Martin Luthier

No, I didn't misspell the title.  I really have a luthier named Martin.  Martin Brunkalla is a local luthier from Marengo, and after looking at many alternatives, I've decided to have Martin build me a custom 5 String Violin.  You can see some of Martin's fine work here.  He has built violins for players such as Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, Rhonda Vincent, and Monica Rizzio formerly of Tripping Lily.   Meet Martin in this short biographical video.

Below are a couple of examples of what his 5 String Violins look like.

I've wanted a 5 string violin for a long time.  Having the extended range of a low C string will allow me to play viola range parts and add to the range for improvisation.  Some have called 5 string violins a violina as a cross between a violin and a viola.  Most 5 strings are sized as a regular violin and add the low C string.  There are some which take a smaller viola and add the high E string.  Either can work, but I think I like the standard violin size and finger spacings so it is easier to go back and forth.

The first thing we had to do was to pick out the material to use.  This is where this project has gotten very interesting.  Below are the basic pieces we picked out for the body.

This first board is the one from the right which will be the top.  It is Old Growth Sitka Spruce and is about 1200 years old.  The top is like the speaker cone of a speaker.  It's the piece that makes the sound from the vibrations of the bridge.

The smaller strips and the left board will be the sides and the back.  The sides and back give the tonal character for the sound.  I wanted a deeper, richer sound so we ended up choosing this special wood to achieve that goal.  These are Ancient Kauri wood and are likely around 6000 years old.  Ancient Kauri comes from New Zealand and has a fascinating history.  They are huge trees on the order of a California Redwood in size.  These logs were found under a peat bog in New Zealand and were likely buried for some 4000 years.  Something ripped up these monster trees and laid them randomly down to sit buried for thousands of years.  Further, the oldest of these logs at the time of this event was 2000 years old.  Hmmm, sounds like a global flood to me!  See here for some more interesting facts about this very special wood.

The shaping of these pieces begins on March 31st.  Come back to visit as we document the shaping of these boards and the rest of the building process.