| Author |
Subject |
flyer23
Registered User
(2/18/01 12:46:08 pm)
Reply |
Repair
troubles...
Hey,
I recently had the neck
of my cello reset because I hit it against a chair and it became two
pieces... not a happy day for me. Anyway, in the process of getting
the cello to the luthier, the sound post also fell. This was a month
ago. On Thursday I got my cello back. And I can't play it anymore.
The sound I produce sounds hideous, even when I concentrate on an
individual note.
My cello has gut strings, and while she was
at the luthier's I was playing a cello with steel strings. This
happened in August, too, that my cello was away for about a month,
but in that time she was gone I didn't play much. When my teacher
plays her she sounds wonderful.
So, is this inability to
produce a nice sound the result of me having lost my touch on gut
strings, or something different? The strings are the same ones I had
before, there wasn't a new bridge cut or anything else. And in
August, I didn't notice any sound changes when I got her back. Will
my "touch" return in time?? ANyone else have problems like
this??
Thanks,
Kristina
|
TerryM
Registered
User
(2/18/01 1:05:18 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Repair troubles...
There are a number of things that
could have changed during the repair. I'll assume that your repair
person did a proper job on resetting the neck. The angle is very
critical. If you put a ruler on the center of the fingerboard and
project it out to the bridge and then measure perpendicularly down
from the bottom edge of the ruler to the belly of the cello the
measurement should be very close to 81 mm. This is assuming that the
cello is not set up as a baroque cello, as you mentioned you were
using gut stings. If it is set up as a baroque cello, then the
distance would be somewhat less than 81 mm because the neck angle
would be somewhat less than a modern setup.
The second factor
is the adjustment of the soundpost. This is also critical to how the
cello will respond. You can sometimes tell if the soundpost has
moved by looking inside with a light and seeing if the old position
shows in any way. On older cellos there is often a mark where the
wood has aged less, because the sound post has protected it over the
years. If the soundpost has moved then you will see a slightly
lighter round patch where it formerly was positioned.
I
would suggest taking the cello back to your repair person and have
the soundpost adjusted until you get the response you are looking
for. This may take a few tries and a bit of time to play it in again
between moves. There is no reason you should not be able to get back
to the sound that you had before, provided the neck has been
properly reset and the soundpost is positioned where it should
be.
Good luck,
Terry
|
zambocello
Registered User
(2/18/01 10:41:46 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Repair troubles...
.........And after such a major
repair, your luthier should be willing to do additional
adjustments.
| |
Email This To a
Friend
Topic Commands
(Moderator only)
Design
Resources