Playability
What we are especially proud of is the playability. Fingerboard, bridge, string height, the curvature of the fingerboard, the top nut and the neck are matched to one another by hand as one connected system, so that the instrument plays easily, precisely and without fatigue. This set-up is not a side step for us; it is at the heart of our work.
Set-up of this instrument
The details your teacher will want to see:
- String height: set to its optimum, matched to a normal indoor climate (around 50 % humidity at roughly 20 °C).
- Strings: Thomastik Dominant 135 (G 133, D 132, A 131, E 129SN).
- Bridge: Aubert Luxe. Tailpiece and pegs: ebony with Parisian eye. Fine tuner: black master fine tuner with gold screw. Chin rest: Götz Stradivari with gold-plated screws.
Technical data
- Instrument: Violin
- Line: ANTIQUE
- Quality grade: 98 AQ
- Build variant: HERITAGE
- Size: 4/4
- Serial number: F61
- Top: Spruce
- Back and neck: Maple
The model in brief
The Antique carries the story of old instruments in its very varnish. By hand we work the darker spirit varnish the way time otherwise does over decades: gently taken back where the hand touches, with finely placed patina of the kind a long-played violin shows. This gives it warmth and a character of its own, without ever pretending to be an old instrument; it is a new, ready-to-play violin in this classic style. In build and sound it stands close to the Metropol, a touch darker and rounder. What the designations 98 and AQ mean you can read in the main listing of this model.
Care and the first weeks
What happens in the first weeks?
The strings stretch, and as you tune, the bridge creeps slightly towards the fingerboard. A quick look once a week is enough: is the bridge standing straight? After a few weeks everything has settled; a short readjustment is part of playing in.
What humidity does the violin like?
40 to 50 per cent at around 20 °C keeps the wood and glue joints in shape and the pegs responsive; up to 60 per cent is unproblematic.
How do I care for the varnish?
After playing, take off the rosin dust with a microfibre cloth and no pressure; that is enough. Keep polish, tincture and alcohol away from the varnish. After cold or heat, open the case only after 15 to 30 minutes.
These texts hold decades of experience and a great deal of heart. They are protected by copyright, C.A. Götz jr. GmbH. Please ask us before any use. Thank you for your appreciation.
