Book review?

[Mark Wybierala]

I'm sorry to place a similar post that I put in another section but I'm looking to see if anyone can give an opinion on a book that I'm looking to purchase or recommend something better. I need to improve my skills at finish repair on violins. The book is, The Art of Retouching 2nd Edition by Brian Epp? Is this a decent text book and/or are there any other recommendations?

[Chet Bishop]

I ordered it recently and expect to receive it any day. I will let you know what I think, in a few days.

Chet Bishop
www.bluefiddles.com

[Mark Wybierala]

Chet, I went to your website. ...awesome! Are five string violins a modern idea? I am seriously thinking about building myself. I'd like to learn to play a little but I have really fat stubby fingers. I'm thinking about a wider neck or maybe a three-string fiddle.

[Chet Bishop]

Well, they are a growing phenomenon. You can buy cheap Chinese 5-string fiddles all over, on the internet, and there are perhaps a dozen or fewer professional luthiers building them.

I had a young man play one of mine a few years ago, who, as he told me, was the first in his circle of musicians to have such a thing, and it was one of the chinese imports. Now (he told me) they are getting far more common, and it is irritating to him to no longer have something unique. He played my (first) five-string, and was thrilled with it...it was far better than the others he had played (not hard to do), but he had no money and was on his way to Ecuador or Panama, or some such place, so I never saw him again. (That's OK...the fiddle sold a short time later anyway.)

My wife is encouraging me to focus on five-strings and build more of them. Perhaps I will do so. But I really want to build another double bass this summer.

If you want to build a fiddle, I would recommend Henry Strobel's book Violin Making, Step by Step. Try it as an experiment, following his instructions carefully. You can expect a very good first try that way, and, if you wish, make it a five-string fiddle as a digression from the instructions. If you need pointers, feel free to contact me.

(BTW, I checked with the vendor, and that book is supposed to arrive this evening.)

Chet Bishop

[Chet Bishop]

The Brian Epp book arrived. I think it will at least provide a good basis for learning varnish retouching. The book includes a little more philosophizing than I usually like to see in a "how-to" book, but I do think he delivers well, in spite of what seems to be primarily a communication-style issue.

There are a few things I learned right away in a first skim-through. I will gather some of the materials he recommends, and the tools, and try some experimentation with his methods. As is the case with virtually every subject in lutherie, I expect that there will be as many different opinions on this subject as there are luthiers, and probably more, as some who will argue are not luthiers at all, but just happen to disagree.

One thing I saw right away that I can correct in my practice, is the concept of seeing layers of color, and matching those layers, not just trying to get the correct color in one or two coats of heavily pigmented retouch varnish. I will have to work on this, and see whether I can improve my skills. (No great trick there...from where I sit, one can only look up. )

Bottom line: yes I think the book is worthwhile, though I would bet that a workshop would be a big help, with some hands-on training. I think I can make the book do that for me, though, so, for $34, I think I got a bargain.

[Mark Wybierala]

I have four of the Strobels books and two of them have very worn pages from use over the last eight years. ...Essential references no doubt and he writes in a style that works for me. There is however some lack of fine detail information. I work hard to not be a hack. As I get deeper into violins and other classical bowed instrument the need for skill just increases exponentially. I farm out a lot of work. I know what I can do and its only when something different comes up that I see my serious lack of ability. I have huge quantities of junk to work on.