What does it sound like?

In this third and last blogpost by Daniel Hoffman, he talks about the details and what happens if you don't take care of them. If you missed Part I and Part II, you definitely should have a look at them!

It's All Details!!! There must be a million of them, they are so small! From exactly how the tree is harvested and handled to selective localized polishing of the dark amber topcoat of varnish thats been curing for the last 6 weeks ...better still 2 months, depending on the time of year and whether we are in New York or Madrid ...

However, at the same time, our attention to certain sets of details can and does shift as we master them... 10 years ago I would have sleepless nights for a week leading up to varnishing a violin. Now I can't wait... laying on all of the color over a period of 36 hours, in layers, partial coats, using my fingersand the heal of my left hand to pull the alizerins into the wintergrains of the spruce top about an hour after I first laid it on with a boar-bristel brush.

Then again, a closer answer to this question might be the places where each luthier leaves his personal touch... the carving of the scrolls, the way the purfling is inlaid, how the corners and edgework are treated, and , of course, how the F holes are placed and cut... and I can honestly say that, other than the placement of the F holes, none of these detail areas have any impact whatsoever on that most important question of all: "What does it sound like?"