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Cigar Box Violin / Fiddle - How to attach the neck and bracing needed.

Hello all: I'm getting ready to (attempt to) build a CB violin. I have a cheap fiddle that I can use to check tolerances and stuff but what I'm Wresting with is how to attach the neck (its an actual violin neck) to the box and how much bracing I'll need in the box. My guess is that the tension on a fiddles neck is not as great as the tension on a 4 string CBG but maybe I'm wrong. Anyway...any suggestions (and maybe even some pics) would be greatly appreciated. Thx all for any help or advice you can provide. BTW here's a pic of the box I plan to use. It's all wood and over 12 inches in length (man that just sounds so wrong...hehe).

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Permalink Reply by JL on January 6, 2017 at 4:49am

Never built one myself, but ...

a 'traditional' violin neck/body attachment is a dovetail joint, the end of the neck is one BIG tail with a matching tailsocket cut in the end of the body. so you will need to add a block to the inside of the box to cut into. The end-pin that holds the tail-piece will also need a block added to the inside.

Because of the severe break angle over the bridge, traditional violins have a lot of pressure on the face, thus a bass-bar (wooden rib running longways) under the face near the bridge's bass foot, and a sound-post wedged between the face and the back near the bridge's treble foot.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Fleischer on January 6, 2017 at 4:58am

Thanks JL....I was hoping to avoid the traditional dovetail joint method because I'm not real sure I trust my skills to get a tight fit. Might have to bite the bullet and go that way though.

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Permalink Reply by JL on January 6, 2017 at 5:04am

You are permitted to think 'outside the box' (pun intended)

perhaps use a pair of hanger bolts instead...some acoustic guitars are built that way...

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Permalink Reply by Keith Rearick on January 6, 2017 at 7:59am

Check out Jim Morris's builds, he has made a lot of them, and would be the best person for help.

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on January 6, 2017 at 10:03am

Also keep in mind that without a waist the bowing action may be limited if the bridge is not high enough. As JL mentioned plus, the high arching of the top plate contributes to restance to string downward force.

I would consider cutting the heal off of the neck and replacing it with a "tongue" that would fit into a pocket (solid body giutar) in the neck block. I can visualise the process but can't show it here, sorry. Oh! You will need to brace the box, but cross brace's would be the go in this case.
Cheers Taff

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Permalink Reply by Bobby Wallen on January 8, 2017 at 1:38pm

I can tell you how I have done it. I have never used a trad. neck but it might work for it. I used a large dowel. Drilled a hole on the base of my neck and the top of the sound box equal to the diameter of the dowel. Glued the dowel into the socket of the neck and put it through the hole on the top of the sound box all the way to the bottom of the sound box. The bottom of the dowel would have to be cut so the neck sits flush against the top of the sound box. It can be glued for extra support. I then drilled a small hole through the bottom of the sound box into the other end of the dowel and then used a screw to secure it. I hope that gives you some insight if it makes sense I'm not the best at explaining things.