In general

In the following paragraphs there are short descriptions of basic construction and characteristic features of my instruments and the materials used during their production.

The most important aim while producing all of my instruments is achieving the following characteristics: a lightness of playing, an excellent balance of frequency and a quick response of the instrument, the strength and good projection, the best tone possible. 

Some of these characteristics, especially the tone, the openness of the instrument etc. are the ones which can be changed under the influence of time, stabilisation and changing of the cellular or crystal structure of the materials. Others however depend particularly on the appropriate attitude to production and adjustment of relations between construction components and characteristic features of constituent parts of an instrument, from the wood to the varnish. 

The form/model

The basic design of the form, more precisely the outer contour of my violins is roughly based on the shape of one of the best preserved late products of Stradivari, the violin »Messie«, which is exhibited in the Hill’s collection of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England. It is not a complete copy of the basic shape; it is more of an imitation of design and aesthetics of the basic characteristic features of the contour lines of this violin.

The parametres of the curves of the sound boards and backs of my violins are designed on a basic form, but they vary according to demands and characteristics of a chosen piece of wood used in every single violin. The main characteristic is a very shallow edge fluting of the sound board and back which most adequately fulfils my demands in sense of a good projection of the sound exiting the instrument.

As a consequence, the anticipated volumes and curves of the sound boards and backs of each violin are adjusted to the height and the elevating angle of the sides i.e. the frame of the instrument from the neck to the button.

The neck is produced in standard measurements, while the scroll follows my own initiative of design, relying on the basic designs of the old masters.

In the same way I also determine the characteristics of design i.e. construction characteristics of violas which are roughly based on the viola of Andrea Guarnier »Conte vitale«.
 

The materials
 

Every single instrument of mine is hand-made, without the use of electric tools or machines, using procedures which demand hand tools and traditional ways of production, which do not allow for manipulation or speeding up the individual work phases. In order to produce string instruments I use the best possible wood, which is in the selling pricelists of the supplier treated as the wood for production of master instruments. Regarding the time I need to complete one single instrument, it would be unwise to put my effort into the material which does not achieve the highest standards.

Maple wood for the production of the back, ribs and neck of an instrument is chosen from the offer of naturally-seasoned Bosnian maple. This is selected on the basis of my wishes and demands, regarding physical and acoustic characteristics, as much as this can be established in a raw piece of material. The right density and the growth can in many cases tip the scales over a sheer aesthetic appearance of the maple flame i.e. the beauty of the ribbed structure of this wood, in case the compromise between the aesthetics and functional demands is not possible. 

The spruce wood used for making the tops, sound posts, blocks and other parts made of spruce is chosen from the offer of naturally air-seasoned spruce originating from the region of Slovenian or Italian Alps and sometimes from the Karpat mountain region. The selection is made among the quarterly cut parts of the resonating wood, of a tough, light structure with favourable, densely-grown rings.

I use the best Madagascar ebony for fingerboards, although I often avoid buying the aesthetically first class material because of environmental reasons (the danger of eradication of the trees). I rather perform an in depth treatment of ebony by using natural colourants to achieve the wanted blackness. 

The equipment

The bridges which come from the Aubert’s high-quality stock are finally treated in concordance with the characteristic features of every single instrument and are perfectly fitted to the curves of the sound board and fingerboard. 

The pegs, the tailpieces, the chin rests and the fine tuners are selected on the basis of choosing such quality material from a manufacturer, which fulfils high functional and aesthetic demands of a craftsman. Different sets, which can be chosen and determined by the client, are available.

For stringing up a »Dominant« quality class strings are used, which can be replaced in case the client wishes so. 

The varnish

The choice of materials for the final finish of my string instruments is based on my own research and other researches carried out on the varnishes of the old masters. My first instruments were treated with the varnishing systems of the respected manufacturers of string instrument varnishes, but now I treat instruments with my own varnishes, which are based on the natural resins, such as propolis, copal, mastic, amber, on the first-class quality linseed oil and on the one hundred per cent clean alcohols which offer flexible and yet resistant protection of the instrument. 

The pigments are natural and are spread on the instrument in such a way which enables the thinnest final layer of all the varnishing layers together.
 

A special attention

Together with the basic forming of curves and the material adjusted to the body volume of the violin, I mostly pay a special attention to the precise treatment and the relationship among the fingerboard, the bridge and the body of the instrument, which enables musicians to easily bring out of my instruments the more of the things brought out of a good instrument. 

Under condition of a quality production and the material, a good balance to a large extent depends on the good final adjustment of the instrument. This is achieved by the precise attitude to the treatment and the fitting of sound post and the bridge of a violin, and in my opinion, to the proper, balanced distribution of the active mass of the sound board, which is in my instruments where the bridge is fitted.

The first, basic layers in the varnishing process are according to my experience the ones which to a large extent contribute to the tone, the projection and the readiness of an instrument. In the past years I have dedicated much time particularly to this part of the varnishing process and I have achieved such results which satisfy my demands. 

The basic layer which consists of a selected naturally-organic resin and a natural polymer i.e. binding crystal substances exposes the surface structure of the wood used for the sound boards of my instruments. This can be seen even after the final varnishing process. Such texture of the slightly emphasised, elevated growth rings is carried by many instruments of the old masters. This shows that today’s many times emphasised closing and flattening of wood grain during the basic preparation, resulting in the shiny, as smooth as glass, flat surface, was not necessarily the primary demand of the craftsmen in the past. The first treatment was obviously done so that it elevated the growth rings, which did not demand nor allow for any other further treatment, apart from the varnishing final layers.

The comparative experiments of my basic layer, which show the quality results of tone, have persuaded me that such final treatment of my instruments are in favour of the functional characteristics of the string instruments.

violina bw