Workshop
REPAIRS — VALUATIONS — SERVICES
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Workshop
REPAIRS — VALUATIONS — SERVICES
INTERMEDIATE, EXPERIENCED AND CAREER MUSICIANS
For fine instruments and bows and internationally recognised service facilities, our expertise is always at your disposal.
THE PLAYERS TRINITY
Exquisite in its complexity; the player, instrument and bow come together, to work as one. Our goal is to help you find the perfect trinity between instrument voice, bow response and playing style.
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View our range of advanced & fine instruments:
Set-Ups
Comfort, playability and the best sound are achieved with a bespoke set-up. As each advanced instrument is different, we specialise in adjustments and careful maintenance so players can feel, hear and discover the full range of their instrument.
For an instrument to work in harmony, all of its individual components needs to be carefully assessed; a change in one may alter the functioning of all the other parts. Finding the optimum set-up in each case is therefore an exciting challenge. We carefully work through the set-up procedures, knowing that it will benefit the player and enhance their enjoyment for years to come.
At Alex Grant Violins, all instruments on offer, at all advanced levels, have undergone these complex set-up procedures.
Our Method
Detailed below are the complex set of processes and variables carried out by our violin makers to fine-tune an individual instrument and allow it to perform at its best.
- The tuning pegs are precision fitted and lubricated to assist stable tuning.
- The fingerboard is ‘shot’ to ensure compound curves essential to advanced playing are true.
- The soundpost is first precisely fitted then, as a final tone production exercise, they are custom adjusted, often by mere fractions of a millimetre, to suit the individual instrument and draw out the best sound.
- The top nut is carefully shaped to the correct height and profile and the string grooves are cut to allow strings to flow smoothly into the pegbox. This helps to prolong string life and an even string spacing assists with ease of double stopping.
- Fine quality bridges are custom fitted to give correct string heights and to a reliable bow clearance between strings. The position of the bridge on the body is critical, as is the fit of the feet which is the primary contact between the vibrating strings and the resonating body. Bridges are carefully selected for density; the weight, resonant frequency and final thickness are measured throughout the fitting process to achieve the best result.
- Tailpieces that meet the criteria for fine tuning are usually selected, the material for the hanger, the length of the hanger and the final choice of tailpiece style are all factors of the fine-tuning procedure.
- Strings are always from the upper tier of production but the most expensive string is by no means going to suit every instrument. The final selection is only settled on
after playing tests have been conducted where experience usually allows us to achieve this within two or three string changes.
