MAINTENANCE, RESTORATION AND SOUND ADJUSTMENT
BUY, SELL AND RENT VIOLONS, CELLOS VIOLAS AND BOWS
SALE OF ACCESSORIES
WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP
Violin Workshop in Lausanne
Violin Workshop in Lausanne
Monday 13:30 – 18:00
Tueday 10:00 – 18:00
Wednesday 10:00 – 17:30
Thursday 10:00 – 18:00
Friday 10:00 – 18:00
Saturday 10:00 – 12:30
closed between 12:30 and 13:30
Or by appointment outside of these hours
Chemin de Boston 20,
1004 Lausanne Suisse
MY BACKGROUND
27 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
After studying at the school for instrument making in Mittenwald (Bavaria), I learned the art of restoration (violins, violas and celli) at the workshops of René Morel & Emmanuel Gradoux-Matt in New York City, and Dominique Camard and Alexandre Snitkovski in Lyon. I became head of A. Snitkovski’s workshop before working for Pierre Mastrangelo in Lausanne.
ARTISTS
In the course of my work, I have met such instrumentalists as Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Isaac Stern, Midori Goto, Maxim Vengerov, Sergei Krylov among others
INSTRUMENTAL PRACTICE
I play the violin and the viola regularly and avidly in chamber ensembles and orchestras. I can also play the cello some, enough to be able to try them. This experience gives me a better understanding of musicians and of their needs for set up (shape of the neck, of the fingerboard, of the bridge, height and shape of the chinrest) and for sound quality and adjustment
MY SERVICES
MY SERVICES
MAINTENANCE AND SOUND ADJUSTMENT
I offer customized care of instruments and bows. I strive to do my work with the greatest care. I adapt to your needs and to those of your instrument. I am dedicated to bringing you playing comfort and the sound you desire
RESTORATION
I carry out all kinds of restoration in ethical respect of the author and of the instrument. Each instrument and its injuries being unique, I adapt my techniques to recover the solidity of the instrument and an appearance that respects the spirit of the author and the evolution of the instrument throughout the ages. I also take great care to respect the sound qualities of the instrument, which are often improved in the end
Examples of instruments that I restored:
Niccolo Amati, Carlo Tononi, Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Carlo Giuseppe Testore, Ferdinando Gagliano, Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, Nicolas Lupot
EXAMPLE OF RESTORATION
THE SOUND-POST WENT THROUGH THE BELLY
The instrument is a violin by Charles-François Gand, also called “Gand Père”. It was damaged in an accident a long time ago. One can see numerous fractures on the belly where the sound-post had gone through in the past. The instrument was restored then, but now the cracks are very visible and some have widened. It is worth restoring this violin again to prevent its condition from getting worse. I will now describe one way to restore the sound-post area of the belly. After takingthe belly off the ribs, I make a plaster cast and rectify the little arching imperfections.
Then, I remove the old sound-post patch. I wash the area with hot water. The old cracks open and some little pieces of wood loosen. After the area dries, I readjust the cracks, glue them and do the same with the little spruce pieces that I can still use (the original ones for sure). A hole remains due to lack of wood. Because the belly is very thin (a few tenths of a mm) in this area after the removal of the sound-post patch, I adjust and glue on a thin patch (1 mm) from below to strengthen the area and be able to work on it. To compensate for the lack of wood, I take a chip of wood with a gouge from the inside of the belly just above the area to be restored and glue it on a piece of spruce to strengthen it. The chip has exactly the same characteristics (width of growth rings, colour) as the missing wood. It will match the surrounding wood seamlessly. I adjust and glue another spruce chip of the same quality in the place of the chip I just took off. Now, to be able to fit the chip I have just taken to the site of the missing wood, I cut through the patch I added earlier, cutting vertically along the veins of the wood on two sides and in a dovetail perpendicularly to the veins (along the end-grain) on the other two sides. Then, I adjust and glue the chip from the underside of the belly, and finish the surface with a wood scraper. To complete the repair, I add a new sound-post patch beneath. After restoring the rest of the instrument (other cracks, edges, among other things), I re-glue the belly on the ribs and touch up the varnish. This does the trick!
EXAMPLE OF RESTORATION
INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE
INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE
BUY / SELL
I buy and accept for consignment violins, violas, cellos and their bows. I put their pictures in the window below if possible. I sell instruments and bows of all ages, sizes and qualities. Beforehand, I do what is necessary to make sure that they are in the best condition possible, with optimal playing comfort and at the best of their sound potential
RENTAL INSTRUMENTS
I rent violins, violas and cellos of all sizes, new and old. I try to serve my clients, children and adults, the best I can. The instruments are in good condition and the sound adjusted optimally. To know the terms and conditions of rental, please call me, or even better, come to my workshop
ACCESSORIES
I sell all kinds of accessories: strings, rosins, mutes, pegs, tail-pieces, fine-tuners, end-buttons, end-pins, chin-rests, shoulder-rests, end-pin-rests, cases and covers, music stands, music stand lamps, humidifiers, tuning forks, and electrical tuners. I sell products of Augustin, BAM, Bois d’Harmonie, Gerald Crowson, Larsen, D’Addario, Gewa, Hill, Jargar, Kun, Harald Lorenz, Mach One, Musafia, Negri, Pirastro, Prim, Riboni, Thomastik, Savarez, Westminster, Wolf, and many others. If I do not have them in store, I can order them quickly. I would be glad to give you personalised advice if you wish
MAINTENANCE, RESTORATION AND SOUND ADJUSTMENT
BUY, SELL AND RENT VIOLONS, CELLOS VIOLAS AND BOWS
SALE OF ACCESSORIES
CHE-273.792.349 TVA
info@olivierlegrandluthier.ch
Landline +41 21 556 70 57
Mobile +41 76 514 50 52