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 fittings and set-up of this instrument at a glance:
- 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).
- Fittings in ebony with a tailpiece in the French shape and bean-shaped pegs.
- Bridge: Götz, German shape, with an ebony insert at the E string. Chin rest: Götz, Guarneri model.
- SIGNATURE build variant: thinner, more gently rounded fingerboard; the string spacing stays the same as on the HERITAGE.
Technical data
- Instrument: Violin
- Line: BOHEMIA
- Quality grade: 108 BO
- Build variant: SIGNATURE
- Size: 4/4
- Serial number: D83
- Top: Spruce
- Back and neck: Maple
The model in brief
The Bohemia is the line of our house with ebony fittings, a French-style tailpiece and bean-shaped pegs; it takes up elements of 18th-century central European violin making from the Leipzig, Prague and Vienna region. The 108 BO has a narrower neck than most of our violins. Handcrafted in Markneukirchen, since 1884 and in the fourth generation, delivered set up and ready to play and made from wood of documented origin, it stands for the standard of our workshop. What the designations 108, BO and S mean, and how our quality grades are structured, you can read in full 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.
