Aubert Viola Bridge Luxe, ZR-V8

Technical data

Features

• Bridge blank for viola, Aubert no. 8

In practice

• This bridge is a blank. It is not supplied finished and is not a do-it-yourself item: fitting the feet, thinning, curving and finishing are done by a violin maker with special tools.
• Before ordering you need two figures: the foot width and the instrument size. Foot width is also chosen with the sound post position in mind, so talk to your violin maker first.
• Aubert manufactures in Mirecourt from selected maple, seasoned naturally over several years in defined stages.
• Signs of quality in a blank are straight, close grain, annual rings running straight across, and pronounced medullary flecks. The flecks are mainly a visual criterion.
• A common mix-up: stars on a bridge are not an Aubert quality marker.
• The grades differ in the selection of the wood; on the instrument, cutting and fitting by the violin maker shape the result.

Versions

• 46 mm, ZR-V8-46
• 48 mm, ZR-V8-48
• 50 mm, ZR-V8-50

Sound and physics

On the viola, too, the bridge is a vibrating component with resonances of its own, passing the force of the strings on to the top plate in filtered form. A mute that weights the bridge lowers these resonances and so mainly tempers the higher partials (overtones).

The viola's dimensions set the frame, and they grow with the body length: at 42 cm the bridge stands around 42 mm high as a guide, at 38 cm around 36 mm; the foot width lies between 46 and 50 mm, the projection between 30.5 and 34.5 mm, and the strings cross the bridge at around 157°. The vibrating string length runs from around 352 to 387 mm, and with the Thomastik viola sets we stock the four strings pull with around 20.7 to 28.3 kg in total.

The maple of a bridge blank (density around 650 kg/m³) is around five times as stiff in bending along the grain as across it. Modulus of elasticity and damping (how quickly a vibration dies away in the wood) vary from tree to tree by around ±25 and ±50 per cent, so that even boards from the same tree turn out differently.

Aubert sorts its blanks into quality grades that can be read from the number; the pattern carries its own marker, such as the B for the Belgian model. 'Aubert Mirecourt' is the house stamp and at the same time the name of the basic grade; above it come 'Luxe' and, as the highest of the grades we carry, 'De Luxe', recognisable by the L in the number.

Frequently asked questions

How tall is a viola bridge?

Depending on the body length, around 36 to 42 mm at the centre, with a vibrating string length of 352 to 387 mm. The violin maker sets the exact height on the instrument.

What load does a viola bridge carry?

With the Thomastik viola sets we stock the four strings pull with around 20.7 to 28.3 kg in total. At a string angle of around 157° over the bridge they press it onto the top with around 8 to 11 kg.

What does the number on an Aubert bridge blank mean?

It denotes the quality grade of the blank. Above the basic grade 'Aubert Mirecourt' come 'Luxe' and 'De Luxe'; the L in the number stands for De Luxe.

Why is a bridge supplied as a blank?

Because every bridge is fitted to its own instrument: the violin maker sets the feet, height, thickness and curve on the instrument itself. How well the feet fit the top plate helps determine how the vibration is transmitted.

Are stars on a bridge an Aubert quality mark?

No, Aubert marks its grades by number and name. We know stars as a grading mark from other makers, Teller bridges for example.