Set Up Materials
It was with a heavy heart that, due to health reasons, I was forced to retire from actively making new instruments. I still work with Borman owners to keep their instruments in top condition.
The set-up materials that I used (pegs, tailpiece, and chinrest) were all made of boxwood. This was for two reasons. The first being the more desirable look of boxwood (my personal preference) as opposed to ebony or rosewood but the main reason is for sound. Boxwood is quite a bit lighter than the other woods mentioned and this helps the sound of an instrument by not providing ballast to the vibrations. The reduction in unnecessary weight contributes substantially to the sound quality and presence and allowed me to keep more wood in the corpus of the instrument (which I believe creates the voice of a violin) and still achieve a relatively "light weight" instrument. All photos are taken on my workbench.
The pegs that I use are hand turned specifically for me from Turkish boxwood. The model is that of Hill heart shape.
Many different chinrests are available and prior to the musician taking possession of his/her instrument we can try several styles to find the one that is most comfortable and has the least negative impact on the sound of the instrument. I am currently using titanium hardware on the chinrests because titanium is hypoallergenic. These are just a few of the models available.
My titanium chinrest hardware is the lowest profile available from any source and is hypoallergenic.
Fingerboards are always ebony and I use the best, finest grained, blackest wood that I can find.
For the tailgut, I offer the "Sacconi" model or one made of a Kevlar composite. I prefer the composite as it is lighter in weight (saves 1.5 grams) and does not stretch as does the Sacconi model. In the photo below the Kevlar type is above and the Sacconi style below.
The end buttons are made of boxwood and I have 2 models. I've recently shifted to one of my own design (the smooth one). This design was prompted by complaints from musicians that the button irritated their necks and therefore has a flatter profile.
Tailpieces are available with the nut in either ebony or ivory. I have been experimenting with a new design tailpiece and will be offering that soon. The tailpieces pictured are "french" style to the left and right and "hill" style in the center.
The bridges that I use are all seasoned for many years prior to their use. The cut of the bridge has a very strong impact on the final sound of an instrument and using spectrum analysis I design each bridge acoustically to match its mate.
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