Balsa Violins

**Michael Gowell** · Feb-16-2006, 2:17pm

Last night I attended an event sponsored by my little town's Adult Education Program. #It brought together 3 area
fiddlers - Claire Curtis, a classically trained luthier, "Captain Fiddle" (Ryan Thompson), who's been teaching, recording, and leading contradance bands in Northern New England for 30 years, and Doug Martin, an always-interesting free-lance genius who's already had major impacts on the designs of racing sculls and hang gliders. #Doug also builds boats and fiddles - he built his first violin when he was 12.

Now Doug's experimenting with balsa wood violins - maple neck, balsa body. #First, they sound wonderful - full, rich, and powerful. #They've been played by a number of concert violinists who have been very impressed. #And these are raw wood instruments, without finish.

They have a wildly unconventional appearance. #The bodies are asymmetrical, with more than half of each body's volume on the bass side. #The top and back of each fiddle is a single sheet of balsa arched by bending and gluing and braced with dozens of short braces glued to the OUTSIDE of the instrument.

That way experiments in the effects of certain bracing patterns can be conducted immediately by popping off or whittling down any combination of braces and immediately hearing the resulting change in sound. #Perhaps when the experimenting yields a final pattern he'll put that bracing inside.

He records and analyzes the sound, seeking to match the acoustic profiles of the great Italian violins of the mid-1600s. #He freely admits that he's stunned by the success of his experiments - he says he's just muddling along, trying things out. #Amazing.

I asked him if his construction ideas could be adapted to a fretted instrument, but he said he'd never thought about it. #His balsa fiddles are incredibly light, of course - maybe we'll have to invent a total-surround tonegard to protect the balsa mandolins. # #

Anyway, for those interested there's an article in Science Magazine (Dec. 2, '05} about the recent Violin Society of America meeting devoted to alternative violin designs and materials. #Doug's fiddles are pictured.

**PicknBow** · Feb-16-2006, 2:30pm

A pic of one from last years VSA meeting.

**PicknBow** · Feb-16-2006, 2:31pm

I don't see one in my future.

**Dave Cohen** · Feb-16-2006, 2:34pm

Michigan violinmaker and genius grant recipient Joseph Curtin has also built some violins with balsa, and at the Vancouver ASA meeting last May, he said that it was frightening how good they sounded.

**otterly2k** · Feb-16-2006, 2:35pm

way cool! thanks for sharing this!

**dfrosto** · Feb-16-2006, 4:31pm

Very cool! Actually, I know Doug Martin ever so slightly- he ran a couple Adult Ed classes using "my" woodworking shop when I was the shop teacher in Kittery- I'm not sure if that's your little town or not. Really interesting guy!

**Lane Pryce** · Feb-16-2006, 4:31pm

I bet one could get some million dollar looks showing up at a jam with one of those!! Lp

**Michael Gowell** · Feb-16-2006, 6:32pm

Yes, Kittery Maine is my town.

We should get together if you're still close. #I think there's another Cafe member down on Gerrish Island. #Pretty cool - 3 Cafe members in a town of around 7,000.

**dfrosto** · Feb-16-2006, 7:24pm

I don't live in Kittery, but I teach Technology Education at the middle school. If you know anyone under 30 who went through the Kittery schools , odds are good that they know me. Let's make a point of getting together. There's so few mando players around here that I'm considered to be good! I don't mind, but I know better!

**chuck.naill** · Feb-17-2006, 5:41am

Any chance of getting some more pictures. My father in law has made several ship and airplance from Balsa. I would interested in seeing what he could do with an instrument like this one. How is the neck attached. I am sure that the other parts were bought as needed.

Chuck

**otterly2k** · Feb-17-2006, 10:46am

Hey-- I forwarded this info to a friend who is a bowmaker... she says she was at the VSA meeting... and was also quite impressed with how great these fiddles sounded...even though they're not yet beautiful!

**dunbarhamlin** · Feb-17-2006, 10:51am

When I first picked up some (reputedly) nice spruce, it reminded me of the crispy resonance of some balsa, so in ignorance, this doesn't surpise.

**sunburst** · Feb-17-2006, 10:55am

I'm not so sure they aren't yet beautiful. I've been looking at the picture, and starting to see it.
It's a paradigm shift, to some extent. It doesn't look like we expect a violin to look, but it has it's own functional elegance, though perhaps a little experimental looking, meaning the design still has room to grow.

**SternART** · Feb-17-2006, 11:06am

There is a viola player in the SF Symphony that has an ergonomically designed instrument, made by a luthier in Portland.
It is also asymetric and adds a small C shaped hole on the upper part, closer to the ear. At intermission I went up
from my 3rd row seat & got his attention. I wanted to know if his instrument was very old..... or new......I figured it
coulda gone either way. Bracing inside on that one. Anyone know the luthier?

**JGWoods** · Feb-17-2006, 11:23am

Originally Posted by (SternART @ Feb. 17 2006, 13:06)

There is a viola player in the SF Symphony that has an ergonomically designed instrument, made by a luthier in Portland.
It is also asymetric and adds a small C shaped hole on the upper part, closer to the ear. #At intermission I went up
from my 3rd row seat & got his attention. #I wanted to know if his instrument was very old..... or new......I figured it
coulda gone either way. #Bracing inside on that one. #Anyone know the luthier?

Could be David Rivinius

**markishandsome** · Feb-17-2006, 1:36pm

Are the braces also balsa? Any thoughts on the thickness that would be needed to support mandolin string tension? Are these quartersawn?

**Antlurz** · Feb-17-2006, 4:20pm

Though not *traditionally* "beautiful", I think it has an appeal all of it's own... once one gets over the shock.

Ron

**Adam Tracksler** · Feb-17-2006, 4:46pm

also being a member of the Kittery contingent......

first lets get together. email me off list and maybe we can find a convenient night...

I play with Doug a few times at my irregular Thurday night jam. (as well as having one of his boats...) That fiddle sounds good. When he first showed up, He was carrying two of them in a cardboard box, and I thought who the heck is this guy....But the fiddles sound good. I should probably ask him If i can try it out.

--ad

**van** · Feb-17-2006, 11:11pm

I like to see off the wall ingenuity and I admire This guy for trying to find a better way. The balsa woods great sound does not surprise me because it is light and flexible and responds well to vibrations but on the down side it is quite fragile. I bet that there is a way to make a mandolin out of balsa that would be stable like constructing an arched brace configuration out of Douglas Fir and Spruce or Cedar with the Fir taking the full load of the bridge. Kinda like an brace skeleton with Balsa being the skin.

**Antlurz** · Feb-18-2006, 3:40am

Looks almost like the side view of an old Spanish Galleon minus the gun ports...

Ron

**Michael Gowell** · Feb-18-2006, 11:13am

Yes, the external bracing is balsa. #At the demonstration the other night Doug had a half-dozen instruments, each with unique bracing.

I've known Doug for more than 30 years. #When he was building traditional dories for a museum he was also creating experimental rowing boat shapes - one of them was on the cover of 'WoodenBoat' magazine. #He was interested in aerodynamics, so he tied several gull feathers to the handlebars of his bike to see the effects of different speeds and wind directions. #Until he hit 60 a year or two ago he regularly jumped off some mountain in Vermont in a series of experimental hang gliders, some of which could go very long distances. #This past New Year's day a local group of friends had our annual New Year's Day Row 'n Rum, and Doug showed up with his newest boat, some 20 feet long but no wider than your butt - afloat it looked like he was rowing atop a barely-breaking-the-surface submarine.

I'm sure Doug would be happy to discuss his experimental fiddles with anyone - PM me your email address & I'll give it to him.