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This violin was
finished in February 2005. It has a
laminate neck with a mahogany center stripe, maple on each side, and cherry
“wings”. The mahogany is a slightly softer wood than maple, and warms the
sound. This instrument is also lighter than the earlier instruments, which
makes it easier to play. This is
also outfitted with the Barbera Twin Hybrid bridge / pickup. It has a great warm tone- almost like an
acoustic viola, even with the tone controls set flat. This instrument is
for sale.
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I finished this
instrument in 2004. I’d wanted to
try a neck thru body approach for a while. The dimensions are identical to
the Padauk instrument (below). Materials are Maple, Cocobolo, and
Cherry, using the new Barbera Twin Hybrid bridge / pickup. The instrument
has a much better sound than the older one– with more immediacy but at the
same time warmer throughout all ranges – even when plugged in direct. This
is now my everyday instrument.
Here’s a link to a YouTube video with
this instrument.
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I made this instrument
in 1991, with the help of luthier Jerry Weene. It’s been in theatres, churches, streets of Harvard Square
and dozens of clubs in the Boston
and Philadephia areas.
Made of Padauk, it is
a very heavy instrument. With the original Barbera pickup, it has a huge
rich bottom end, but needs its
sound warmed up by tube electronics in the mid and upper registers.
Technically, the dimensions make it a small
viola, with a 15” body length. This gives all 5 strings, including the low
C, reasonable tension and tone. The
neck heel is exactly where you would expect it to be on an acoustic
instrument, so shifting isn’t a big
deal when switching between instruments.
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