Restorations

Vihlo Arvi Bass #215 (1980)

The top of this bass was rather thin (7mm under the bridge) and over time started to sink under the g-foot of the bridge to the point where the original arching of the top was quite distorted.
After making a plaster mold of the top and shaping the plaster to a nice symmetric arch, the top spent a couple of months in the reshaped mold after steaming and soaking with hot water under the wight of lead shot and clamps.
With the shape of the belly restored, I chalk fit a belly patch with glow-in-the-dark chalk. Once it fit perfectly, it was glued in and shaved down to a new thickness of 10mm under the bridge and graduated down to meet the 7mm thickness just beyond the edges of the patch.
I am completely confident the instrument will be louder, more focused and quicker to respond than it was before.
Can't wait to get the bass bar in and get it back together.


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