Bassbar:
A bar of spruce that is perfectly fitted inside the soundboard, running vertically under the bass foot of the bridge.

Bee Stings:
The joints made in the purfling at the corners.

Bushing:
A piece of hardwood, normally boxwood or maplewood, that is fitted exactly into the holes in the pegbox when they get worn over time. The new wood is retouched to match the surrounding varnish, and a new hole is drilled. Bushings are also fitted to re-position badly-placed holes that are creating problems with tuning the instrument.

Button:

The small round shaped piece of maple that projects from the top of the back, and is joint to the end of the neck heel.

Button Graft:

A repair to the back, in which a new button is grafted into the plate. If the original button is available then this may be used for the upper part of the thickness, which is known as doubling the button.

C-bouts:

The middle curves of the instrument forming the ‘waist’ of the back,table or ribs

Cast:

When part of an instrument needs to be perfectly supported during a repair, because of its highly fragile state, a plastercast is made. Casts are most commonly made to support a plate while a patch is fitted.

Cleats:

Small rectangular pieces of wood which are fitted to the inside of an instrument over cracks or joints to reinforce them. Also known as studs.

Corners:

The four points on each of the plates that mark the limits of the C-bouts.

Elevation:

A measurement of the neck angle taken by projecting the top of the fingerboard to the bridge position and measuring its height. If an instrument's elevation is low it will not be as powerful as it could be. If too high, excessive pressure is being exerted upon the soundboard, through the bridge, which will stop it from resonating freely and can contribute to damage to the soundboard over time. Elevation is ideally corrected by resetting the neck.

Eye:

A term used for the innermost turn of the scroll, and for the pearl dots inlaid into the sides of the frog.

F-holes:

The two f shaped soundholes that are cut into the front of the instrument.

Ferrule:

The metal part around the point where the hair leaves the frog. Normally made of nickel, silver or gold.

Fittings:

Pegs, fingerboard, tailpiece, bridge, soundpost and chinrest.

Flame:

The figure of maple caused by light being refracted by varying angles

Frog:

The moving ebony fitting on a bow to which one end of the hair attached.

Half Edging:

A repair often made necessary by badly done old repair work. The inner side of the edge of a plate, generally the front, is replaced with new wood that is precisely patched in.

Heel:

The back of the neck where it meets the button

Hide Glue:

A particularly high grade of traditional animal glue (pearl glue).The only glue that should ever be used for violin repairs. Favoured because it is reversible.

Lapping:

Various materials that are wrapped around the frog end of the bow stick to help balance the bow and protect it from wear.

Linings:

Small pieces of spruce, lime or willow that are glued to the edges of the ribs to increase the size of the gluing area onto which the plates are attached.

Mortise, neck:

The housing cut into the top block of the violin body that the root of the neck is fitted into.

Neckgraft:

A repair that consists of grafting a new neck into the original pegbox and scroll of an instrument.

Neck Root:

The end of the neck which is fitted into the top of the violin body.

Nut:

Small piece of ebony fitted just above the fingerboard, having four grooves to carry the strings. The height of the nut is important for the playability of an instrument.

Oil Varnish:

A varnish made by dissolving resins in a drying oil that was used on classic instruments of the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries, and is still commonly used on high end handmade contemporary instruments. The maker will very often make their own varnish and colouring pigments using traditional materials, recipes and techniques.

Patch:

A piece of new wood that is perfectly fitted into surrounding old wood during the course of a repair. See soundpost crack.

Plates:

The back and front of instruments.

Purfling:

Black and white strips of veneer that are inlaid near the edges of the back and the front of instruments. As well as being decorative, the purfling also serves to help prevent the plates from cracking.

Rehair:

Bow hair wears with playing and has to be replaced at regular intervals. The hair used is horsehair, from horses tails usually from Mongolia and Canada.

Retouching:

The process of making the surface or a repaired area blend with the original colour and varnish of the instrument

Ribs:

Thin pieces of maple that are bent around a mould to form the sides of an instrument.

Saddle:

A small piece of ebony fitted into the lower edge of the front, protecting it from damage caused by pressure from the tailgut. It can also be used to regulate the amount of pressure on the bridge.

Shim:

A thin piece of plain, slab-cut maple or ebony which is glued to the neck and fingerboard to adjust the elevation without going to the expense of resetting the neck.

Shooting:

Reshaping the fingerboard to even out grooves caused by wear.

Slide:

The piece of rectangular mother of pearl in the underside of the frog.

Soundboard:

The front face of the violin which supports the strings, and into which the f-holes have been cut. The soundboard is normally made of spruce. Also known as the table or front.

Soundpost:

A small cylindrical piece of spruce that is carefully fitted with a knife to fit exactly between the back and front of the violin, just below the treble bridge foot. The position of the soundpost can have a noticeable effect upon the sound of the instrument.

Soundpost Crack:

A crack in the either the front or back of an instrument in the region where the soundpost is fitted. A soundpost crack cannot be closed, glued and cleated like most other cracks, as the cleats would prevent proper positioning of the soundpost. Therefore new wood is very precisely fitted into the area of the crack. This repair is called a soundpost patch.

Spirit Varnish:

A varnish made of resins dissolved in alcohol that is found on many instruments.

Studs:

Small rectangular pieces of wood which are fitted to the inside of an instrument over cracks or joints to reinforce them. Also known as cleats.

Through Patch:

The most difficult type of patch, when new wood is fitted right through existing old wood that has been seriously damaged.reinforce them. Also known as cleats.

Under Edging:

Similar to half edging, but wood is only patched into the area that will form the joint between the plate and the ribs, rather than right to the edges.

Volute:

The decoratively carved finial at the end of the neck. Also called a scroll.

Volute Graft:

When an original neck and pegbox have been damaged beyond repair then the original scroll may be grafted onto a new neck and pegbox. This is called a volute graft.

Washi:

Japanese handmade paper that can be used to reinforce cracks without adding mass to the instrument. Not suitable for all repairs.