Work in progress

This violin is based on the Stradivari 'Maurin' violin of 1718, which is kept in the Royal Academy of Music in London. Last summer I went to visit it and look at it very closely and measure it.  It was made in Stradivari's Golden Period. In 1718 Stradivari was already 74 but he would live to 93 and keep making violins almost till the very end. It has been played extensively during its life and unsurprisingly shows signs of wear after almost 300 years. My copy will not be an exact copy with all the wear, but will look more like a new instrument.

The plates are thicknessed to just over their final thickness and temporarily glued to the ribs. This way it is easier to see the arching. For this reason the f-holes are also cut, but not quite finished yet.

Here the arching is finished and the plates are fully thicknessed and glued to the ribs. Ready to finish the edgework. The scroll has also been finished and everything is ready to be put together.

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