The thumb straps: they need to be comfortable, and narrower than normal, since my intention is that the thumb goes all the way through. I start with a leather core folded round the brass base. Then add strips of felt for softness. The whole thing is covered with soft goat leather, with a strip to seal the seam.
Oh, and by the way, seat belts: the pads need small, thin leather straps over the leather beads, to take up the stress on the sampers during fast and violent playing.
I try the buttons – nice, but they click – there is no felt under them (I didn’t know if it was necessary, since they go "fully depressed” – in contrast to other instruments. Ah, well, I punch out felt rings and add them.
The next step is lacquering – the one thing I am not looking forward to... I definitely fear the pores in the rosewood – there are still some left, even though I tried to fill them.
Start of thumb strap -
Soft on the inside –
Goat on the outside –
Seatbelts glued onto pads
End-stop felt in place –
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