Handbook of violin playing

by Carl Schroeder

The wood of the violin.

The upper table is made of pine. This must be very old, dry, compact, straight in grain, whereby the choice of suitable wood is rendered difficult. For the back, ribs, neck and bridge, maple is used. The sound post and bass bar consist usually of pine. For the fingerboard and pegs[5], ebony is the most serviceable.

The old Italian violin makers procured their pine wood from Italian Switzerland, and from the South Tyrol; maple from Croatia, Dalmatia, and Turkey.