Carl Stross

Unfortunately only violin players buy/appreciate violins and the fashion component changes with the speed of the continental drift.

Some of that "feeling" also depends on string angle, scoop and a couple of other things. The total thickness of the string would be one of those.

1. This would warrant a lengthy discussion with some sound clips brought in for good measure. Myself, do not see anything relevant about the behavior you describe. With the exception of the boomy D , something a good setup expert can attend to, the reminder work just fine in the context of proper violin playing. The graphs you supplied do not reflect proper violin playing and by looking at them I am unable to figure out how those violins might've sounded. They are a picture of a sound which never happened and will never happen. 2. My issue there is not the balance of the "sound" but it's character. The timbre is far from a Strad's, is monochromatic and unfocused. That's just for starters... A violin sounds like a violin because it's "engine" is built like a violin's. I think you fiddled too much with that engine and now, despite using a bow to scratch a string, it's become something else. In consequence, numerous "effects" one expects to hear with violin tone are missing there. I think that's to a large extent built into the "architecture" of the violin's propulsion system. That is actually what I meant when I said it's an anti-violin. Here's a wonderful viola by Roger Hargrave : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKRRd0pI59k

Actually, I like it just fine and I understood the motivations as per your explanations. My objections ( rather observations ) have nothing to do with shape but with the tone and "working" of the instruments. On close listening you will notice how all the instruments in that trio have problems focusing and exhibit numerous dead patches where instead of singing, they grunt. Should you be able to fix those issues ( not the only ones... ) you will still be left ( in my opinion ) with tonally inflexible and monochromatic instruments. I surely hope that is not the future of string tone. It's probably wonderful to try help viola players with less injurious instruments. But if that comes at such cost, such departure from "standard" tone I think very few people will become fans. More so when a proper solution already exists : use a small cello. There is nothing a viola however large can do that a small cello can not do WAY better. As an added bonus that also does away with "viola players" which are almost by definition only marginally competent, constantly fall asleep on stage and replaces them with wonderfully expressive, technically astute cello players. Win-win. I'll comment later on your previous post.

Thank you !!!

Geared pegs are not an option. It seems I'll have to mod guitar machines, should that be possible. Thank you, anyway !

That's what the machines are supposed to replace....

1. Why ??? Do you believe that "unusual sound" predicts success ? 2. The "new sound" was a logical continuation of the old sound. The new instrument added valuable technical capabilities. 3. Well, I think some of us just might... 4. Was there anything wrong with the original sound ? Did Beethoven complain ? 5. No, we do NOT if the effects lack musical character. 6. Instruments are "bad" if they do not "work", i.e. the are inherently false, hard to play, do not sound musical etc etc etc etc etc etc 7. I've no idea how makers sound - I'll have to trust you on that.

Are they still being made anywhere ?

Thank you - I knew about it. Hope it worked for them.

1. I thought so. 2. I'm not an Amati expert but it surely sounds like no Amati I ever heard before unless recently sat on. I wouldn't know it's specially made to sound like that I would think it sounds like crap. I would but I don't. I know better now. 3. Could be, what do I know ? By the way, you did figure out that all three "instruments" are out of tune and the players don't seem able to agree which note is what ? 4. Not for long. I would appreciate if you'd be so kind and place me on your ignore list...

I see. Well, thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to have a listen -I always wondered how that "anti-violin/viola" of yours sounds. You probably don't know this but there was in the '60s a Hungarian (?) maker who tried to duplicate all the strings with appropriately tweaked violin like objects. I heard small chamber assembles playing his instruments and it wasn't intolerable. Not an experience one would wish to repeat either...

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1. ... and nobody listens to. 2. Once you stop moving backwards the illusion of other things moving forwards disappears.

No, they're not. They sound like really bad violins without a soundpost. And by the way, what does "think" mean ?