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Gruhn Guitars: Fiddle Setup Instrument repair tech Bill Baldock shows the steps in a basic setup for a vintage fiddle. From "Handmade Music" episode DHMM-306

Violin repair specialist Bill Baldock puts a newly set-up fiddle to the test.

At Nashville's Gruhn Guitars, the name notwithstanding, it's not just guitars that come through the doors for repair, restoration or trade. In fact, you'll find all manner of stringed instruments at Gruhn's--mandolins, dobros, banjos, fiddles and more--alongside a myriad of guitars, both acoustic and electric.

Fiddles are a specialty of repair technician Bill Baldock. When a promising fiddle prospect arrives at the Gruhn shop, it's Bill who gets the call. The one that arrived today is indeed promising, and probably will require nothing more than a "set-up" job.

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Materials:

chisel
bridge blank
templates
chisel
files
plane
tapered reamer
knife

Figure A

Fiddle Set-Up

The standard set-up for a violin in this condition includes a new bridge, sound post, reaming of the peg-holes and reshaping of the pegs to ensure they work properly and smoothly.

• Any good set-up requires a new bridge. Starting with a stock blank bridge (figure A), Bill Baldock trims the feet of the bridge with a chisel to match the contour of the fiddle's top.
  

  	Figure B
  	Figure C
  	Figure D

• Once the feet are trimmed Bill can set the height based on a standard template. First he marks it and next he cuts away the excess usinga belt file.

• The bridge is placed in a fixture to that the width can be set using a hand plane.

• Again with a template, the string slots are etched into the upper portion of the bridge.

• The pegs are cleaned up and prepped by running a tapered reamer through each of the four holes (figure B).

• With all four peg holes shaped, Bill moves on to the sound post. Using standard sound post stock, purchased from a luthier supply company, Bill uses a knife to cut a length of post material to match the distance between the violin's front and back plates.

• Placement of the post is critical and exact. Bill carefully inserts it through one of the f-holes (figure C).

• The set up is complete when the strings are added with the newly customized bridge in place (figure D).

	The microphone at center state at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium, a living shrine to country and traditional American music.
	The Ryman is just up the street from Gruhn Guitars.

This fiddle will soon be in the hands of one of Gruhn's customers.

RESOURCES :

Gruhn Guitars
Nashville, Tennessee
www.gruhn.com

GUESTS :

George Gruhn
Proprietor, Gruhn Guitars
Nashville, Tenn.
www.gruhn.com

Andy Jellison, Vintage Instrument Repair Specialist
Gruhn Guitars
Nashville, Tenn.
www.gruhn.com

Bill Baldock, Vintage Instrument Repair Specialist
Gruhn Guitars
Nashville, Tenn.
www.gruhn.com