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Lucchi Meter
Code
500998
€2,295.08
In stock
Designed by Master Giovanni Lucchi in the early 1980s, this is the tester that has revolutionised the world of violin making. It measures the acoustical properties of materials and indicates the level of elasticity. The Lucchi Meter has been proven to be a valuable ally in the selection of wood for the construction of wooden musical instruments and their bows.
“Technology must be considered as offering instruments that serve to boost, and not to suffocate. Talent is a quality that is unique and can be neither measured nor sold.”
M° Giovanni Lucchi
“Technology must be considered as offering instruments that serve to boost, and not to suffocate. Talent is a quality that is unique and can be neither measured nor sold.”
M° Giovanni Lucchi
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Details
Who is it aimed at:
When to use it:
Choosing the wood
Cutting the trunks
Checking treatments
Evaluating finished instruments
- luthiers of baroque and classical instruments
- bow makers
- guitar makers
- piano makers
- harpsichord makers
- makers of wooden musical instruments
When to use it:
Choosing the wood
- Every maker is looking for the best tonewood, beautifull and with good vibrations, so they can make optimum instruments. The Lucchi Meter helps you to choose and buy the wood because it gives you a number that tell you about the quality of vibrations of that wood. This method is faster and more precise than the other methods. This leaves you time for doing your preciouse handcrafting.
Cutting the trunks
- The importance of the measurment of sound velocity is that it gives the possibility to know when to cut the tree and which part of the wood will reveal the best sound properties. After having selected the best trunk in relation to its longitudinal velocity, we can optimize the cut of the trunk by also measuring the radial velocity. This represents the main criteria for making bowed instruments. An improper cut which doesn’t take into account the different transversal velocities, may damage an excellent material. After having completed measurements with the Lucchi Meter it is possible to decide the best use of the material. A decision may be made from the beginning, to determine the outcome of the level (student to professional) of the finished instrument. Approximately twenty years ago, “Fazioli Pianoforti” showed interest in Giovanni Lucchi’s research by using the first version of the ultrasonic meter. Fazioli Pianos began to choose and classify in quality levels the construction materials they used in building their concert grand pianos. The Lucchi Meter, in fact, enabled Fazioli Pianos to select and purchase the highest quality wood in order to acquire the best suitable material for high-grade concert pianos, leaving the inferior quality materials behind. The quality of an instrument or bow may be decided before starting to work. Time is saved and the value of the finished product is increased.
Checking treatments
- The ultrasonics may be used also to check how varnishes, oils, artificial oxidation etc. may affect the wood. For instance, if a wood has a velocity of 6000 m/s when completely wet, it may decrease to 5000 m/s. As time passes and it dries out completely, it will come back to its original values. If the same wood became wet with oil, it would be permanently damaged and the manufactured instrument would be destroyed forever. The varnishes applied are very important because only some of them do not damage the wood. Others that contain oil may destroy the fiber. The wood may also be destroyed by applying layers of varnish before the solvent has evaporated. Through the use of ultrasonics, information can be gained that will reveal any chemical treatments. Their long-term effects will determine working techniques for all instrument and bow makers.
Evaluating finished instruments
- The Lucchi Meter is important too for evaluating finished instruments. You can evaluate every instrument, new or old. When buying an instrument, you can consider the quality of the woods used in it. This can be added to all the other informations about an instrument.