CBFindlay

Doug, thank you so much. This helps a lot. This is a piece of spruce I got from Woodcraft that they said was usually purchased for guitar repairs, and it was all they had. I got it to just make cleats out of and small bits of wood to replace a corner missing on the “Conservatory” masterpiece I’m learning to restore on. Actually I was hoping having such widely varying grain widths would help me find bits to match the grain on various tops. As I’m a beginner and amateur, sadly I don’t have scrap bass bars to rob, so I hope this wood works! Jeffrey, thanks, I have been reading the Triangle Strings article but was having a hard time wrapping my head around exactly how to extract the cleat stock even after reading. Knowing where the end grain goes helps a lot.

Hi, I’m brand new to repair/restoration and I hope you all don’t mind helping me with a newbie question. I’m trying to make my first cleats to shore up a crack repair, and I am literally giving myself a headache trying to figure out how to cut them out of this spruce I got. The first question is - I need to cut my stock as in photo 2, am I correct, and NOT as in photo 1? And then, I mitre off (what is now) the end grain to a 45 degree angle, and then split off each cleat from what is now my long skinny stock using a chisel, and what is now the end grain becomes the TOP/bottom face of my cleats that I then have to chalk fit to the repair surface? I apologize if this is out there already, I’ve looked for videos and posts to no avail...

Has anyone ever seen the label "Andreas Pfretzschner"?

Well, it's hard to describe with the Dominants... they just sounded kind of dark and sandy. The Helicores are more ring-y. I like that they are brighter - but I just like the description "sweet" I guess to describe the sound I'm looking for. Also, I have a more responsive violin and so I've seen what that feels like, and I've been noticing that it's a bit more work to get the sound i want out of the German fiddle. I do understand that's in large part a facet of the violin itself, but wondering if different strings would make a difference - either way.

Hello! Brand new here and not very advanced player. I have an old E. Martin fiddle that I'm partial to. It was described to me as very "bass-ey". It has to my ear a nice ring to it. I currently have a set of Tonicas on it. I play only for myself; I don't need more power or volume at all. I would like this violin to sound as "sweet" and be as responsive as possible. I don't like the way Dominants sound on this instrument at all. I was considering Pirastro Violinos on this next because I read this: "Pirastro Violino - Orignally marketed as a student string, their price, while hardly prohibitive, is not insignificant. However, of all the synthetic strings, these are probably the "sweetest." What they lack in projection, they make up for in sweetness. If you have an instrument that needs taming, or has plenty of power but not an interesting tone, these strings are worth a try." Does anyone have experience with these? Does anyone have any string recommendations for me? Thank you!