What is the correct sound of a Excellent Violin?

[carl1961]

7 hours ago, Bill Merkel said:

They're pretty rare.  But somehow not as rare as pictures or recordings of them.

What is the alignment of the neck on yours like?  Playability is extremely important and I think a critical thing for playability above about 3rd position is that the curve of the strings are exactly in line with the curve of the fingerboard all the way to the end.

My finger board is off to the E side at about 1 mm, needs neck slightly adjusted to the bass,  just been putting off and really did not want to remove the top

[Pate Bliss]

6 hours ago, David Burgess said:

I try to keep a damper on photos, because there have been issues with people making or selling fakes, and I don't want to make it any easier for them.

I saw that before, but while you're alive you can quickly point out a fake to anybody who wants to know, and when you're dead you won't care.  So why not picture them in detail?

[Pate Bliss]

1 hour ago, carl1961 said:

My finger board is off to the E side at about 1 mm, needs neck slightly adjusted to the bass,  just been putting off and really did not want to remove the top

Did you ever see that online book Michael Darnton is putting together?  It has a chapter on locating the right center that I thought was interesting.

[David Burgess]

27 minutes ago, Bill Merkel said:

I saw that before, but while you're alive you can quickly point out a fake to anybody who wants to know, and when you're dead you won't care.  So why not picture them in detail?

Yes, I can point out a fake, as long as someone contacts me and sends good photos before trying to jump on a "deal". Most of the more experienced dealers can too.

It's quite arguable that I won't care what happens after I'm dead. If that was true, I'd only be trying to make instruments with a life expectancy of 5-30 years or so right now.  But I put as much or more care into longevity as I ever did.

[Pate Bliss]

^Force of habit.  You can ease up now

 

[David Burgess]

3 minutes ago, Bill Merkel said:

^Force of habit.  You can ease up now

That just wouldn't be "me".

[Pate Bliss]

^It can be the new you.  On the other hand I knew a guy who wrote in some Y2K bugs assuming he wouldn't be around there but he was...

 

If your details are secret it doesn't do anything to the number of fakes.  No amount of Strad details did that...

 

[carl1961]

29 minutes ago, Bill Merkel said:

Did you ever see that online book Michael Darnton is putting together?  It has a chapter on locating the right center that I thought was interesting.

Thanks Bill , yes I have his online book saved as PDF I will go read up on that.

[David Burgess]

17 minutes ago, Bill Merkel said:

^It can be the new you.  On the other hand I knew a guy who wrote in some Y2K bugs assuming he wouldn't be around there but he was...

 

If your details are secret it doesn't do anything to the number of fakes.  No amount of Strad details did that...

With the exception of a very few Stradivari fakes , most experts will know a fake Strad in a heartbeat.

I have no control over the number of fakes of my own instruments (unless I want to switch from being a violinmaker to a litigator), but I may have some control over how visually convincing they are, and hence, limit the damage done by scammers.

[Carl Stross]

2 hours ago, carl1961 said:

My finger board is off to the E side at about 1 mm, needs neck slightly adjusted to the bass,  just been putting off and really did not want to remove the top

Leave it. That's how it should be.

[Pate Bliss]

11 minutes ago, carl1961 said:

Thanks Bill , yes I have his online book saved as PDF I will go read up on that.

I think you have tons and tons of potential.  You aren't hold your cards inside your shirt like that Burgess guy either.

[Violadamore]

10 minutes ago, David Burgess said:

With the exception of a very few Stradivari fakers , most experts will know a fake Strad in a heartbeat.

I have no control over the number of fakes, but I may have some control over how visually convincing they are, and hence, limit the damage done by scammers.

The built-on-back corners are usually a dead giveaway.

You sure you aren't holding back because you suddenly realized that, in the innate perfection of your design, you'd inadvertently copied the Chinese already? 

[David Burgess]

3 minutes ago, Bill Merkel said:

  You aren't hold your cards inside your shirt like that Burgess guy either.

It sucks to be me.

[David Burgess]

12 minutes ago, Violadamore said:

The built-on-back corners are usually a dead giveaway.

You sure you aren't holding back because you suddenly realized that, in the innate perfection of your design, you'd inadvertently copied the Chinese already? 

Well, I'm not aware of any Chinese maker who uses the "built on back" method.

Besides, I was making before I'd ever seen Chinese fiddle.   Had I ever seen a Japanese fiddle when I started making? Possibly (I can't totally rule it out), but I may be older than you realize.  

[carl1961]

11 minutes ago, carl stross said:

Leave it. That's how it should be.

carl, you might be thinking of string height, my E is 35mm and G is 5mm. when I glued my neck on after the body was fully glued together some how it drifted to the E side of the violin 1 to 1.5 mm at the bridge center.

[Violadamore]

6 minutes ago, David Burgess said:

Well, I'm not aware of any Chinese maker who uses the "built on back" method.

 

Thank God.  Makes my life easier, anyway.  I was referring, of course, to all the Strad labeled Markies loose in the world.

[Dwight Shirley]

I never knew chubby Wise but a luthier friend of mine, now deceased, knew him well and was familiar with his fiddle.He told me that Chubby's fiddle was a very cheap german trade fiddle, black varnish and very course sound. Chubby was a very good fiddler in the bluegrass style and the fiddle worked for him, so i guess it was a good one for what he did with it.

[David Burgess]

8 minutes ago, carl1961 said:

carl, you might be thinking of string height, my E is 35mm and G is 5mm. when I glued my neck on after the body was fully glued together some how it drifted to the E side of the violin 1 to 1.5 mm at the bridge center.

I don't think he is. Some players and makers prefer a little more fingerboard overhang on the E side. I don't do that personally, except upon request, but we haven't yet gotten to a set of rules. etched in stone, which everyone agrees with, and is right for everyone.

[Carl Stross]

14 minutes ago, carl1961 said:

carl, you might be thinking of string height, my E is 35mm and G is 5mm. when I glued my neck on after the body was fully glued together some how it drifted to the E side of the violin 1 to 1.5 mm at the bridge center.

Could be. Let me check.................................................. No.

[Carl Stross]

1 minute ago, David Burgess said:

I don't think he is. Some players and makers prefer a little more fingerboard overhang on the E side. I don't do that personally, except upon request, but we haven't yet gotten to a set of rules. etched in stone, which everyone agrees with, and is right for everyone.

C'mon David, I'm sure you give it 1mm or so... 

[carl1961]

10 minutes ago, Dwight Shirley said:

I never knew chubby Wise but a luthier friend of mine, now deceased, knew him well and was familiar with his fiddle.He told me that Chubby's fiddle was a very cheap german trade fiddle, black varnish and very course sound. Chubby was a very good fiddler in the bluegrass style and the fiddle worked for him, so i guess it was a good one for what he did with it.

Man thanks for the info, I always wondered what he played. he could bring the tone out of anything.

[David Burgess]

7 minutes ago, carl stross said:

C'mon David, I'm sure you give it 1mm or so... 

I don't, but I also can't deny that some people prefer romance with a broader partner, so there's less likelihood of falling off.

[carl1961]

7 minutes ago, carl stross said:

Could be. Let me check.................................................. No.

Ok Carl, nice so I will live it as is.

[Carl Stross]

2 minutes ago, David Burgess said:

I don't, but I also can't deny that some people prefer romance with a broader partner, so they won't fall off.

Don't you get any pull from E ?

[David Burgess]

15 minutes ago, carl stross said:

Don't you get any pull from E ?

Can't say for sure. One "E" was someone who dragged me out of a bar when I was drunk, and may have "taken advantage" of me. Two days later, I was back to making violins. Wouldn't even remember her, had you not brought it up.