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 but the core of our work.
Set-up of this instrument
- 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: Götz, German form. Chinrest: Götz Stradivari, with gilded screws.
- Tailpiece and pegs: ebony with Paris eye (a round decorative inlay). Fine tuner: Meister fine tuner with gold screw.
- Build variant SIGNATURE: thinner, more gently rounded fingerboard; the string spacing stays the same as on the HERITAGE.
Technical data
- Instrument: Violin
- Line: METROPOL
- Quality grade: 123 MET
- Build variant: SIGNATURE
- Size: 4/4
- Serial number: X42
- Top: Spruce
- Back and neck: Maple
Model in brief
The Metropol is the classic line of our house: a German violin, built the way we have built it for decades. Our family business near Markneukirchen has existed since 1884 and is run in its fourth generation; we set up every Metropol ready to play, and its wood has a certified origin. The 123 MET differs from the next lower Metropol grade through longer work on thinning the insides of top and back and through more carefully selected wood. The 123 MET is a fitting next step after a first violin of your own and a lovely bridge for anyone returning to the instrument after years away. What the designations 123, MET and S mean and how our quality grades are structured is explained in detail in the main listing of this model.
Care and first weeks
What happens in the first weeks?
The strings stretch, and when you tune, the bridge moves slightly towards the fingerboard. A short 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.
Which humidity does the violin like?
40 to 50 percent at around 20 °C keeps the wood and glue joints in shape and the pegs gripping well; up to 60 percent is not a problem.
How do I care for the varnish?
After playing, wipe off the rosin dust with a microfibre cloth without 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 contain decades of experience and a great deal of passion. They are protected by copyright, C.A. Götz jr. GmbH. Please ask us before any use. Thank you for your appreciation.
