Despite the scorching Florentine heat I managed to continue working on the cello da spalla based on a model inspired by the Stradivari tenor viola of the Medici quintet. One of the most laborious and time-consuming tasks is carving the maple back. But in the end, the satisfaction of gluing the back to the sides […]
The first time I heard Sergey Malov play Bach’s Sixth Suite on the cello da spalla, I fell in love. I read everything I could find about this instrument, from Dmitry Badiarov’s articles to Daniela Gaidano’s booklet, from Marc Vanscheeuwijck’s research to Mimmo Peruffo’s experience in string making. And now, it was time to build […]
The Apennine Giant is not just a 14-meter-tall stone statue designed by Jean Boulogne in 1580, which can be visited in the park of Villa Demidoff in Pratolino, Florence. This colossus truly embodies the Tuscan soul of our Apennines. I asked my artist friend Ariel Robinson to decorate my cello with this majestic figure, and […]
The alcohol varnish is perfectly transparent, making the wood grain shine even brighter. The cherry back is beautiful, the color is intense and warm.
The preparation for the varnish consists of three steps: the first is the sealing of the pores with water and hide glue, the second is the application of aloe and ammonia, and the third one is the application of a reflective layer with Venetian turpentine, sandarac and bixa orellana. See the red hue of the […]
This instrument has many unusual features, starting with the low ribs design, the cherry wood for the ribs and the back plate, the concave longitudinal arching between the f-holes, a very pronounced neck angle to increase the acoustic load on the bridge, and a resulting high saddle to limit pressure on the soundboard.In short, many […]
The cello will have a neck highly angled to increase the active force of the strings on the top. At the same time, in order to keep low the total pressure, the saddle will stand high on the edge. This special saddle configuration requires an installation similar to the neck one, being not sufficient to […]
The neck for my cherry cello was carved from an 8 cm thick maple board, planed to size, and cut according to the template. I carved the scroll with various sized gouges, including my own decoration at the base of the scroll. I finished the surface without overdoing it, leaving some gouge marks visible. The […]
I’m making a cello with back and ribs made of cherry wood from the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, and a top made of red spruce from the Val di Fiemme. The time has come to fit the purfling, obviously with the sound box closed as in classical Italian violin making.
I’ve finally reached the point of closing the sound box. After attaching my label, stamping it, and signing it, I realigned the top on the ribs using the alignment holes on the upper and lower blocks. As you can see, the purfling hasn’t been done yet. According to classical Italian violin making, the purfling will […]
