Violin Forum/Message Board

[jethro]

I have just finnished (maybe) violin #2. All I had Laying arround for
strings were some old "junk" ones from a cheap student violin I overhauled. The whole violin seems to be just way too loud and kind
of harsh sounding. I tried a lower , thicker bridge which helped some.
But still too loud. I have ordered a set of Pirastro Violino strings which
helped calm down the vollume on vilin # 1. They should be here in 2 days. I will try them when they arrive for about 1 week to see how
they break in. I'm thinking the whole instrument might need some
time to settle. Maybe the soundpost nestleing into the plates and the bridge into top. Should I consider shaving the bottom of the soundboard
to lower the string angle about 2 mm at the bridge ??????
How long should I give it with the new strings before I decide drastic
action is needed ! ???????????????
Any thoughts ????????
P.S. I am suspicious that I may have the neck angle just a dab on the
steep side judgeing by how little bridge I have to cut off when fitting.

Tim

[Jack H.]

finished bridge height should be 31-33 mm.
site down the bottom plane of the table ( the edge that is glued to the ribs) from the bottom of the violin.
the imaginary line should reach the top of the fb where it meets the nut ( you can also use a long flexible straight edge. this is the propper angle. if the fb joint is lower than this there is too much angle. above it and not enough.

[jessupe goldastini]

loud....

under the ear....or.....far away?

under the ear can be anoyying, however if it projects well far away from the source, this is desired....

if it is loud under your ear playing it yet does not travel far, that is not so good....


so....have a friend who can play and has a good ear help you determine this....

there are all kinds of fancy test's with equipment you can do, but i like "real world" test's if possible....

there are three i like to do...

with say three violins{one being your "too loud" one}

play them with a person close but in another room

play them in a large room,say a church or gym, have the friend go to the farthest end away from you playing {facing each other, as in a performance}

play them on a windless day in an large open field.....start at 25 yrds and move till you can't hear it clearly anymore....

as you do each listening test judge them....you may wish to have a criteria chart layed out so you can just fill in the blanks....

you should play them for the friend and he /she for you ....each of you should fill out a chart....more people helps

this gives you an idea of how they sound to someone else at a comfortable listening distance....most audiences will not be standing right next to you while you play...

this also gets into specific violins qaulities for specific players and their work needs....one who plays quite wedding music may not desire a violin that is very loud projection wise and may opt for more subdued "sweet and light" tone....whereas some one who plays in a more virtuosso setting may perfer a loud and dark sounding violin as they need to be "up front, above and decidedly different from the supporting orchestra...

ofcourse a good violin will do it all....

so your violin may sound good to someone at a good listening distance....

tone can be subjective...

[jethro]

Thanks Jack +Jess....
I will sight down the body tomorrow and see where the fb joint lies !
Will check bridge height too ... but wouldn't the bridge height alone not
take into account variations in arching ????? The wood I have been recieving lately is all most too thin to get the arching all the way to
specifications !
will tell you more in a few days. Havw fingerboard off now... took this
opportunity to give a couple more varnish coats !

Tim B.

[jethro]

Planed a little off the bridge end of the neck ( a tapered wedge shaped
sliver) and thinned the rear of the FB similarly and got the proj. back
close to standard. Only had to remove a very little bit.
I tried 3 different strings and I have settled on the violinos. They have the
darkest sound and also behave a little better on this one than helicore
or zyex. A violin teacher played it on its first trip out of the shop and he
thought it was the best instrument he ever played. He is a young man so
I won't get the big head ! It was a nice encouragement though and I needed it ! Sometimes I get depressed when I make a mistake and have to throw a piece of wood away !

T

[Chet Bishop]

Quick! sell it to the teacher and buy more wood!

Seriously, that is a great feeling, isn't it! And loud is a good problem usually, provided it projects well. More common is the inability to project, and very little volume available. I'd rather have to deal with excess volume.