dpappas

I stand corrected. I should have said I have not seen "many" players with harp tailpieces. Thanks!

I’ve never seen a high end player/fiddle with a harp tailpiece. I’ve seen all kinds of fittings, tastes, choices, but never a harp tailpiece in use by someone who makes a living playing the instrument. I am sure there are and I’ve just missed them.

Thanks, Jeffrey, I have read the MN threads of yore, and was wondering if there was an update since then with respect to people's experiences. (by the way, your past advice to another member about using a bridge with smaller foot spread was the magic I needed for a violin with narrow upper f-hole eyes, so thanks!)

I will need to get some layer of protection on the upper treble bout rib where my hand contacts the instrument. I know adhesive tape/film is commonly used but has anyone used renaissance wax or even micro suction film to do the same. What products do those experienced in this layer of protection recommend?

$82 is that you pay if you ship it to triangle strings and have your bow rehaired by an expert (and fellow MN member to boot). So it's not unreasonable to charge $85

It took me a while to get this experiment finished. I am not happy with the overall cut and fit of the bridge, this is my third attempt at bridge fitting so this is definitely not the final product. The 38 mm bridge brought out more volume across all strings and more depth. It’s still the same violin with more “oomph” in the lower end and more power overall. I’m going to take it to a professional to have them fit a narrow bridge. Even my newbie job made the violin much better. Thanks also to Jeffrey Holmes for mentioning this in other threads.

We will never know. So many instruments from this era have been altered, their thicknesses reduced, etc. unless this was a considered a pristine example, you can’t read too much into the intention of design, and just treat it as is. If the asymmetry is important to the sound, either Steiner or someone down the line who altered it would know. But they can’t answer the question for us.

David, I usually keep mine (a korfkerrest) at 9 and 3, but I've been experimenting with a tilt that lets the instrument sit flatter, at the same angle as if it is resting on my collarbone (see picture). So far, no complaints. I will say the korfkerrest is my preferred rest. It feels like I'm playing without a rest, but my downward shifts are more secure and I don't have to support the instrument with my left hand. It's very ergonomic.

What a fun idea! I am actually upgrading from my Bam case to a Musafia that will be here in a few weeks. I'm beyond excited. In the case I've got my violin, two bows that I alternate between randomly. A cake of leatherwood supple rosin, my should rest, spare strings, peg compound, and four different mutes made by Weissmeyer and sons (their disc, viol, dual-tone, and Catrpilr (spelled correctly) mutes). Nail clippers, the torx wrench for my shoulder rest, a DIY sponge humidifier, and a silk accessory bag made by daughter (it has a matching silk bag for the violin that I never use). Not shown, but also present are a few lens wipes (for cleaning my glasses or strings) and Apple AirTag in case I misplace my instrument. It won't work for theft because the thief will get a notification that someone else's AirTag is with them if they have an iPhone. My new Musafia is a Superlegerro and I can't wait.

Davide do modern makers do much with nails/screws unless they are replicating baroque approaches? I am legitimately curious because the mortise has been standard for so long.

Many loaned instruments require the grantee to insure, at their expense. The loans are often very clear on these requirements, as well as sometimes going as far as specifying luthiers authorized to work on the instrument, or requiring command performances. If you think about it, if someone is giving you a high-end fiddle, and asks you to cover the insurance costs for something you might do to it, it's a fair deal. It's not just for antiques. In some cases, the owner pays the insurance, so it being "insured" may not be her choice anyway. The alarm not going off for an hour might be a technical glitch. Let's not jump to conclusions. Here is an example of requirements from one such foundation: https://www.rbpfoundation.org/instrument-loans/expectations-of-recipients/ https://www.rbpfoundation.org/instrument-loans/instrument-bow-care-guidelines/

Cars are expensive (buying one right now sadly) because production stopped for a while for the cars and their components, and because rental companies didn't update their fleets during the pandemic (which affects both new orders and the used market). The used market drying up really drove demand for new cars. Violins didn't suffer chip shortages and individual makers could still make, but probably not sell as well. I can't see even factory/workshop violins suffering. People still needed cars during the pandemic, hence the shortage.

It will be a week or so but when I finish I’ll report back.

I'm in the opposite boat. Narrow upper eyes (38 mm I think), and the BB is about 2 mm in from that, so even with the angle it's a good 2.5-3 mm in from the bridge foot edge. So I ordered a 39 mm blank as suggested by Jeffrey and will spend a good deal of time working on that new bridge. I'll need to fit a longer post to get it in due to the narrower 39 mm bridge foot spacing. I noticed on some of the dGs in the Biddulph book (I have the small edition) and some strad posters that even with narrow upper eyes and "innie" bass bars people stick to the same 42 mm bridges most of the time. So I am not sure if I am chasing something for minimal to no change, but swapping a bridge is easy to undo.

Thanks for updating!