How violins are made

A violin's top and back are carved to a varying thickness, and that profile shapes its sound.

stations: 8
things upstream: 47
raw sources: 13
steps from the ground: 8

The short version

A violin is carved and bent from tonewoods: a spruce top, maple back and ribs, and an ebony fingerboard. The pieces are glued into a hollow box with a neck and scroll, edged with inlaid purfling, varnished, and fitted with a bridge, a sound post inside and four strings. Its tone depends on how the wood is carved.

Carve the top and back

A spruce top and a maple back are carved from the outside, then hollowed from inside to a graduated thickness, thicker in some places and thinner in others. That thickness profile has a big influence on the sound.

Goes in
Timber
Bend the ribs

Thin maple strips are heated and bent round a mold into the violin's waist and curves. End blocks hold them in place.

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Timber
Glue up the box

Top and back are glued to the ribs. Weaker, diluted glue is used on the top, so repairs can open the case later without damage.

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Adhesive
Inlay the purfling

A groove is cut around the edge of the top and a thin strip is set in. Real purfling gives some protection against cracks and lets the top flex independently of the ribs.
Carve the neck and scroll

A maple block becomes the neck, pegbox and scroll in one piece. It is fitted to the body and topped with an ebony fingerboard, chosen for hardness and wear resistance.

Goes in
Timber
Varnish the wood

Coats of varnish seal the wood and color it. Both varnish and wood affect the sound, and the instrument is said to improve with age.
Set the bridge and sound post

A thin spruce sound post is stood upright between top and back, near the treble foot of the bridge. The bridge is cut to hold the four strings in an arc so a bow can sound each one.
Add strings and tune

Strings may be gut, synthetic or steel, anchored at the tailpiece and tuned by pegs. Gut strings are made of sheep gut, not cat.

Goes in
Steel wire Nylon

End of the lineViolin

Worth repeating

Catgut strings do not come from cats. They were made of stretched, dried and twisted sheep gut.
Painted-on fake purfling is usually a sign of a cheap violin.
Bow hair is traditionally horsehair, and solid rosin rubbed onto it makes the string grip and vibrate.