Hellweg & Cloutier

Spin shot of a single Hellweg and Cloutier Hill model Violin peg in Mountain Mahogany wood.

heart-model-violin-pegs-spin from Hellweg & Cloutier on Vimeo.

This new woven design, coupled with the inherent reddish brown color of the wood, imbues the tailpiece with both form and function. It is an exemplar of how the right materials, when married with skilled craftsmanship, can make a world of difference in the quest for the perfect look and sound, making the violin not just an instrument, but a symphony of nature’s gifts and human ingenuity.

Q: Does it change the way you play? A: A Rippleboard fingerboard does not limit the ability of musicians to make use of any of their favorite performative techniques. The ripple effect on the fingerboard serves the purpose of both visually and tactile guiding the player’s fingers to the note positions, minimizing the difficulty of the instrument and creating a much more comfortable experience for the musician. The surface of the Rippleboard fingerboard remains remarkably smooth to the touch, exhibiting no limitations or tonal disruptions to the expressive elements of your current instrument playing. When playing, it is best to ignore the ripple effect and play naturally. If you focus on the ripples while practicing or press harder you can become aware of the ripples but if you play correctly, the same as you would on a legacy fingerboard, you will not feel the ripple effect even despite the benefit it provides!

A 2020 H&C replica model based on the 1704 "Betts" violin by Antonio Stradivari. "La Pucelle" replica tailpiece, "Fleur de Lis" replica pegs in Mountain Mahogany and a Rippleboard fingerboard.

A Hellweg & Cloutier violin scroll with Mountain Mahogany "Fleur De Lis" model violin pegs and a Rippleboard

A Mountain Mahogany “Fleur de Lis” tailpiece on a cornerless 1704 “Betts” Stradivari model violin

A cornerless violin with an antiqued oil finish modeled after Antonio Stradivarius’ 1704 “Betts,” featuring a darkened version of the “Daisy” tailpiece in Southern Live Oak and a Rippleboard made of Richlite

An 18th century violin featuring a thinner version of the Lady Blunt pegs in mountain mahogany and a Rippleboard made of Richlite

A violin featuring a fusion of Stradivari and Amati scrolls, a thicker variant of the Lady Blunt pegs in mountain mahogany, and a Rippleboard made from Richlite

A cornerless replica of a golden period Stradivari violin, with a single-piece backplate

An replica of Giuseppe Guarneri’s 1730 “Kreisler” violin, fitted with a mountain mahogany “Lady Blunt” tailpiece, “Alard” pegs, and a richlite Rippleboard

The "Messiah" model violin tailpiece in raw, untreated Boxwood. With our Boxwood fittings, we choose not to apply any buffing, wax, or finish so that your luthier can best match the color to your instrument, pegs, and/or chinrest

New fittings and a Rippleboard for an old violin. The “Lady Blunt” tailpiece and pegs are carved in Mountain Mahogany, while the Rippleboard is made here in Richlite

A set of mountain mahogany “Alard” tuning pegs for the violin

A mountain mahogany tailpiece modeled after the fittings adorned on Antonio Stradivarius’ 1709 “La Pucelle” violin. Given the natural variability of the wood, this tailpiece features a few areas of extra rare dark sections, most notably in the top left corner of the piece.

Two “Hill style” violin tuning pegs. The brown peg in front is made from Mountain Mahogany, while the black peg is in Richlite, an ethically sourced alternative to the endangered Gaboon Ebony