[ No Comments ] Posted on 07.25.10 under Uncategorized
It’s summertime, and my thoughts go to all the folks traveling around the country and beyond with their stringed instruments.
In my 13 years at Hammond Ashley Violins, I have seen just about everything that can happen. I can say that, in my opinion, MUSICAL INSTRUMENT INSURANCE is a critical piece of the equasion. No accident can be fully prevented, and having coverage means you can get your asset repaired or replaced if you do have an unfortunate accident. You can often schedule your instruments as a separate rider to homeowner or renter’s insurance. Ask about the coverage and exclusions. Or, there are several professional musical instrument insurance options. You may email us at the shop for some recommendations.
Violins and Violas:
If you fly with your instrument, you must be aware that your case is longer than most airlines will allow to carry onto the airplane. Many times they will allow this, but you must be prepared for them to ask you to check through special handling. I have found that you get much further in life with sugar, and being calm and polite is a much better tact for gaining exceptions from the airline attendants. Still, it may be impossible for you to carry your fiddle ont the airline. So, I recommend the following for preparing your violin:
Have a very strong, hard shell case with suspension inside. Place foam or a soft cloth on either side of the bridge to protect it and the violin in the event the bridge is knocked over. Slighly detune the violin, a whole tone or tone and a half, to relax the tension without dropping the soundpost. Then, identify the violin shops that will be at your destination. You may find some trouble, like the post has fallen, and you will need to know who can help you at your destination. Finally, if you are going to a drier climate than you have left, you should put a humidifier in the case. This can be as simple as a damp sponge, as long as it is not in contact with the instrument. Keep checking this daily and rewet as necessary. Leave the instrument in the case closed when you are not playing to keep up on the humidity. Oh, and the bow should not be too tight before you leave, especially if you are going to a dryer place. The hair will shrink and tighten the bow, sometimes a great deal that could damage the bow.
Cello:
Cellos are too large to carry on as luggage. Some airlines will allow you to purchase a seat for the instrument, but you must check with the airline as you are booking the flight. If you check the luggage or ask for special handling, you must know that a typical hard cello case is insufficient to protect the cello. I have seen countless times when the cello is damaged in the cargo hold in a strong hard case. To help, you should purchase or rent a flight cover for your case. Or, you should put it inside a box and provide padding around the case like bubble wrap. Please know that TSA must inspect the luggage, so you should pack in such a way that they can open and reclose the package easily. Kind instructions may help them repack properly, if they are willing. Or, you can ask to watch them, but they may not comply. Then, read the previous paragraph about violins and apply similar method to prepare the bridge and be ready for changes in humidity. And, Get Insurance Before your Flight outside the airlines! Cellos are the most susceptible to damage, so please get the instrument covered adequately for any event that could occur.
Double Bass:
Basses are the most difficult to travle with. You may be able to rent a shipping case and check it as oversize baggage. However, many airlines are not accepting basses at all. Even more frusterating; the rules are so unclear that you may be allowed to check your bass on the telephone, only to find that upon arrival, they refuse your instrument! If you get permission on the telephone, make sure they input this into the database and give you a confirmation number so you can point this out to the airline attendants. In general, you must be extremely polite in dealing with the attendants and TSA. They are not required to take your bass, so if you are pushy, it is likely to hurt your chances of getting your way. There’s a good website about this at http://www.isbworldoffice.com/resources/flying_with_your_bass.html
Follow the instructions about flying with Cello to get some pointers, and about violins related to humidity. You may also email Hammond Ashley Violins to rent a case, or get advise. Also, many bass players have taken to renting a bass at their destination. This is touchy, because of availability and quality of instrument that you may encounter. Very few shops know how to set up a bass to be playable. There is a website with advise and referrals at http://www.rentabass.com/
Shipping:
You may find that all this talk of flying and the risks involved turns your stomache. I know it does for me, and as a bass player I can say that I have never flown with a bass, even though I have helped hundreds of bass players do so successfully over the years. So, shipping is usually a good option for cost and security, but it does add time and handling on either side of the journey.
Violin through Cello can be shipped UPS or FedEx. They should be in a good, suspension hard case. Prepare them as advised in the section about flying with the violin related to preparing the bridge, tuning down, and humidity. Then, get a box that is at least 2 inches larger on all sides of the case. Place the instrument in the box and pad thoroughly with bubble wrap or packing foam. Leave absolutely no space in the box. Cellos are tough, because the box can only be slightly larger than the hard case for the shipper to accept. You can usually get a box at your local violin shop, as they import instruments regularly. This may take some planning, because they often recycle the cardboard to keep the shop tidy. Also, they may have an account with a shipper and be able to ship the box for you on their account.
Basses should be in a shipping container and must be shipped by truck freight. This can get very expensive. You will most likely have to contact a shop that deals in basses, as they will have the resources to help you ship a bass. For a list of shops, visit http://www.isbworldoffice.com/
I hope you find this information useful. I am more than happy to help advise your journey if you email to the shop at www.hammondashley.com
[ No Comments ] Posted on 04.24.10 under Violins
I often get the question: “What makes one violin better than another?”
Wow, What a loaded question! Of course, a lot of this is the subjective optionion of the the listener. However, I do find general observations that are consistent. It is not unlike describing the taste of wine, or chocolate. People use descriptive terms such as “Sweet”, “Dry”, “Warm”, “Bright”, “Clear”, and “Muddy”. What I really feel is that it comes down to clarity and response. A “Bright” violin may be a little harsh under the ear, but carry very well and be easy to hear when playing with other musicians. A “Warm” violin may be satisfying to play solo, but not be so easy to hear when playing in an ensemble.
Some are downright deceptive. For example, a bass I took out this week on a gig sounds really thin by iteself, and not very loud. However, in the section it’s the most clear and easy to hear the intonation of all the basses. It’s also very responsive, and easy to get the string going, even pianissimo with little or no bow pressure. I describe sound in terms in terms of “Fidelity”, or quality. Not unlike audiophiles.
So, it really all comes down to the wood. The unique species used, and the climate in which they grow. Generally, the slower growing, higher altitude variety have more clarity and depth, a better “balance” of sound. Of course, these select tonewoods are more rare, and thus more expensive. So, if you invest more money in the material, it is impossible that it would be cheap to make, thus more likely to be the work of a master maker versus a workshop.
So, the main difference these days between Chinese, Romanian, German, French, Italian, etc is the quality of material and the cost of the labor to produce. Generally, the Chinese use local wood which grows in a warmer, more humid environment. These fiddles are warm, responsive, but not so clear. They also use a different varnishing process than the European makers, which makes a difference. However, some Chinese are using the same Baltic “Carpathian” spruce and Bosnian maple of their Euro-colleages. These, understandably, sound more like the European violins. And, they also cost more as a result.
So, as you spend more money, you tend to move into better material, more careful workmanship, and also into older violins. The more they are played, the richer and more responsive they become. Try that out the next time you ask a violin dealer if he has any “used violins”. His response will be along the lines of, “you mean more expensive: :)
Bryce Van Parys
[ No Comments ] Posted on 02.03.10 under Instrument Maintenance
It’s winter, and what a doozy. That week before Christmas in Seattle when we were in the teens with virtually no moisture in the air did a number on instruments around town. In the Northeast, they are used to dramatic shifts from Winter to Summer which can result in a number of problems, costly repairs and potential devaluation. What happens do you ask?
When temperature drops below freezing, the dewpoint goes down and the air is not able to carry as much moisture. This causes the air to dry, and wood to shrink. Ever notice your front door closes more easily in the Winter? That’s because it shrank! Sometimes the wood warps. A good rule of thumb I use is: if your skin is dry, so is your instrument.
What happens? Most common is that the pegs shrink and begin to slip. This is very frustrating because they slip suddenly and the string goes completely loose. Then, when you tune the instrument, the string is more likely to break, and the bridge/soundpost can go out of alignment, causing further headache.
Solution: If you are inexperienced tuning with pegs, this is not the time to start. You will probably break a string. Worse yet, you could break the bridge and that’s expensive! Bring the instrument to your teacher or shop, as they can get it back in tune and check the bridge to make sure it stays aligned. If you do tune, push the pegs in firmly as you are tuning to push them further in, as they have been shrinking in the cold.
Another thing that can happen is cracking and/or seam separation. The wood is shrinking, and it will separate at the edge. This is better than a crack in the middle of the plate. Both are repairable, but cracks are more involved and more likely to devalue the instrument. You can check the moisture in the air with a Hygrometer that measures relative humidity. Ideal range is 30% to 50% for wood instruments
Can I prevent cracks? Not always. Wood is a natural material that acts like a sponge. When it is dry outside, the wood contracts. You can provide humidity in a number of ways, but it will not always keep it from shrinking. A humidifer is, in simple terms, a sponge soaked in water. Some are slid inside the cello, and others are put inside the case . Be careful with anything inside the instrument, that it is dry enough not to drop as this will cause the glue to separate. I much prefer closing the case with a sponge inside. It’s a small area and the entire instrument takes on the moisture. Make sure the sponge is not in direct contact with the instrument. the problem here is that, once you remove the instrument from the more humid environment, it dries out quickly. Do your best to keep it in a closed case and humidified as best you can.
The fingerboard can dip in dry climate as well. Most people think that the strings go down in dry weather because the top sinks. Actually, it is much more common for the fingerboard to dip downward when it is dry, resulting in higher string heights. Humidifying can help.
There’s a lot more to discuss here. I’m glad to take comments and answer
[ No Comments ] Posted on 01.17.10 under Instrument Maintenance, Violins
Hello
I thought it would be fun to open a forum for folks to ask repair related questions. You may comment to this thread, or send an email to sales@hammondashley.com. Appropriate questions will be answered and posted on the blog.
Visit our workshop repair page to view our feature video clips of some repair and setup procedures.
[ No Comments ] Posted on 12.17.09 under History, Uncategorized
Welcome to the new Blog on Hammond Ashley Violins. Let me first introduce myself: My name is Bryce Van Parys, and I first joined Hammond Ashley Bass Violins in 1997 after graduating from Central Washington University (http://www.cwu.edu/~music) with a Bachelor’s degree in String Performance on Double bass.
My Relationship with Hammond Ashley goes back to 1991, when I visited the shop to rent my first double bass at the age of 16. At the time, Hammond was 89 years old, and still active in the workshop. His Grandson, Paul Ashley, had just joined the shop to help with the business, as Ham was feeling ready to retire at some point in the near future.
The shop was in it’s second location on the south end of Seatac Airport in Des Moines, Washington. The store and workshop were all contained in one 2000 sq foot building, as Ham was still living in the house he built across the property in 1976. It was quite a scene, as grizzled, flannel clad Luthiers went to and fro on various projects building and repairing. It was hectic, but everyone was friendly. Paul greeted us, and asked how they could help. We requested to rent a bass, and he took us to the back corner of the shop where 3 or 4 basses that were for rent or sale hung ready to play. There were a couple of dozen basses hanging from the ceiling on heavy wires, but apparently most were in for repair or set up. I rented a fully carved East German bass from the Musima workshop, which my mother later purchased for me in May of 1992. About one year later, Hammond finally retired from the workshop and passed away in his home at the ripe age of 91. The business was divided between his longtime business partner David Wilson (ca 1973) and his Grandson Paul Ashley.
While in college, I frequented the shop on weekends home. So much so that, upon graduation, Paul offered me a job in sales which I was thrilled to accept . That was a very interesting time in 1997, which I now call the “Double Bass Renaissance”. The internet was just taking off, and investors where pouring all their money into the latest .com companies and making huge amounts of cash. Many chose to invest their extra income in double basses. We made a website featuring double basses for sale (Our name at the time was Hammond Ashley Bass Violins), and we sent basses all over the country on trial and for sale. Some even went overseas to be sold. I routinely fielded emails and telephone calls from people wishing to buy or consign basses from all over the world.
The “Dot-bomb” occured in April of 2000, when the NASDAC composite index lost over 1/2 it’s value. It was then that the double bass sales got soft. It was a slow glide for the next year and a half, until Sept 11, 2001. That event really put the nail in the coffin for speculative double bass purchases. It was not long after that we changed the name to Hammond Ashley Violins, and focused much more on the local string community of students and professionals in all the violin family of instruments. Although, double bass sales still comprise a large percentage of our business.
Since we became more reliant on the local clientelle around the Puget Sound area, it was becoming increasingly clear that we would need to move closer to our sales at some point in the future. We were 20 to 25 miles distance from the average customer. Also, SEATAC airport was buiding a 3rd Runway whose aproach would be directly over the shop’s roof, and only 8 blocks north. The thought of being bombarded by low flying aircraft directly overhead prompted us to look for other real estate. We discovered that, post 09/11, most of the families were purchasing real estate on the East side in Bellevue, Issaquah, and Snoqualmie. Since there was no other sizable violin dealer on the Eastside, we began looking along the I-90 corridor. We chose Issaquah because of it’s proximity to Highway 18 and our existing southend clientelle. It is also very convenient to Bellevue, Sammamish, and points east.
Our shop, which opened in January of 2007, gave us the flexibility to design a space with ample retail space, a large workshop with room for 6 luthiers, and a recital room/private lesson area above. We are on a quiet street close to I-90 with pleanty of parking, so access is easy during all times of day. We now specialize in the professional setup and adjustment of instruments for rent or purchase, and do a lot of business in school districts as well. We also have several pickup and dropoff locations, including Dusty Strings Acoustic Music Shop in Seattle, and other locations around the State to better serve those unable to drive to our location. Rental violins can now be secured through our website and delivered to these locations.
In 2004, Paul returned to his home in San Diego and started a Hammond Ashley Violins very similar to the shop in Washington. The store fills a niche underserved in the San Diego area with a full service store, workshop, and lessons/recitals. The store has been growing steadily since it’s opening and provides a great service to the San Diego community.