NEW PRODUCTS

BASS FINGERBOARD

First of its kind

A new, ebony-alternative double bass fingerboard

FEATURED PRODUCT

The lutherie workshop of Vermont Violins has released the very first commercial double bass fingerboard made with a black ebony alternative. The GaiaTone fingerboard is made of compressed post-consumer recycled paper and bio resin. ‘We continue to work with Sonowood for other instruments’ fingerboards, but it’s very expensive for basses given the amount of material needed. GaiaTone is far more affordable,’ says the company’s part-owner, Kathy Reilly. The bio-resin makes the material completely ‘green’ and sustainable, unlike other compressed materials which use phenol formaldehyde resin. The workshop sources large sheets of the material and cuts the fingerboards with a CNC machine.

With supplies of ebony running low and illegal sourcing commonplace, Vermont Violins’ goal is to ‘shift people off ebony’ by offering alternatives. ‘We can be proactive, use alternatives and not be part of the problem,’ says Reilly. She says that the effect the fingerboard has on the instrument’s sound is insignificant; much less than altering soundposts, strings, bridges and bass-bars. ‘I suspect ebony was chosen in the 17th century simply because it was stronger than native hardwoods, and it was available.

There wasn’t extensive scientific testing done on its structural properties,’ she says. ‘There are other tropical woods that have physical properties more suited to making a good fingerboard, but it is only out of tradition that ebony has continued to be used and associated with a good fingerboard.’

The shift to ebony alternatives will require different tools (GaiaTone is made of a harder material) and a change in mindset on the part of makers; achieving the latter is ‘more difficult than finding alternative materials’, according to Reilly. ‘It’s not about taking ebony out; it’s about supporting sustainable use and offering alternatives, and avoiding countries having their forests wiped out, like Madagascar. We don’t need to rely on these resources to the point that music becomes more important than our environment.’

GaiaTone double bass fingerboard from $450

email contact via website

web www.vermontviolins.com

SANDING STICKS

IT’S A MATCH

Schilbach’s new double-ended sanding sticks, shaped like matchsticks, can be used to sand wood, varnish, glue, rust, metal and plastic. In a set of ten, five sticks feature 120- and 180-grit, and the other five are 400- and 800-grit. The ends have a diameter of 6.5mm and the sticks are 150mm long. The stick is made of grooved, non-slip plastic.

Schilbach sanding sticks €25.91

email shop@schilbach.net

web www.shop-schilbach.net

ELECTRIC CELLO

PLUG AND PLAY

Gewa’s new Novita 3.0 electric cello has been designed to sound as much like an acoustic cello as possible. Compared to Gewa’s early E-cello Novita version, a new shape and pickup are the main updates in the 3.0. It includes a silent practice mode and comes in black, red-brown and gold-brown.

Gewa Cello Novita 3.0 £2,713

  email info@gewamusic.com

web www.gewamusic.com