Comment

Comment by Reeds Taylor on August 15, 2012 at 4:06pm

Thanks Craig...will do.

Comment by Craig Franklin Wolford on August 15, 2012 at 3:02pm

Hey Stewy,

   That looks great. I like the looks of the neck. Make sure you have enough angle on the neck so the strings reach the bridge and still run close enough to the finger board. Just a hint. I had to learn it the hard way.

         Craig

Comment by Reeds Taylor on August 15, 2012 at 1:28am

Well i went ahead and started the fiddle, here's my progress.

Comment by Mark Bliss on July 12, 2012 at 5:51am

Build it. It may not sound much like a fiddle acoustically, but done right it would certainly have character. I would be eager to see and hear your results.

The thickness would be a problem if you play "under the chin" but otherwise it would work.

Keep it simple and keep us posted!

Comment by Diane in Chicago on July 11, 2012 at 12:35pm

The general rule of thumb is the bridge of the fiddle is 6" from the tail.  Maybe if you turn the tin around you'll have enough length there.  And the standard waist is only 4", which is way more narrow than even fiddle players suspect.

That said, this tin is crying out to be made into a fiddle!  Give yourself enough neck angle so you can play without the bow hitting the edges of the box, and make it a dowel-through model, and you're good to go.  If you fear the buzz of the lid, I've lined the lip with electrical tape before sticking the lid on and that cures it.

3" is pretty tall, you might have to cut the sides down a bit. I play one that's 1.5" tall, plus a chinrest brings it to about 2.5 and that's all I can accommodate.

Maybe this is a 3/4 fiddle?  Standard is about 13" scale, 3/4 is 12", 1/2 is 11.25, and so on.

Comment by Yellowbelly Flatt on July 11, 2012 at 12:23pm

A through the body neck design suits a tin violin. I built a 3 string fiddle out of a narrow tin and found it to be worth the effort. The lid was on the bottom of the fiddle and was attached only by the normal tin lid interference fit method. No solder, no brazing, no rivets etc.

I would strongly suggest that you build a fiddle. Perhaps start with a one string fiddle and try out your initial design and develop on from there. Acoustic is great, but electric is very, very advantageous.

Comment by Reeds Taylor on July 11, 2012 at 11:31am

I know nothing about building fiddles or whats what with their construction....I just threw it out there out of curiosity really.... and then go forwards or not on that feedback I receive here. I could make a uke or a mando....I'd prefer a fiddle.

Comment by Craig Franklin Wolford on July 11, 2012 at 11:22am

Hi Stewy,

  I'm new to the group and am by far no expert, but some questions need to be asked. You lookin to make an acoustic fiddle or electric? Acoustically, a tin box may not be the best choice. I don't want to dampen you creativity though. For that matter, I've not tried to build one of tin, though I have seen pictures of a vintage tin violin. Go figure. I would suggest that a tin box may not be sturdy enough to build a fiddle in the traditional sense of the word but I believe it can be done perhaps with a through the box type of neck and certain bracing. I think I would stay away from rivets as they may cause buzzing. I'd glue that sucker together. The only other way would be to solder it, which is how the tin violin that I saw was made, but that would ruin the finish and I'm sure you would want to keep that as nice and original as possible. Some forethought will definitely have to go into it. For example, though it is a nice fiddle shape: is the waist in the right place? Once you get a neck and strings on it, the sweet spot on the strings may not be where you expect. Is the box long enough to make a 4/4 scale? or will a lesser scale be OK?

On the other hand, if you go electric, it really doesn't matter that much. Yes, it still needs to be strong enough to handle the stress of the strings, but acoustics is a mute point. Pun intended. Craig.

Comment by Reeds Taylor on July 11, 2012 at 7:51am

I'm doing some CBF researching, because I found a really cool  chocolate tin in the shape if a fiddle body.... I thought it would be great for a CBF, but I'm not sure. Here's a picture.

I'm thinking I can trim the can too the proper depth...then use rivets to affix the top.

Please share your thoughts....Thanks

Stewy

Comment by Yellowbelly Flatt on July 6, 2012 at 11:01am

Hi Michael,

yes. although I play 4 string fiddles - including 4 string electric fiddle- I also play 3 string rebec and have built one, two and 3 string fiddle type instruments. The easiest single string fiddle to build is a canjo type instrument but played with a bow. At one time single string resonator style fiddles were quite common.

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