one string louder than the others

[MikeC]

as a beginner I know I didn't do the best job of set up but all the strings seem pretty even in sound quality except the open D which seems a little louder and seems to have more sustain than the others. If I tap on the body of the violin I can hear the D stand out more clearly than the others. Maybe it's not enough to matter since I'm not much of a player but just wondering what kind of tweaks I could do that would affect that one string.

[Guest]

as a beginner I know I didn't do the best job of set up but all the strings seem pretty even in sound quality except the open D which seems a little louder and seems to have more sustain than the others. If I tap on the body of the violin I can hear the D stand out more clearly than the others. Maybe it's not enough to matter since I'm not much of a player but just wondering what kind of tweaks I could do that would affect that one string.

I had a violin that had the very same problem...I always thought it was a graduation issue since I tried everything under the sun to remedy...I'm very curious too...I anxiously await a response to your question...

-Ernie

[Matthew Noykos]

What kind of strings are you using?

If all other things being equal and the soundpost fits to begin with, if the middle strings are more prominent than the rest, it often helps to tap the topside of the soundpost away from the the bridge toward the tailpiece.

[jezzupe]

Often times a good place to start is with experimenting with some different strings in various combonations.

Can we see pics? I mean of your new fiddle, not the bad sounding D string

[Don Noon]

Normally the A0 mode is at C#, but if the fiddle is stiff, small, or has oversized F-holes you can get the air resonance up to D, and that might be the problem. Try partially covering one F-hole with tape and see what happens.

[jezzupe]

Normally the A0 mode is at C#, but if the fiddle is stiff, small, or has oversized F-holes you can get the air resonance up to D, and that might be the problem. Try partially covering one F-hole with tape and see what happens.

In your experience would one hole be better to cover than another? I would "think" that the bass side would be the one to start with. If it does not matter, is it just because it is the air resonance is at d instead of c?

[Don Noon]

In your experience would one hole be better to cover than another? I would "think" that the bass side would be the one to start with. If it does not matter, is it just because it is the air resonance is at d instead of c?

It shouldn't matter which one is covered, or both. Yes, if the air resonance is at D, the open D string can be too much. I had one... slightly small, slightly stiff, slightly large F-holes. The open D string was honkin'.

[jezzupe]

It shouldn't matter which one is covered, or both. Yes, if the air resonance is at D, the open D string can be too much. I had one... slightly small, slightly stiff, slightly large F-holes. The open D string was honkin'.

Gotcha' one for the file. Its like the one time double D's will do you no good

[Omobono]

as a beginner I know I didn't do the best job of set up but all the strings seem pretty even in sound quality except the open D which seems a little louder and seems to have more sustain than the others. If I tap on the body of the violin I can hear the D stand out more clearly than the others. Maybe it's not enough to matter since I'm not much of a player but just wondering what kind of tweaks I could do that would affect that one string.

If it is a new fiddle (as someone suggests?)

why not take it to a shop and ask someone there to take a look and listen?

(Even if it's not a new instrument not a bad idea!)

Or if you're a beginner and have a teacher - might be a good place to start.

[MikeC]

possibly because I used inexpensive.. that is 'cheap' strings. Steel core. Just to get it strung up and playable. Here's a pic attached. I don't know about taking it to a shop, I live in a rural area and I'm the only luthier around except for one guy who builds resonator guitars. Thanks for the ideas so far, I'll try adjusting the sound post a little and see what happens. Also you will be able to see in the pics that the tail piece is too close to the bridge. And the bridge doesn't line up with the nicks in the F holes but it is the correct distance from the nut.

[lyndon]

i see in your picture your tail gut is way too long, and that is what is making the tailpiece too close to the bridge, just adjusting that might solve your problem, otherwise move the soundpost around sometimes you just find a magic spot where everything balances, lastly if that doesnt work, try a light gauge d string, you should go for a 330mm string length from nut to bridge and if this means you have to move the bridge north, make sure you move the soundpost north as well, the soundpost should be set relative to the bridge not the notches, good luck

[robertdo]

On the picture it seems that the bridge is already quite up north, but as Lyndon said, shortening the tailpiece will make the distance between the end of the fingerboard and the bridge more like the distance between the bridge and the tailpiece (afterlength distance which according to the books should be about 1/6 of the string length. I also read that for each string, the afterlength should sound 2 octaves and a fifth higher. Not easy to ear though)

[MikeC]

lenth from nut to bridge is 330 or slightly less like about 327 depending on the accuracy of my eyes reading the tape measure. So the F holes or the notches are a littl too far south but string length is right. I realized after I strung it up that the tail gut is too long making the tail piece too close to the bridge so I'll make that adjustment first and find out what effect that has before I adjust anything else. I think the tail piece needs to go back about 5mm.

I may need a new bridge also since that's the original one from before the refinish job.

I tried partially covering the F holes, the only difference I could hear is it sounded a little muted. Which brings up another question of if the F holes are too small (a diffent fiddle that I will work on later) then how do you determine how much to open them up. But that's a question for a different thread.

[jacobsaunders]

if the F holes are too small (a diffent fiddle that I will work on later) then how do you determine how much to open them up.

You don't

[lyndon]

if your scale is 327mm lengthening it 3mm to 330mm will get you 3mm closer to normal looking(lined up with the notches)theres no point IMO in tuning the afterlength if it doesnt coincide with a normal short tail gut where the tailpiece just clears the saddle, it appears you either have too long a neck or too long a stop length, the f holes are not the problem, just their position maybe

[Anders Buen]

If you record a G-string side bridge tap and post it we can analyze the spectrum and see where the A0 and other modes are. A finger snap with the index finger nail would do. Damp the strings with your left hand while snapping the bridge, and hold the fiddle upright about 20-30cm from the mic facing the top.

[robertdo]

if you want to follow Anders advice you can also read this small article I saw surfing on the web. I posted the link in another thread. It's a old article from Hutchins but it's simple enough so that I was at last able to grab some notions about A0/B modes and the rest...

[Don Noon]

Yes, that tail gut is waaay too long. That could put the tailpiece resonance low enough to be causing your problem. Even before adjusting it, try lightly wedging a piece of stiff foam or soft wood between the lower end of the tailpiece and the top, and see if that does anything.

[Nicolas Temino]

lenth from nut to bridge is 330 or slightly less like about 327 depending on the accuracy of my eyes reading the tape measure. So the F holes or the notches are a littl too far south but string length is right. I realized after I strung it up that the tail gut is too long making the tail piece too close to the bridge so I'll make that adjustment first and find out what effect that has before I adjust anything else. I think the tail piece needs to go back about 5mm.

I may need a new bridge also since that's the original one from before the refinish job.

I tried partially covering the F holes, the only difference I could hear is it sounded a little muted. Which brings up another question of if the F holes are too small (a diffent fiddle that I will work on later) then how do you determine how much to open them up. But that's a question for a different thread.

For that string lenght you should move the tailpiece south in order to get a string afterlenght of 54.5 - 55 mm. As said before, that might bring a solution.

[MikeC]

I moved the tail piece to the right position so now the string length and the distance from bridge to tail piece is about right but then I ran into a problem tuning up, the gut on the tail piece started slipping. The tail piece gut is the plastic kind with the little screw on nut and the nut is slipping and striping the threads. What kind of tail piece gut do professionals use?

I tried putting a small foam pad under the tail piece before I made any adjustment and couldn't really hear much of a difference.

After I fix the tailpiece gut problem I'll tune it up and see what effect that had on the D string. Even de-tuned the D still sounds louder more resonant than the others, actually it would be nice to make the other strings match the D rather than make the D match the others !

I'll work on it again tonight and once I get it tuned up I'll do the bridge tap, interested in seeing Anders' acoustic analysis.

[lyndon]

get a new tail gut i think the plastic thread may have been compressed by it position in the holes of the tailpiece before you adjusted it, slipping tailgut is not a normal problem ive ever run into

[Don Noon]

Just thinking of other possibilities... not meant as an insult to your intelligence...

Is it possible the G and D strings are switched?

Sometimes G's have denser windings, and are thinner than D's, and it might be easy to put them in the wrong spot.

[AtlVcl]

...and while you're at that, make sure the bottom strings match, i.e., same manufacturer, same type (tungsten, steel, rope core, etc.)

Apologies if this is too elementary.

[MikeC]

G thinner than D? I never would have thought of that. I'll admit these are cheap strings and they were not in individual packets they were all wound together and I assumed the largest diameter one was the G and with el cheapo strings like these it probably is.

I'll be changing out the tailgut tonight and see how it goes from there

[catnip]

G thinner than D? I never would have thought of that. I'll admit these are cheap strings and they were not in individual packets they were all wound together and I assumed the largest diameter one was the G and with el cheapo strings like these it probably is.

You can identify the strings if you do a google search for violin sting identification. I have used the one on quinsviolins. Don is right there are some wound G strings that are thinner than D strings.