| Set | European Classic |
| Material | Ebony |
| Instrument | Violin |
| Item number | ZV-2020EC |
A fitting set brings together the chinrest, tailpiece, pegs, fine tuner, end button and tailgut of a violin in one finish. Our German Classic Set ZV-2020GC, for example, contains the chinrest ZK-4253, the hollowed tailpiece ZA-7483E-115, the fine tuner ZF-6807, four pegs ZW-914E-MED, the end button ZN-713E-0 and the tailgut ZE-4207. Pegs and end button share the same 1:30 taper and are fitted with the same reamer. We match the hardware colour of chinrest and fine tuner: gold goes with a gold fine tuner, silver with a silver one.
Between bridge and tailpiece lies the afterlength, the short section of string behind the bridge that vibrates along as you play. In our workshop we set it to 55 millimetres on a 4/4 violin, with a tolerance of one millimetre. That is one sixth of the 328 millimetre vibrating string length; it is measured from the front edge of the tailpiece saddle to the bridge.
The afterlength follows from the length of the tailpiece and of the tailgut, the loop that anchors it to the end button. That is why we make violin tailpieces in 106, 108, 110, 112 and 115 millimetres to suit the instrument's string length.
Through tailgut and end button the tailpiece carries the full longitudinal pull of the four strings, around 21 to 23.5 kilograms on a 4/4 violin with the Thomastik synthetic sets we stock. Its own mass and that of any fine tuners feed back into the way the body vibrates. Our French ebony model ZA-328E weighs 13 grams at 106, 14 at 108, 16 at 112 and 17 grams at 115 millimetres; the ZA-350 with Parisian eye weighs 20 grams at 115 millimetres.
Our experience: wooden parts from different batches vary slightly, so for a fitting set we select parts that match in colour and grain.
Our experience: a tailpiece can readily be exchanged on a violin, and we then bring the sound back into balance through the setup.
If you would like to add individual parts, you will find tailpieces, end buttons and fine tuners from the same Götz production individually as well.
If you tune all four strings with fine tuners, the Wittner ULTRA for violin is a fine choice, with four integrated fine tuners and a nylon tailgut.
Yes, the luthier fits the pegs and end button. Both have the 1:30 taper.
For a 4/4 violin with a standard setup we recommend 115 millimetres. What matters is that tailpiece and tailgut together give the right afterlength.
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.