Electric Violin Woods & Finishes

Woods

The cost of the wood used to craft your instrument will be added to the listed price for a given instrument. The wood you would like to have used in the construction of your instrument is selected specifically, after consultation with you. The wood chosen will vary in cost, depending on availability, quality and any required shipping charges. Pictures of wood under consideration for the construction of your instrument will be sent to you. Feel free to send pictures of woods or instruments as examples of what wood(s) you desire.

Sample wood pictures will give you a very general idea of the look and character of a given wood type. Wood notes and finishes describe the criteria I use when I am choosing wood for an instrument. If you would like to select your own wood for use in the crafting of your instrument, these same criteria must be met – especially moisture content, and the listed dimensions. There are a variety of finishes available for your instrument. These finishes, and their characteristics, are listed in detail in this section.

Wood Notes

Regardless of the type of wood chosen by the artist for their instrument, care is taken to find stock with straight grain and consistent quality, in other words, no knots, sugar deposits, fungus, checking or twisting.

After these physical criteria have been met, woods with the most beautiful, interesting and most intense figure and flame are sought for the making of the violin body.

Every wood type has certain defining characteristics. DBCV strives to find the finest stock available for your instrument. Woods are usually dried to between 6% and 10% moisture content before work begins to ensure the stability of the wood from the very beginning of construction. If you have any questions, again, please feel free to ask.

I have pictured a variety of wood choices available for the making of the instrument you desire. Other woods may be used, depending on availability and inherent strength of the wood itself. These include, but are not limited to: Domestic woods (Apple, Redwood, Ash, etc.) and Exotic woods (Zebrawood, Mboti, Monkeypod, etc.) Again, feel free to ask about different wood types. Price of the instrument may vary depending on the wood chosen. This may be due to difficulty in finding fine examples of the wood desired, cost of the initial stock itself, and shipping costs. You may, also, have stock that you wish an instrument made from. This must meet the criteria I have outlined above with respect to the consistency of the wood’s physical qualities. The dimensions of the stock the instrument is initially constructed from are: 28 inches long X 4 inches wide X 4 inches thick. Again, feel free to e-mail me or give me a call regarding wood choices. This is, after all, your violin.

Finishes

A variety of finishes are available for the instrument you order, depending on the type of style and look you desire. Any oil or lacquer may darken the wood and/or bring out the flame and figure. Certain oils, such as Linseed will continue to darken a bit over time.
Some of the available finishes are:

  • Clear Lacquer – A very high gloss
  • Polyurethane – A clear protective finish; semi-gloss
  • Danish Oils, Tung Oil, Linseed Oil – A rich, satiny finish. Depending on the type of oil used, the natural color of the wood of the instrument can be darkened considerably, if desired.
  • Aniline Dyes – The instrument is dyed to the color/shade desired using an aniline dye (or combination of aniline dyes), then sealed with catalyzed or clear lacquer.
  • Colored Lacquers – The use of a colored lacquer, in combination with several primer coats for preparation, will result in an instrument of very high gloss. Colors are by request, and a sample of the color desired may be requested for matching. The actual wood surface will not be visible.

Commonly Used Wood

Please inquire if you prefer a specific type of wood and keep in mind that the cost of the wood used to make your instrument will be added to the listed price.
Birdseye Maple

Birdseye Maple

Spanish Cedar

Spanish Cedar

Quilted Maple

Quilted Maple

Oak

Oak

Mahogany

Mahogany

Koa

Koa

Elm

Elm

Curly Maple

Curly Maple

Cocobolo

Cocobolo

Cherry

Cherry

Black Walnut

Black Walnut