I had avoided making a small viola till recently. This beast is 15 1/2″ over the arch, with a slightly shorter stop than my usual range. The tailpiece shown is 122mm; a little bit long to allow much adjustment for this body. Currently I’m trying a 115mm for some testing during the first months of its life.

115mm long scroll, quite light feeling.

This shows the surface texture and fluting of the treble f-hole. Although not a copy of a Goffriller viola f-hole I think it reproduces the key features. I quite like it.

A bit of raking light brings out the beauty of the maple back. The finish was built up with lots of UV light, casein sealer, kauri resin and linseed oil varnish, brushed on with the minimum number of coats I could get away with.