I have completed restoration of a late model Violano.  It plays and
sounds great except for the A-string.  The effect is a poor, raspy
sound when played.  I am at my wits end on what to do next.

The only string I am having a problem with is the A-string.  The
corrective action is to push up slightly on the finger, i.e., increase
finger upward motion and pressure.  The problem is that I've tried
everything I can think of to do this: lowered and raised violin, lower
and raise resting point of fingers, shifted violin side to side,
swapped bows, tried different brand and style of strings.

The bottom of the violin was loose, and I've had a luthier repair this
and also check the bridge for any wear.  Problem remains, and only with
the A-string.  The other three sound great.  It is not just one note
either, it shows up on almost all of the notes played on that string.

I've checked the current flow of the electromagnets, and they are the
same as the other string magnets.  I've checked the fingers for free
movement -- they move nicely and do not bottom out on the felt strip
on the magnet rail.  The V-notch is clean and the string is centered
perfectly in the notch. The string is not vibrating against any of the
fingers when played, except of course the one that is lifted.

Fortunately, the A-string is not used a lot for solo work, but when it
is used the sound is quite distracting.  For now, I'm stepping away
from the issue and will try again after Christmas.  I hope someone out
there has had a similar problem and can maybe shed some light on what I
should attempt next.

Jim Quashnock