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New 7/8 Studio cello started Feb2024

7/8 studio cello at Ilja Grawert Violin maker Bespoke cellos violins violas and double basses

I just started my new project… another 7/8 studio cello as my other one in my web-shop sold recently. There will be a pre-purchase option with a lower order price and a finished product price again like the last times ( link to the last 7/8 studio cello). If you wish to order in the early stages of the building process you can influence some parts and measurements to make it a bespoke made cello directly for you. If you order in the later stages there will be lesser options for special requests as some parts will be already finished. The time frame to finish this cello is highly dependant of the wishes on the musician if pre-purchased, and/or all the restoration and repairs which are urgent for other players.

Update March 2024: THIS 7/8 CELLO HAS BEEN PRE-SOLD! If you would like to order one there will be now a around 6-9 month waiting time

Another 7/8 Studio cello project of Grawert violin making in Queensland Australia

This 7/8 cello has been prepared in the European Union from well seasoned European flamed maple and fine grained spruce. The top & back have been left very thick (nearly double the thickness from the finished product) to ensure I have the space to achieve the best possible shape and thickness for the arching of the plates. I can adjust the height of the sides if needed for good sound and the neck can be adjusted to your individual hand size. This cello and all other studio instruments will be varnished using only natural products which were available 300 years ago. Fleur De Liz paintings are available on request. 

The studio cello, violin, viola & double basses are a special line of bowed stringed instruments prepared to a point an apprentice would have done 300 years ago and the I apply my masterly craftsmanship and 42 years of experience to the instrument, tune the plates with the special Ilja Grawert – violinmaker sound-system to ensure a beautiful warm, still carrying and even tone to each single instrument. 

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The Stad Magazine finally arrived

You cannot imagine my joy when I walked into the local post office today, where I am well known and was greeted by: “Guess what is in your Po Box…” After month and month of waiting for the October issue of The Strad magazine, I think maybe 15 emails to the publisher, as well as driving everyone crazy with my daily question about those magazines, I am happy to finally see this article in print…

Ilja Grawert violins in Brisbane Australia The Gap and North Queensland
Ilja Grawert violins in Brisbane Australia The Gap and North Queensland
My Space article in The Strad Magazine from Ilja Grawert violinmaker, Makers of excellent violin, viola,cello and double bass in Brisbane The Gap & Near Whitsundays North Queensland Australia
An here the cleaned up readable version
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Full size studio cello sounds perfect now

full size studio cello at Ilja Grawert violin maker in Brisbane australia

After the full size studio cello was varnished and set-up it still needed some fine adjustments, a lot of playing and figuring out which are the best strings to support its beautiful sound. Now after two extra month of fine tuning the cello it is a very vibrant, ringing but warm and deep sounding cello. I am very happy with it. It is time to change it from the pre-order price to the full price. Call or email me for playing this cello let it be for purchase or only to have a play.

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Baroque violin made by Ilja Grawert

Baroque violin by Ilja Grawert violin shop workshop Brisbane Australia

Finally we got around to taking some beautiful pictures of the baroque violin I made years ago and never offered for sale before. This violin has been fully handmade by me following all the old traditions of how the instruments were made 300 years age. It has a couple of hand forged nails through the top block into the neck which is sitting on top of the ribs instead of being fitted into them. The neck has been straightened over the pins in the back and top plate before drawing the out line. The varnish is an old traditional recipe with only natural colours. This is a beautiful violin to play original baroque music.

“I loved making this baroque violin as it is so intriguing to build an instrument the same way the old Italian masters did.” Ilja Grawert

  • has been fully handmade by me
  • contact me for the price
  • Baroque violin
  • open gut strings
  • beautiful tone
  • carvings on the back of the scroll
  • traditional varnish
  • European maple & spruce
  • a truly unique violin

Please contact me for the price of this beautiful baroque violin

click on the image below for shop view

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7/8 studio cello No.1

7/8 studio cello at Ilja Grawert violin shop workshop Brisbane Australia

One of my current projects is to build this beautiful studio cello. It is a 7/8 size, which is a very good size for cellists with smaller hands or those who love to have the ease of playing a smaller cello combined with the strong sound of a full size. If you are interested in pre-purchasing this cello please follow this link: 7/8 studio cello pre-purchase. There is still a preparation time of a minimum of 2 month. Most likely it will be done by the last two weeks of September.

On these photos I am preparing to fit the bass bar. The bass bar is the bracing on the inside of the top plate for support and the spreading of the vibrations over the whole top-plate.

The advantage of a pre-purchase order is that you can take some influence on certain parts of the cello like choosing your own, tuning pegs, strings, tail-piece, strings and sometimes even the colour can be customised . By choosing a playing style, and personal preference in tonal character as well as answering a few short questions about hand size and body size we will ensure a perfect fit for you. Even as a 7/8 cello.

Set yourself apart… and play one of these beautiful instruments

7/8 studio cello at Ilja Grawert violin shop workshop Brisbane Australia
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Beautiful 7/8 studio violin finished

7/8 size beautiful Violin with Fleur de Lils Painting

From the Workshop of Ilja Grawert & Son

“This is currently my favorite violin, even though it is a bit too small for my  big violin makers hands. Its the one I grab…I so much enjoy playing this violin. I love its warm sound at the ear, it’s soft feel for the left hand, the easy speaking and most of all it’s powerful even tone qualities. It is the perfect violin to perform for someone with smaller hands.” Ilja Grawert

  • has been built as a small 7/8 to suit a performer with extra small hands
  • or is of too young age for a full size violin
  • tonal qualities of a full size violin
  • warm yet powerful and carrying tone
  • The perfect instrument for solo performance in bigger halls with or without an orchestra
  • with the look of an older violin, antiqued varnish, vibrant colours
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Beautiful small 7/8 violin ground varnish pictures

Another beautiful studio violin in the making. With a few foundation layers you see the fire in the maple back.

The coloured varnish layers will be first orange red over-layed with a few layers of darker brown (photos still to come)

I painted some Fleur de Lis in the corners. The violin is fully plate tuned to insure the even, carrying, cremonese sound. For sale available in two weeks

Top plate of studio violin varnishing process at Ilja Grawert - Violinmaker by master violin maker Ilja Grawert for the Brisbane and wider Australian violin community
After first ground layer of varnish
Close up of hand painted Fleur de Lis on back of studio violin. Varnishing process at Ilja Grawert - Violinmaker by master violin maker Ilja Grawert for the Brisbane and wider Australian violin community
Close-up of Fleur de Lis
Beautiful studio violin varnishing process at Ilja Grawert - Violinmaker by master violin maker Ilja Grawert for the Brisbane and wider Australian violin community.
Flamed maple back
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The Sound Post – Soul of the Violin

Inside of the violin. You can see the soundpost standing up. It was handmade by Ilja Grawert in Brisbane for this Violin

 

A sound post is a small piece of dowel made of well-aged European Spruce. Despite its rather insignificant appearance, a sound post is the soul of a bowed stringed instrument like the violin. Its exact location is critical to ensure perfect sound transmission.


A soundpost hand made in Ilja Grawert Violinmaker Brisbane Workshop A sound post in its location inside the Violin

Location:
The sound post stands inside the violin connecting the top-plate and back-plate and is located slightly below the right hand bridge foot. It is standing up only under tension, not glued to the inner surfaces of the plates. It therefore has to  stand under the correct tension; too loose and it will fall over, too tight and it will damage the plates. Its end-grain surfaces have to fit perfectly to the inner surfaces of the plates of the violin.


Tool to measure the inside of a ViolinTools you need to fit and set and adjust a sound post

The sound post has to be at a certain spot behind the right hand foot which is different in every violin but follows a strict set of rules depending on the build, shape and density of the plates.
If the sound post is moved only a tenth of a millimetre away from that place the whole violin will not sound as beautiful any more.


Sound post on a sound post setter It takes years and years of experience to be  able to put the sound post in the right place, fitting to the inner surfaces, under the right tension at the right spot.
Many inexperienced people have tried to move it themselves or fit new one without the right tools and knowledge and have destroyed the inner surfaces of their valuable and irreplaceable Master violins.

Fitting the sound post:
With a special tool I measure the inner distance between top and back and roughly cut a piece of already prepared spruce dowel to the right length.
The end-grain surfaces I cut with a very sharp carving knife to an angle similar to the arching of the plates.


Inserting a sound post through the f holeThe Brisbane Violin Maker Ilja Grawert is inserting Sound post through the f-hole
Sound poust being set inside the ViolinMoving Sound post inside the Violin
Ilja Grawert is moving the soundpost inside the Violin to the right position

Then I stick the sound post to the special tool called a sound post setter and carefully insert it into the violin through the f-hole and stand it up in roughly the correct position.

I then look through the little end-pin hole and check how well it is fitting.


looking through the endpin holelooking through the endpin hole
looking inside the Violin through the endpin hole
In order to be able to see the other side of the sound post I use a little dentist mirror.
This whole procedure is repeated until the sound post fits perfectly in the right spot under the right tension.

After that it can still be moved around to fine tune the instrument.

The finished soundpost in its right location

If the sound post is in the right spot in relation to the violin and to the position of the bridge, the violin will have a beautiful, even, carrying sound and the strings will speak easily when played with the bow.

It truly gives the violin’s sound its soul.

 

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. By Ilja Grawert – Violinmaker, www.grawert.com.au

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The five main characteristics of a good violin

All bowed stringed instruments ideally should have all of the following five characteristics…

 

In my opinion the sound quality of good violins should be the same in old and new violins.

A well made violin should have five main features which are an absolute necessity.

1. the violin has to be structurally well made of high quality well seasoned timbers crafted in an aesthetically pleasing and artistic manner.

2. the violin has to have an even tone over all four strings.

3. the violin has to have a carrying sound so it can be heard in the last row of the concert hall (please do not confuse with a loud tone)

4. the violin has to speak easy under all conditions in all registers of all four

strings.

5. the violin should be well set-up and easy to play

(the set-up of the violin)

These are the main features which make a good violin.

Then you will find the character of an instrument: some instruments  are more powerful, some have a more soft sound, some a brighter sound etc. These are all characteristics which come down to the taste and requirements of the player.

I have heard many famous old instruments as well as many new instruments which do not meet these main features. Some have a lack of all of them, some only have a weakness in one area.

My advise is to look for the top five main features which make a good violin when you choose a new instrument. Enjoy

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Beautiful Violin

One of my beautiful studio violins build here in my Brisbane workshop

One of my beautiful studio violins build here in my Brisbane workshop

Have a look at this beautiful Violin. The ¨Studio Violin¨ is a line of violins, custom build, sound improved and varnished here in my Brisbane/Woolloongabba Workshop. Its performance and beauty will exceed your expectation. Please call me  today   on PH 1800 88 2468 or visit my shop for more information or for trial playing it here in my Brisbane Violin shop at 20 Logan Rd, Woolloongabba , QLD 4102

My shop hours are usually Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 2.30pm. Please do always check for updates on the hours here in my blog.