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Can an incorrectly positioned tailpiece cause bad sound?

 
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lizzypaulk
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Joined: 07 Dec 2012
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 7:30 pm    Post subject: Can an incorrectly positioned tailpiece cause bad sound? Reply with quote

I recently had a new bridge put on my violin and it sounded good before but my bridge was warped and almost falling over! When I got my violin back, it sounded HORRIBLE. I noticed the bridge was about a quarter of an inch left of where it originally was and my tailpiece is rolled to the left. I fixed my bridge without the sound post falling, but the tailpiece is still rolled and it still sounds bad. I have an appointment to have the tailpiece replaced and the sound post adjusted.

I've been told in the past that a poor tailpiece can cause poor quality sound. Has anyone ever heard this? Also, I've heard that the sound post has to be placed at precisely the correct point, or the sound quality will be poor - I heard that a millimeter off will make the sound bad. Is this true? Thanks in advance for all your help!

Lizzy
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Lemuel
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Joined: 12 Aug 2010
Posts: 515
Location: Mt. Elgin, Ontario

PostPosted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 12:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I've been told in the past that a poor tailpiece can cause poor quality sound. Has anyone ever heard this? Also, I've heard that the sound post has to be placed at precisely the correct point, or the sound quality will be poor - I heard that a millimeter off will make the sound bad. Is this true? Thanks in advance for all your help!


Generally speaking yes for both questions. A millimeter off from the optimum will definitely throw the sound off, but may not be noticeably bad for an untrained ear.

A poor quality made violin will not get much help, even if the bridge and soundpost is right. I hope that you are getting your violin serviced by a qualified luthier.
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lizzypaulk
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Joined: 07 Dec 2012
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 12:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you so much for your response.

My violin appraised at $5500 and sounded beautiful before the bridge replacement/sound post re-placement. I started playing almost 21 years ago and I can definitely tell the difference between the before and after. One of my students, who is only 11, can tell the difference!! The first "luthier" (if that's what you want to call him considering the work he did) should be put out of business. I have researched the new one I've found and even got some references.

Again, thank you for your response. That really helped a lot!!
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ctviolin
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Joined: 07 May 2009
Posts: 961
Location: Roswell

PostPosted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 8:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lizzypaulk wrote:
Thank you so much for your response.

My violin appraised at $5500 and sounded beautiful before the bridge replacement/sound post re-placement. I started playing almost 21 years ago and I can definitely tell the difference between the before and after. One of my students, who is only 11, can tell the difference!! The first "luthier" (if that's what you want to call him considering the work he did) should be put out of business. I have researched the new one I've found and even got some references.

Again, thank you for your response. That really helped a lot!!


My opinion would be to suspect that the post was put in an incorrect position first. Or that it was too short, or too long, or not right in some other basic way. Perhaps the correct type or diameter wood wasn't even used?

The bridge would, of course be guess #2... but the bridge would be found out much easier - if it is a poor or a cheap bridge, it would be able to be seen easily by either the brand or just the poor "looks" of the bridge, or bridge wood if the brand was removed...
...then look at the fit of the feet - do they fit perfectly? Are they still way thick or are they properly thinned? Is the arch on the top correct for the fingerboard? The right height for the strings? Is the bridge faced (shaped) correctly, etc.

After playing for 21 years you should be able to tell a decent replacement by the tone and playability alone, I would imagine.
Probably I'd go to a notable luthier and ask if the job was done correctly or not.
Such a question, I and most everyone I know would be happy to answer directly.

(Oh, and by the way, if the tailpiece wasn't changed, then it being in the wrong place (or off center) when the violin was returned, isn't a good sign that correct work was done either)
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