Claude Victor Rambaux (1806-1871) was born in Vosges. Between 1820 and 1824 he studied with the luthier Louis Moitessier in Mirecourt. In 1824 he worked with Jacques Pierre Thibout in Caen. Between 1827 and 1838 he lived in Paris and worked with Charles François Gand (1787-1845). In 1838 he established his own luthier shop and retired in Mirecourt in 1857. He died in 1871.
Rambaux sometimes incorporated experimental violin making techniques to his instruments. Within a very short period of time, he successfully innovated the interior structure of string instruments. In the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1855, he showcased a violin with two lower bass bars: one placed at the original position while the other was placed at position of the sound post.
Rambaux’s instruments followed the Stradivari model, showing highly skilled workmanship and symmetric sound holes. The varnishes are similar to those used by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. He was also influenced by Charles François Gand in his attempts to create an “antiquated style” by deliberately sanding and scraping on the body of the instruments. The A string and E string on Rambaux’s instruments are usually sharp and penetrating, whereas the D and G strings are distinctively bright and vibrant. These features can be attributed to his use of two bass bars, increasing the vibrations of the sound post and creating different resonances in timbre.
Rambaux also made cellos, which he modified after Stradivari’s early models and other early models of the cello. He also intricately reduced the size of the cello to meet the demands of performers at the time.
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