely carved scrolls. I think it's safe to say the squirrel violin made everyone's day a little brighter.

Clocks
Earlier this week, the clock on our main floor broke down. We decided it wasn't much fun to look up expecting the time, and seeing something way off. This called for a little bit of creativity. Cassy wasted no time on this one! The following day I came in to grab something from the shop and Cassy had all of the makings of a clock on my desk. A little bit of deliberating about how our new clock should look, and I was out the door! After creating a clock out of an old broken violin, a local calligrapher, Penni Burkum, made the finishing touches with traditional pen and ink. We hung it up the following day and sure enough, not only does it look great, it's keeping time! Everyone here at A. Cavallo Violins, LLC has never been happier to be on schedule!

~Gabriel

Shot of the Day: Hanging Despiau Tree Bridges

My NikonD70 camera finally came back from the shop. The camera had this problem of interlacing the previous images that were taken and as a result the files were either unreadable or corrupt. The repairman had to replace this small little electronic component inside which did some damage to my bank account but I can swallow it with a dose of reality. Afterall, it's a highly specialized form of skilled labor, something which I clearly started to understand after seeing our guys at A. Cavallo do work on the benches. It just like any old rehair or new bridge that needs to be carved. The real cost isn't the material, it's the labor.

So what I've been doing for the past few days is trying to wrap up my last week here with my newly repaired camera. You know, some memorable photos along the way. I took some shots of Matt working at the bench. Then some other featured objects in the shop that customers might spot or find interesting. A good one I took has been the string of hanging bridges. Alex leaves them out to hand so they'll dry out.

Eventually, I'll do a more formal shoot of our new employees. Maddy is officially working today and so is Cassie. Look forward for to a future posting about them with full introductions.

Shot of the Day: Stained Glass Violin with Lion's Head Scroll

Remember that lion's head scroll that was sold a week ago on eBay? The winning bidder emailed us some photos of his latest creation installed with his latest prize.

I thought about categorizing this post under Weird Stringed Instruments but decided against it since it's no longer playable. Also, I thought the bidder took some real time and effort into crafting this stained glass work of art.

Weird String Instruments: That Crazy Bettie Paige Double Bass ;)

I always love it when we have non-classical musicians stopping by our shop. The other day, we had a a double bassist that dropped off his instrument for a new bridge. He was in a rock-a-billy band with a very interesting bass. He painted the bass in a mixture of black, green, with a gold finger board white tape decal.
At first I thought the strings were made of plastic. I had crazy thoughts of skipping jump rope in the basement with them but a closer look revealed these were Kevlar strings. Wow!

The bass player told us that he was having problems with his bridge standing up straight. One day, the bridge snapped. In his attempt to mend the situation, he nailed the pieces back together and held the pins in place with electrical tape. Alas, he told us, it just didn't sound the same:)

And here's the kicker...The back features a "pin-up" of a model resembling Bettie Page. Oh yea, you rebel double bassists! After we finished the repair job, he did mention about possible getting a new head stock with a skull from King Double Basses.

Holding down the fort...

Matt and I have held the fort down for what was a relatively quite day. A few customers stopped by to say "hi". I had a great conversation with a family who was visiting town to see their relatives. I got to practice my Japanese with the Grandpa he told me stories from his Navy days at various ports in South East Asia. Both of his grandchildren were excited as we showed them some of the entry level violins.

We got a lot done from the last week. Matt has become our residential carpenter as he's fixed up the workshop and made things run a little smoother downstairs. Our brand new cello rack was made by him. Much safer than having the cellos hanging from a pip

Meanwhile, Maddy stopped by on Saturday to do some more work time at the bench. She's gotten a lot better at taking tops off.

Shot of the Day: Lion's Head Scroll

Yesterday, a customer stopped by the shop with a box full of musical parts and repair items. You'll see them up on eBay but I had to post about the lion's head scrolls.
Intricately carved lion's head scroll and neck. It was likely to have been German work from the turn of the century. I'm not sure if the tongue was carved out entirely but if it was, then that's some real woodwork.
We'll see what it fetches for our consignor in the wild west of eBay.

Shot of the Day: Cello Bridge Valentine Heart

[Happy Valentines Day!]

Xmas Card from Jon Paul Bows: Holiday Frog Thoughts

[scanned holiday greeting card cover from JonPaul Bows , i kid you not]

I still don't get this cover. It's sooo random. The frog's kind of chilling out in the cup of eggnog, maybe because of its proof level, and an oh so subtle Jon Paul violin bow's end is in the mix with some lovely hollies. Maybe I drink from that froggy cup, I'll start to understand. Wait a minute...violin frog, xmas themes, real live frog...nah, I still don't get it;)


The card reads:

I'm no prince, but I am a heck of a kisser.

Christmas is coming and Froggy's getting fat
Hey, who you calling fat?

Dude, check out my new iPad. Ribit

Horseflies roasting on an open fire...

Horny toads duet better.

Thank you and hoppy New Year.

Sigh...Musicians are known to have corny jokes and real bad puns. This is a case of really bad "humor" mixed with hackneyed holiday phrases. But it's all the more worth blogging about, right?

Floor Display for the Holidays: Violin Tailpiece Ornaments, Musical Jewelry, and Plenty of Ribbons

I can't emphasize this enough in retail, especially during the holidays, but things have always got to be changing for the customers.
Granted, we don't have window shoppers that buy violins on display at the spur of the moment, but a change in their daily foot path around the plaza can get their attention.

This of course means the seasonal shifting of display stands and the layout of the shop. Laura and her mom, Nana, came to our rescue a few weeks ago to decorate the shop.

Fishing wire is always useful around the shop. Mainly for hanging violins but also for ornaments on the tree.
Laura and Nana went a bit crazy with the red ribbons as they bow tied everything in the shop.
My favorite though was the ingenious holly wreath they made from our graveyard of used chinrests, pegs.

Horn Violin Frog: Almost Done...

The finishing touches and polishes to the horn frog are almost done. I plopped myself down on a chair, hit the studio lights, and took some better photos of his work.

Wait a minute...Lester just came in as I was blogging. He tells me that the frog I photographed has the wrong button and screw- he'd like to also note that it's too big and he wouldn't make something like that from scratch.

The coolest thing with this frog is that you can actually see the inner mechanical workings. It's a bit opaque but you can make out where the screw, mortise, and plug is.
I know that him Les and other bow makers would object to this, but wouldn't be cool to try out some other materials for the frog? I always wanted to see a clear see through frog attached to bow. Quartz, silicon, maybe even diamonds? Unpractical since these materials would throw off the balance of the stick:)

Quarter Size Jürgen Klier Violin: Best baby violin we've seen

We recently had an inquiry from a customer up in Canada about a real nice quarter size violin. He had seen one of our eBay auctions and gave Alex a call to see what we could do.

We recently had an inquiry from a customer up in Canada about a real nice quarter size violin. He had seen one of our eBay auctions and gave Alex a call to see what we could do.

A week or so later, we had a Jürgen Klier Violin delivered to the shop. It took a little longer on the shipping end than we anticipated because of a varnishing procedure. Plus, we also make sure to get these little baby instruments with the right setup.

Alex was able to take this guy for a test drive. It's funny seeing him try to play a quarter size when he's got such big hands and fingers the size of meat hooks. For an instrument of that size though, he was able pull out so much range. It sounded awesome.

I also had fun taking photos of the instrument. The top's straight grain and the flames on the back appeared well in the studio. The varnish they used may have been the reason why many of the photos came out so well with little glare from the fluorescents.

Organizing Project: Hanging Cello Bags

Keeping things organized in the shop is a never ending task. I mentioned in an earlier post about our task to organize the storage bins for our new line of string instrument parts called "Alessandro Fine Fittings". It was a good excuse as well to clean the upstairs floor space, make the back office more efficient, and rearrange the traffic pattern between the workbenches.

August was the month that kept us from maintaining the place. The flurry of receiving and meeting the shipment deadlines, packing materials went astray from the designated boxes. Rental returns or traded instruments with cases and instruments were all on standby to be cleaned and restored at one bench.

Despite all this piling up of things to do, we managed to survive the back-to-school rush. The reorganization during the dead summer months payed off with a system intact. Otherwise we never would have been able to start thinking about how to organize those darn cello cases.

[cello racks, any one?]

Storing violin and viola cases isn't a big a problem. Just stack them together and stick them on the adjustable racks. The cello case though takes up more room and the majority of the ones, the soft bags, we carry have to be hung. We only have room to display the solid ones upstairs Hanging them on garment racks is the current solution for downstairs workshop that is always changing. At the same time, it's dusty so the next step in this latest organization project is to find some plastic covers. Don't even get me started on those double basses. If anyone can come up with better ideas would be great.

Related Posts:
Shaking up the Shop
Violin Fitting Organization Extravaganza

Making Frogs for a Cello Bow

Lester keeps going at it with his new line of bows. This time, he's gearing up to enter some bows for a competition in October. Many bow makers often order parts from manufacturers and fit them on to the stick. I was flipping through their catalog the other day, and I had no idea that there are over a hundred different kinds of frogs. Lester tells me though that while basic frog templates by Sartory are studied and published in books, bow makers are always reinterpreting these traditional master makers in their own style.

[Ebony Frog, Pattern]

However, Les' training since this summer has taught how to make even the small things from scratch. Screw and button making was a first for him, but so was frog making. This cello bow he's making are by far the most hand made thing he's made.

[Ebony Frong for Cello, slide]

The photo below shows his latest work in horn. I'm not sure if this comes from water buffalo but there's a bunch of other materials such as snake wood or ivory (the latter now being illegal). Usually though, he works in good dry ebony blanks.

[Horn Frog for Violin, Cutting Stage]

The length of time it takes to make a frog can range from 12 hours to a day. Realize though that these frogs are often made as the bows are carved. Frog making isn't a step-by-step process. It's a series of fine cutting, chiseling, and filing are done with adjustments to the stick.

I asked Les why he still bothers to make frogs by hand when he can order pre-cut frogs. For one, he says it increases the value of the bow. He also says that he adds an artistic value that he can customize for the player. It may not seem like much but he can control the feel of the frog in the player's hand with slight nuances of the ferrule or curves of the frog's body.

Older Related Posts:

• Frog Repair
• Violin Bow Making II: Screw & Button
  
• Bow Making