"Carved" and "graduated" are terms that add to the romance and mystery of a stringed instrument. However, these terms are more than just fluff. Many musicians do not know what the terms truly mean even though the process of carving and graduating are critical to judging the suitability of a performance-level instrument.
¡¡
Carved and Graduated: What¡¯s the Difference?
by Earle Perez
¡°Carved¡± and ¡°graduated¡± are terms that add to the romance and mystery of a stringed instrument. However, these terms are more than just fluff. Many musicians do not know what the terms truly mean even though the process of carving and graduating are critical to judging the suitability of a performance-level instrument.
Carved pertains to the method of manufacturing the components that make an instrument¡¯s body. Graduated pertains to the tonal work done on the top and back of a stringed instrument, giving the instrument its own distinct voice. Although the two work hand-in-hand to build a stringed instrument, carving and graduating are very separate and different processes.
¡°Carved Instrument¡±
Carved means that the plates that create the top and back are carved from
a solid piece of wood. Carving is done by one of two methods, either using
conjoined blocks of wood or using whole planks of wood. The more common method
of carving is called bookmatching. A section of a tree trunk is cut into wedges
much like the way one slices pizza. The wedges are then squared at the wider end
and split down the middle. These pieces are then joined at the wider end and
glued together. The result is a block of wood joined in the middle. From these
blocks, the instrument maker carves the plates that become the top and back of
an instrument. The less common method of carving is done form whole planks of
wood rather than conjoined blocks. This method is mainly used for making
one-piece backs, as tops are always made from two pieces. Carving from planks,
which is sometimes referred to as cutting on the whole or slab, is not used in
present-day instrument crafting. All Scherl & Roth and Hermann Beyer violins
and violas are carved, with finest graduation at the master level.
¡°Graduation¡±
Graduated is not to be confused with carved. When referring to the
graduated work of an instrument, one is focusing on the interior of the
instrument. Graduation refers to the tonal work done to the top and back. This
is the true test of the violin maker. The process of graduating involves shaving
the inside of the top and back of the instrument in order to achieve the desired
tonal qualities of the instrument set by the individual pieces of wood. The
maker relies on great skill and intuitiveness to create an instrument¡¯s
natural voice.
In graduation, the maker shaves and sands the inside of the top and back, thinning out the wood. The maker must keep in mind that the plates need to be thin enough to vibrate freely and yet thick enough to support the downward pressure of the strings on the bridge.
Student instruments like the popular Scherl & Roth R300E violin have a
general graduation, usually only on the top plate, and the graduation is done by
machine. As you move into the step-up instruments, the amount of graduation done
by hand increases, and also includes the back plate. At the finer instrument
levels, the graduation on the top and back is done entirely by hand. The more
expensive the instrument, the more graduation has been done to enhance the tone.
Other Related Terms
In the manufacturing for student-level instruments like those in the Otto
Bruckner line, more economical processes are used instead of the intricate
process of carving.
¡°Pressing¡± is the process in which heat and pressure bend a plate into its finished shape. This process requires wetting the wood with water to make it pliable, then sending the plates into a machine to bend the wood while the heat dries it.
¡°Laminating¡± is commonly used in manufacturing cellos and basses. Layers of laminate are glued together to form a whole sheet. The laminated sheets are pressed to from the top and back of an instrument. Cellos and basses made from the laminating process are called either laminated or plywood instruments. Some cellos and basses, like the R500E and the R600E, feature fully laminated bodies, while others, like the E224 and the R604E, have a carved top and laminated back and sides. Although pressing and laminating are very inexpensive alternatives, these methods are limited to instruments in the student range because the resulting materials do not have the inherent qualities one finds in a solid piece of wood. This is why instruments in the student range have little variation in sound when comparing too professional instruments.
The process of carving and graduating are significant in manufacturing
stringed instruments, and they remain very different and very important factors
in assessing the value and quality of a stringed instrument. Carving is the
process to create the components; graduation is the process to create the sound.
Both are needed to create a quality instrument.