(updated: 9/2008)

The 'Rub Tone' Wood Scale Tool:

...With the introduction of the idea of 'rub tone' as in important instrument making topic, I wondered what the range of 'rub tones' might be for the various wood parts of the violin family instruments. ...I had purchased a good stock of ebony wood fittings from a firm in India and taking the eighty or some wood parts out began to sort them in a line based on their 'rub tone'. Beginning with the (30) fingerboards and tailpieces, the brighter, more responsive parts were moved to the right and the duller, less responsive ''rub tone' pieces were sorted to the left. The results are shown in the photo below:

...I selected a short piece of low 'rub tone' (#4 on this scale) spruce stick (shown above) which I can use to generate consistent 'rub tone' sounds. Notice how nicely it all rolls up for storage.