Conrad Götz Viola #V98MT 15", CG-V98MT-15"

Viola from the MENUETT line by Conrad Götz, quality grade 98 MT, in the HERITAGE build variant, size 15 inches. MENUETT is the entry line of the house.

• Red-brown hand varnish, closed film, matt finish
• Back and neck of maple of Bosnian origin, top of spruce from the European highlands, with certified timber origin.
• Included: strings, bridge, tailpiece, pegs, fine tuner, Götz chin rest, hang tag, certificate of origin and a microfibre bag.

Technical data

Features

• MENUETT line, quality grade 98 MT
• HERITAGE build variant
• Size 15 inches
• Götz ebony chin rest, Kaufmann model
• Wittner tailpiece with integrated fine tuners
• Götz bridge, German shape
• Strung with Thomastik Dominant
• Traditional design
• Sturdy construction

In practice

• The model number stands for wood selection and the amount of work put into the white, still unvarnished instrument: graduation of the top, finishing inside and out, choice of tonewood. The higher the number, the more time has gone into the wood and the rounder and more differentiated the sound. 93 and 98 are student instruments, 108 and 110 are for advanced students and committed amateurs, from 120 upwards they are instruments for professionals, and 136 and 140 head towards orchestral instruments.
• The letters denote the series: varnish and set-up, that is pegs, end button, sound post, strings, chin rest and adjustment. In a photo you cannot see the difference between a 110 and a 115, but you can see whether it is a Metropol or a Cantonate.
• We varnish exclusively with spirit varnish. The spirit evaporates, resins and pigments remain. Priming, staining, colour coats, intermediate sanding and sealing add up to around fifteen steps; because these are natural varnishes, one coat more or less may be needed until the colour is right.
• This series carries a thin varnish. In our experience an instrument with a thin varnish sounds more open and brighter.
• The Menuett is our entry-level instrument.
• SIGNATURE and HERITAGE are two build variants of the same line. HERITAGE is the traditional and sturdier version, SIGNATURE the lighter, modernised one.
• Guide values for string height at the end of the fingerboard: violin around 3.5 mm under the E and 5.0 mm under the G, viola 4.5 to 5.5 and 5.0 to 6.0 mm, cello 5.0 to 6.5 and 5.5 to 7.5 mm.
• In the first weeks the strings stretch and the bridge creeps towards the fingerboard as you tune. Both need checking; a readjustment after a few weeks is normal.
• Humidity 40 to 50 per cent at around 20 °C, up to 60 per cent unproblematic. Below 40 percent you risk slipping pegs, opening glue joints and cracks.
• After playing, take off rosin dust with a microfibre cloth and no pressure. No polish, no tincture, no alcohol on the varnish.
• After cold or heat, open the case only after fifteen to thirty minutes. Never leave it in a car, never check it as baggage.
• The company is based in Wernitzgrün near Markneukirchen. It has existed since 1884 and is run as a family business in the fourth generation.
• Six months warranty on defective components and workmanship.

Sound and physics

The air inside a viola vibrates through the f-holes as a Helmholtz resonator (A0) at around 220 Hz, above the open C string at around 131 Hz.

Violas are named by their body length in inches or centimetres; 15.5 inches correspond to around 39.4 cm. The sound post under the right foot of the bridge practically doubles the number of modes that contribute to the sound.

The top is spruce; back, ribs and neck are sycamore maple. At 12 % moisture content spruce has a density of 380 to 470 kg/m³ and a modulus of elasticity along the grain of 9,700 to 11,000 MPa, sycamore maple 560 to 650 kg/m³ and 9,900 to 13,000 MPa. This gives a speed of sound along the grain of around 4,800 m/s for spruce and around 4,100 m/s for maple. Acoustics therefore sees spruce as the transducer with high radiation efficiency, and the denser maple as reflector and structural support.

Both woods are strongly anisotropic: spruce is around 13 times stiffer in bending along the grain than across it, maple around 5 times, which is why the vibration patterns of a top appear stretched along the grain. Across the grain spruce shrinks tangentially by 7.8 to 8.2 %, around twice as much as radially at 3.6 to 3.9 %.

We varnish with classic spirit varnish, which we colour ourselves with pigments; we do not use oil varnish. The build-up follows fixed steps: two coats of ground varnish that keep the colour varnish out of the wood, then colour varnish in as many layers as the shade requires, and four to six coats of top varnish.

Each layer dries for one to fourteen days depending on the varnish and temperature, and the work is done at an even 20 °C or so. Once fully dry, the varnish is rubbed down and polished with polishing oil and tripoli (a fine polishing powder). The instrument is varnished under the bridge feet as well; there the varnish is reworked so that the bridge sits snugly.

Our experience

Frequently asked questions

At what frequency is the air resonance of a viola?

At around 220 Hz, above the open C string at around 131 Hz.

How are viola sizes given?

As body length in inches or centimetres; 15.5 inches correspond to around 39.4 cm.

Why is the top spruce and the back maple?

Spruce combines low density with high stiffness along the grain and radiates sound efficiently. The denser maple acts as reflector and carries the structure.

How long is the wood seasoned?

15 years and more before we work it.

Which varnish is used?

Classic spirit varnish, pigmented by us.

Why is there varnish under the bridge too?

We varnish the whole instrument and rework the varnish under the bridge feet so the bridge sits snugly.

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.