What Is Vintage By Design?

What Vintage By Design is not is an attempt to copy the physical characteristic or specs, such as graduations, finishes, or inlays of any specific vintage instruments.  Rather, the signature voice and response of our Vintage By Design instruments are an attempt to capture the most sought after sonic aspects of some of our favorite vintage instruments, and are the result of our unique design and approach to building, which we arrived at after decades of study, research, and a lot of trial and error.  Driven by a passion to create instruments with that incredible response and voice that inspires you, instruments that will do anything you ask them to, instruments that you just don't want to put down, all in a modern instrument that carries with it all of the advantages that a new instrument brings to the table.  Our vision is to create instruments that possess that certain uncanny spirit people are talking about when they pick up an instrument from the 1920's or 30's and say, "man, this old guitar sure has a lot of songs in it".  If you have ever had that experience you know exactly what we're talking about.  An instrument that inspires you to play things you didn't even know you knew how to play.  All in a package that looks like a new instrument from that time period that's been under someone's bed all that time just waiting to be discovered and played.

Can You Tell Me About Your Finishes?

Our finishes are a spirit varnish of our own making and have more in common with a violin varnish than a guitar finish.  They are applied by hand and are thin, so as they cure to a soft warm luster they will sink down into the grain and glue lines, which results in a beautiful organic vintage appearance.  As with all spirit varnishes, they do not do well with water, alcohol, or bug spray.  That being said, they are admired and highly regarded by dealers and players alike and are holding up well out in the real world! We believe our finishes are an important component of the unique response and look of our Vintage By Design instruments.

What Strings And Setup Do You Suggest?

Our instruments are set up with D'Addario EJ-74s.  We recommend that you change strings one at a time rather than removing all the strings before replacing.  Our setup is based on a neck relief of around .003 of an inch, and string action at the 12th fret is set so that, with a metal rule that is accurate between 0 and 1/16th of an inch, when placed on the 12th fret, the G string just touches the top of the 1/16th line, and the E string sits right in the middle of the 1/16th line.  We are glad to do custom set ups on your Wienman at any time.  Our instruments are designed and built to give their best with these approximate string gauges, neck relief, and string action.  Be aware that small changes in the action and relief can make a big difference in the way your Wienman responds, so if you just have to go twisting things around (and we can certainly relate to that!), we suggest you not attempt to raise the bridge or tighten the truss rod with the strings up to tension, and that you make make very small adjustments (an eight of a turn or less) and then give it at least a day or so to settle in, and see how it is working for you before making additional adjustments.  Our truss rods are a two way design, and are made so that the full range of adjustment is less than a full turn in either direction.  Do not over tighten or loosen the truss rod.  And remember we are only a phone call away!

How Do You Recommend Cleaning And Caring For Your Instruments?

Obviously we recommend keeping your Wienman dry and not leaving it in direct sunlight, a hot car, the trunk, or close to heaters or other heat sources.  We recommend cleaning your Wienman regularly, like when you wipe your strings down when you are finished playing, by gently wiping it down with a super soft microfiber polishing cloth like the MusicNomad super soft microfiber cloths which can be purchased from Sweetwater for about $3 each.  We recommend you do not use any water, soaps, solvents, oils, or polishes.

We always look forward to hearing from you with any additional questions!

Can You Tell Me A Little About Yourselves?

Will has been collecting and studying wood and archtop instrument construction for over 50 years.  Will was lucky enough to acquire a previously undiscovered March 31, 1924 Loar from the original owner, which he was able to hold onto and study for over 5 years.  Subsequently, Will opened and operated The Violin Gallery for over a decade, during which time he bought and had the opportunity to work on and study hundreds of vintage violins, including numerous French and Italian instruments by many of the top makers.  Although Will's passion now finds its home most often in being out in the mountains and songwriting, he still manages to leave his mark on every instrument that leaves the shop.  Wes grew up around Will's violin shop and in a house filled with music.  It wasn't unusual to have a Lloyd Loar mandolin and a couple Italian fiddles around the house, or a group of people playing and singing in the living room.  Music and his fascination with sound and fine instruments have always been a part of his life.  Wes has been a full time luthier since 2015 and is responsible for the lion's share of the building.  We feel lucky to have spent years studying and repairing some of the finest instruments in the world, and are dedicated to and truly enjoy using the knowledge and skills we have acquired over the years to design and build our own instruments with their own unique response and voice.