Tool of the Month # 1: Soundpost Setter
Welcome to our new Tool of the Month segment of the blog! If you ever wondered about what tools luthiers use to do their work, look no further! Every month we will highlight another tool. Leave a comment if there is a tool that you have been curious about and would like to hear about.
Have you ever wondered how on earth a luthier gets a soundpost to stand up inside an instrument? For our first Tool of the Month, we are talking about the Soundpost Setter. As the name suggests, this tool is used to set up a soundpost (and to move it around).
Soundpost Setters come in various shapes and sizes. The below picture shows the two that Erin uses regularly. The smaller one is for violins/violas and the larger for cello/bass.
Although these are the preferred shapes that we have in the shop, they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. It is much like a wizard and their wand! Each luthier has different preferences to the shape and weights that they prefer. Regardless of their appearance, all soundpost setters have an “S” shape to them. This allows for the tool to get into the f-hole of an instrument and position itself to gain leverage without damaging the instrument. On instruments with smaller f-holes, there is less space to move around. The rubber around handle of the violin soundpost setter protects the instrument.
This head shape is our preferred style here at Ventura Violins. The notch at the top of the image allows for moving soundposts forward, the notches at the bottom allow for pulling the soundpost, and the sides allow for lateral movement.
This allows for very controlled and precise adjustments to get the soundpost into the perfect spot.
On the opposite end of the soundpost setter head is the point. You can see that it is sharpened to a point. This point is used to attach a soundpost to it allowing the luthier to put it upright inside the instrument.
This concludes out first Tool of the Month. Let us know what you think and if you have any questions! If you need your soundpost adjusted or put back up, contact us to set up a time!
