Little travel fiddle

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Diane in Chicago on March 17, 2012 at 9:42am

Here is the head:

Permalink Reply by Yellowbelly Flatt on March 17, 2012 at 7:25pm

Hey Diane in Chicago,

this is looking really odlin and bang on. It looks clink an clean an I cud lewk on it all me born days. Oh, sorry I forget that some of you speak a different type of English..Translation The instrument looks very special and exactly right,it looks very well made and well worth a good, long, look.

Looking forward to more pictures once the fiddle progresses.

Permalink Reply by Diane in Chicago on March 17, 2012 at 9:10pm

I'm from New Jersey, I understood exactly what you said!   Thanks for the kind words. I am looking for a window of time to assemble the rest. I have used regular wood glue, which is a sin to "real" luthiers, to assemble the box, and I'm likely to use it again for attaching the fingerboard.  I want this to be able to be left in a hot car without it falling apart.  On the other fiddle on the bench, real hide glue all around.  (I bought it unfinished, built a tad taller in the ribs for stringing up with octave strings - to play low like a cello.  Now, that's some wood!)

Permalink Reply by Yellowbelly Flatt on March 18, 2012 at 5:54am

I really understand what you mean about "windows of opportunity". I am building a stick style electric fiddle that has remained partially built for several months due to my hobby of playing cigar box guitars in public. I'm planning to take a few weeks away from performing in order to catch up with sleep, get some relaxation and complete several projects.

Permalink Reply by Diane in Chicago on April 1, 2012 at 7:54pm

And I strung it up, and it sounds - - - - - like crap.  I am never building another instrument again.  I give up.

Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on April 17, 2012 at 8:38pm

Many of my crappy instruments get a second life. I made a gourd fiddle that sounded terrible and was impossible to hold. Off with the fingerboard and on with with a fretboard and it was a pretty decent sounding 4 string mandolin!

Permalink Reply by Don Johnson on January 5, 2013 at 6:47am

Like Yellowbelly Flat mentioned, there are other things to try, if the poor thing hasn't been tossed into the kindling pile yet...I'm new to this website and group here so pardon the lateness of this post.

 

Other things I'd try: 1) shaving the inside of the soundbox in opportune areas in an attempt to get it to resonate better. 2) drill / cut / sculpt bigger sound holes to let the resonance out 3) try different strings 4) shave parts of the bridge down thus affecting the vibrational tendencies.

 

I assume there's a soundpost in this, correct? What is the diameter of the post? I am not a luthier and don't claim to be an expert about that which I type here but have been told those little things can make a difference. Get enough little things added up and it can sometimes promulgate a profound change. I've heard some of these little boxy violins and they were really nice...what, in your opinion, made yours such a turn-off to your ear?

 

Once again, apologies for jumpling in so late. That was a neat fiddle and I hope it's not history. I also hope my post didn't come across in the wrong way. For all I know you could be a professional luthier and it wasn't my intent to come across as any sort of know it all. I just see that thing as having WAY too much time invested in it and it is way too cool looking to just toss aside and start anew. I'd personally be trying everything to salvage it, including, and this WILL sound stupid, gong so far as to fill the box with foam so I've got a permanently muted fiddle. As much as I travel, playing in hotel rooms and not disturbing neighbors IS an issue and that way the thing would still have use.

 

So, I gues, let me know if it's for sale...

Permalink Reply by Diane in Chicago on January 9, 2013 at 8:41am

It is really quiet (maybe a plus in certain situations) and very nasal.  Yes, there is a standard violin-diameter soundpost.  Because of the weirdness of the instrument, it is hard-mounted inside with a drop of CA glue to hold it to the soundboard. Not a great solution but better than woodglue or hide.

I, too, have heard some of these boxy ones sound pretty good.  The little pig-head travel fiddle on Youtube is an example, and that was somewhat of a model, only that guy has waaaaay more woodshop skill than I have.

Permalink Reply by Yellowbelly Flatt on April 2, 2012 at 5:09am

This is always a problem with experimental construction, you don't know what you get until you are finished and it's too late to do anything.

You could try to put a piezo violin pickup under the bridge and see what it sounds like through an amp?

Best of luck with your next project.