V.Richelieu - innovation in lutherie: how sustainable materials are redefining instrument design

V. Richelieu™ instruments of Vermont, USA, was inspired by a belief and conviction that new models of instruments can be created using sustainable materials. In a discipline marked by tradition, luthiers have in the past distrusted new materials. However, this is changing with the advent of new and stronger regulations. 

To avoid ebony, V. Richelieu™ uses an alternate material called GaiaTone. Made from recycled, post-consumer paper with a natural (non-petroleum) resin, the material is both stiff, hard and has the aesthetic of ebony: jet black. For V. Richelieu™, the incorporation of GaiaTone to our fingerboard production creates new opportunities for fingerboard models. It has also enabled V. Richelieu™ to produce the first FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified violins and violas.

This past June, three of the top award-winning basses at the International Society of Bassists (ISB) Convention Makers Competition used GaiaTone fingerboards with a model designed by Joey Naeger, another award-winning bass maker, who uses GaiaTone.  For fractional violas, GaiaTone enabled our team to improve the traditional fractional viola fingerboard model with a different shape that works with the lower tension common in the string set ups on smaller violas. The consistency and low cost of the material, combined with the ability to mill multiple models in one batch, facilitated experimentation with new models.

Fractional violas present many technical challenges. Low string tension and slow response rate result from the short string length relative to the lower pitch on fractional violas. The slightly thicker strings can make string crossings with the bow tricky with standard bridge arcs. Luthiers can compensate by increasing the arc, but that makes playing in the upper positions on the D and G strings relatively inaccessible.

The string being played in the upper position typically falls well below the two adjacent strings, leaving the area right against the bridge as the only option.  Alternatively, lowering the overall height of the strings creates a sluggish response rate from an already lower tension string set-up.  

As all of our design and production is done in our Vermont workshop, in-house CAD (Computer-Aided Design) modelling allowed our team to test multiple models that could facilitate playing in upper positions and string crossings with the strings’ lower tensions. Incorporating a higher arc than violin fingerboards in the upper portion of the fingerboard gives young players access to the upper positions while preserving the curve needed for clean string crossing. It allows luthiers to have more arc on the bridges without bringing the middle strings too low when depressed above third position. 

The arc is reduced as the fingerboard goes back toward the nut where the relative string heights interferes less with string crossing when the string is depressed. CAD and CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) programming allow us to produce a consistent product for the different fractional sizes, using the CAD modelling to adjust the model proportionally for 11, 12, 13 and 14” violas.  

For bass makers, the challenge morphed from the creation of an affordable, reliable ebony alternative to designing fingerboards for multiple styles, string tensions, and physical shapes. For the ISB competition, Joey Naeger designed a fingerboard model for professional players that would facilitate string crossing and fingering over a long distance with increasingly physically challenging literature.

CAD and CAM programming facilitated accurate reproduction of the complex scoop and variable radius along the length of the fingerboard. Multiple tone awards over the past two ISB conventions have alleviated concerns about the material’s impact on sound.  The consistency of the material may facilitate tuning the fingerboards in the future with further study.

Unlike the fractional violas, the multiple styles and string tensions for basses work best with different fingerboard models. Longer fingerboards work for advanced literature. Lower scoop on fingerboards makes it easier to play with higher tension strings. Jazz players with lower tension strings benefit from more scoop on fingerboards to avoid buzzing.

Again, CAD modelling can help finesse fingerboard models to balance arcs for string crossing with scoop for fingering. CNC milling combined with consistent material can reproduce accurately complex arcs and scoops in a cost-efficient manner.  This allows luthiers to fine tune fingerboards for an individual player, while reducing the overall amount of labor needed to dress a fingerboard.  

Consistent, accessible materials like GaiaTone provide opportunities for fingerboards from which we can all benefit. We can reduce stress on professional players’ left hands with lower scoop models. We can facilitate string crossing with higher arcs on portions of the fingerboards. We can create models specifically for low tension or high-tension strings. We could potentially purchase fingerboards tuned to specific pitches.

We are not losing ebony, we are creating an opportunity to design fingerboards that support the diversity of players in the 21st century.

For more details, contact - info@vrichelieu.com or visit www.vrichelieu.com