Strad  Offline Upload & Sell: On
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I assure you, Jess, the inside of the ribs are NOT varnished. They appear darker due to their angle versus the light source. In the upper right are simply the ribs of the violin where they belong You can see the lining strip if tyou look closely. As to the top being attached to the ribs - you're absolutely right - the top (belly - to use the technical term) always comes off first and the ribs are almost never unattached to the back. (I'm not writing this for you, Jess, buecause I know you know all this...) The belly - being made of a softer wood (usually spruce) than the back and ribs (usually hard maple) is glued on with a very thin rabbit hide glue lest it crack when the belly and sides expand at different rates due to temperature or humidity variations. Consequently, the belly is easily popped off for repairs using a flat knife.
Every time I post a violin- related photo I wind up giving a little lesson in history or construction. What fun!
Fond regards,
Endre
It doesn't make sense for the inside of the rib to be varnished, so I must admit I don't know what you've got in the upper right of the picture. 
Don't know that I've ever seen a violin with the top attached to the ribs and the back removed, since the top is usually the first thing taken off, even when the back needs repair.
Maple this one just needed some "sprucing up", so to speak?
Edited by Strad on May 21, 2007 at 08:50 PM GMT
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