 The summer weather is fast approaching and the area around the shop is the perfect place in Florida to beat the heat! We are in the middle of a natural wonderland of spring water that is scarcely seen anywhere else on earth. No matter where you visit in addition to your time at the shop, we will be happy to store your instrument while you are enjoying nature to protect the instrument from the heat. For visits on days the shop is closed, please call or email to make an appointment ahead of time.
Some of our favorite parks to visit are O'Leno State Park, which has nature trails, sinkholes, and river swamps. High Springs is home to Blue Springs: 250 acres of wild Florida with a boardwalk along the stream to the Santa Fe River. It is a beautiful spring with a dock overlook and allowing for swimming, picnicking, tubing, canoeing, camping, and hiking. Poe Springs, open Thursday through Sunday, is a free park with a rather large spring right along the Santa Fe River and is open to the public. This park allows for swimming and picnicking. Ginnie Springs is a diver’s paradise that has multiple springs for swimming and caves for diving, as well as river frontage. This park is one of the most beautiful in the state for sure. For all your river needs, Anderson’s Outdoor Adventures in High Springs offer full service canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, and tubes for rental coving 55 miles of river. Guided tours are also available. You can take to the river and be picked up later, no need to worry about towing your canoe and just enjoy the water. Finally, and most endorsed by the shop, is Ichetucknee Springs State Park. The Ichetucknee River is a crystal clear spring fed river that is Florida's natural lazy river. The park offers swimming, snorkeling, hiking, diving, paddling, tubing, and lots of wildlife. The best part is the 45 minute, 1 3/4 hour, and 3 1/2 hour floating trips down the river. Contact the park before visiting (for the 3.5 hour) as the river reachers capacity early some days.
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The bridge is a vital part of the violin but like the rest of the instrument, it needs special care for it to do its job 100%. As with the soundpost, the bridge is not glued in place but held down by pressure; in the case of the violin it is roughly 40 pounds of downward force! If you’ve ever heard a bridge fall over, you know just how much power there is.
The bridge is constantly in motion in one direction or another so it’s important for the player to keep careful watch over it and put it back where it belongs. The most common motion is for the top of the bridge to lean towards the fingerboard. This happens because as you tune the instrument, the strings are being pulled towards the pegs and the bridge will go right along with them. Luthiers put in graphite on the bridge notes to help minimize this, but it cannot be fully prevented. At least once a week, it is a good idea to look at the bridge from the side and ensure its standing up straight, at 90 degrees on the tailpiece side. If you need to lean it back, or forward, anchor you pinky and thumb on the fingerboard and use your 3 middle fingers to gently nudge it in the direction you want to go. Move slowly and check often, you don’t want to overdo it. If the bridge is allowed to go off 90 degrees for long, that 40 pounds of force will warp the bridge, and if that happens the bridge must be replaced. With proper care, it’s possible to get well over a decade of service out of your bridge. Part of a yearly maintenance schedule at a reputable violin shop will be to reapply the graphite to your bridge, helping keep it in place. Also, a trained Luthier will make sure the feet of the bridge are where they need to be for the best sound production. Winter is here and that means your string instrument is going through many big changes. Here’s what you need to know and how to protect it.
With cold weather come heaters being turned on and consequently, moisture being removed from the air. For a string instrument used to the Florida climate, this is a major change. The wood of a violin will shrink as the moisture level goes down and grow as it goes up. One of the reasons organic “hide” glue is used on instruments is so that when expansion or contraction takes place, the glue will shatter so as to prevent damage to the wood. This is completely normal and desired. Normally, when this happens, your instrument will develop a hollow sound or a buzz. If you find an open seam, remove all string tension and have it repaired as soon as possible. Pegs popping loose is another common problem in winter. This happens because the pegs, normally made of ebony, do not shrink at the same rate as the maple scroll does. Since the pegs are conically shaped, the shrinking maple forces them loose. Simply tighten the strings back up, taking care to make sure all is in its proper place. One issue that could arise from this however, is that the soundpost has fallen over because of the drop in tension. If this happens, remove all string tension and have it professionally put back up. The soundpost is not glued in place, and when winter comes and the top and back of the instrument start to move around, so does the soundpost. It may not move much, but it doesn’t take much for the sound to be thrown off. If your violin starts to sound weaker, hollow, brighter, or uneven, chances are the soundpost has moved. Nothing to worry about; simply bring it to a Luthier and we will be happy to put it back in place. Cracks will sometimes form in winter, particularly around the side of the neck or the saddle at the base. This is because the ebony saddle and the maple neck do not shrink nearly as much as the spruce top and given enough pressure, a crack will form. This type of crack can be found on nearly all old violins and if properly repaired, does not harm the sound of the instrument in any way. The best way you can protect your instrument during these cold months is to keep the climate as stable as possible.
If ever you have a question, call your local Luthier and we will help you protect your instrument for the long term. Back to school is upon us. For the month of August, get your first month of rental 50% off with a 3 month rental term! So, don’t forget to stop by North Florida’s leading violin shop for your rental or purchase needs. We have violins, violas, cellos, and basses all ready to go. Call or email us today! 386-497-1844 [email protected] We are very excited to announce that we have started to carry the Revelle line of instruments! Here are our first two, Model 600 and 500QX.
The 500QX is made from Siberian tonewoods in the French style, with a French bridge and Dominant strings. Set up with built-in fine tuners for the advancing student. The 600 is made from Romanian tonewoods in the Italian style, with a French bridge and Dominant strings. Set up with one fine tuner for the advanced student. Both use wood that has been air dried for 3 years and finished with 6 coats of hand applied oil varnish. These violins are perfect for the advancing student and pair nicely with the Revelle case and carbon bows they come with. Stop by the shop and give them a try, we know you'll be hooked! It's not too late for back to school at Gainesville Violins! For the next month, through October 20th, we are running a special including 15% all instruments in stock and 10% off all accessories. Stop by during our regular business hours or book your appointment today!  Gainesville Violins will be closed to appointments Saturday – Monday due to Hurricane Irma. We hope everyone remains safe in the coming days. Please, make sure to have an emergency plan ready if you need to evacuate.
We know you have many personal items you wish to protect from the storm, so we wanted to give you some suggestions on how to protect your stringed instruments. If you have your instrument insured through a personal article policy, double check to make sure you are up to date. The safest thing for the instrument is to take it with you, should you evacuate, since they do not do well in excessive moisture or heat. If that cannot be done then we suggest the following steps to reduce damage: 1. Return the instrument to its case 2. Place the case inside a thick plastic bag that has been filled with several cups of uncooked rice (this helps absorb any remaining moisture) 3. Tape the bag closed to ensure a tight seal 4. Place the bag with the case high on a secured shelf away from windows, preferably a closet. Again please stay safe everyone! Gainesville Violins is now open to walk-ins with regular hours. We are also excited to announce that the workshop is ready to accept repairs.
Our hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm. All other times will be by appointment only. Directions From I-75 South & North Bound: Take High Springs exit 399 and from either off ramp, turn right onto US HWY 441 and travel for 4.6 miles. Take slight left onto US-27 for 9 miles. (You will be driving through High Springs). Turn right onto Fielding Rd. At the first fork, go right and right again at the second fork. Park in the driveway and take walkway around the right side of the house. Shop is on the right side of the house. Please ring doorbell if you are not greeted. We are thrilled to announce that Gainesville Violins is open once more! Former Gainesville Violins repair specialist Paul Tousignant and his sister Adrianna are taking over. Making rental instruments available again is the main focus for us at the beginning but repairs and sales will follow soon after. All previous warranties and credits will continue to be honored by the new owners. More updates to follow. Hope you had a great summer and we will see you soon!
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