Don't worry, we aren't setting fiddles on fire!

Violin with marbled flame over a similar looking campfire

The most frequent request I receive from customers about instruments on an aestetics level is how they want a violin with marbled or "quilted" flame. "That flamed back and ribs is crazy," has been exclaimed so many times that the nickname took and I jokingly call it that, "crazy back fiddle," with the violin makers. "Another customer has gone crazy for your crazy-back violins," I say to the maker.

One can see how the phenomenon has been called flame, since it looks just like the dancing red, orange and yellow-tipped flames of a campfire. The effect is highly sought-after in instruments as well as furniture, but I think it's a waste to put such beautiful woods on a chair!

Marbled flame almost always has chatoyant properties, which means the flame appears to move and change at different angles and in different lighting (see my article on the subject here). It's especially strong when it is finished correctly and allowing to the addition of an extra optical layer to stop light scattering on the wood’s surface. This process is best started by adding a mineral ground, followed by various tones of varish and then many layers of a gloss coat to best bring out the stunning depth and movement.

Fiddleheads strives to keep marbled or crazy back violins and our Bulgarian master makers Angela Moneff and Ivan Stankov tend to work with these materials. Of course, I consider the tone and quality of construction for the price to be of utmost importance, so I weed out other violins that may have this wood but simply can't meet my incredibly high expectations.

Be sure to have a look at the photo gallery below for images of a crazy back viola in progress, start to finish. As the mom of the player of this viola said:

"[My daughter] played the last concert of the year this afternoon at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at the Juilliard School. The photo is not the greatest but I wanted to return the favor to the maker. I can't believe it was a piece of wood 3 months ago. Her father and I absolutely love it."

Yes, the instrument is quite the spectacle to behold! I sincerely hope you will have the opportunity to purchase an instrument like this from me and Fiddleheads!