In the late 90s we acquired most of a flamed maple log locally and convinced the wood dealer to cut it radially. Judging from the structure and bark this appears to be a hybrid of acer rubrum and acer nigrum , definitely a soft maple, which grew remarkably homogenous and clean.
At first a series of 5 violins with the same model but different surface treatments was created in 2005. Sometimes I get requests for a violin, not out of range for a young player or a player with a young experience -yet appreciation for a hand crafted instrument.
While most of my violins are individually conceived, I appreciate the opportunity a series offers of staying with consistent parameters: same model and basic measurement, same wood for the body and same ground treatment and varnish. Here I use the templates of a 1848 Joseph Rocca violin, a reliable violin model with good proportions. Apparently Rocca in turn employed the outline of the Harrison Stradivari.
With the concept and patterns decided, the craftsmanship will unfold fluently. The Spey River series violin is branded inside: Ruppert workshop ,PAISLEY ONTARIO .
The material for the back, ribs and scroll is the above mentioned log. For the belly I am using Picea Engelmannii from British Columbia. I would like to emphasize that I use both types of wood in my full price violins. The tanning process is shorter than that for my custom violins. The ground separation layer” liquin” is commercially available in art supply shops. Rather than using our oil varnishes here, the proven retouch varnish made of equal parts siam shellac, sandarac and mastics produces a silky durable coating with shorter drying times.
This instrument is available by ordering directly. I try to keep a sample violin in the workshop. Musicians may opt to order or keep the violin already made. We offer flexibility with fittings within a budget of $500CAD . Depicted is an all Canadian set up, where I substituted ebony with Hornbeam, the hardest available native wood. Ordering allows the musician to direct the varnish colour and set up choices,including neck thickness. With a down payment the delivery time is agreed upon in writing .The price is $8,000.00CAD, which is honored as trade in value, when moving to a higher priced instrument from our shop, provided no significant damage occurred.
