Al Cramer Posted June 10, 2018 Report Share Posted June 10, 2018 I'm trying to learn how to do a proper violin setup. Thanks to the many wonderful postings on this site, I've progressed in the last 6 months from "horrible" to " bad". I have a little question that I'd like to ask -- it's probably really stupid, but here goes... I'm working on what I think is a c. 1900 German factory copy of a Maggini. It's the big Maggini -- body is 3/8" longer & a wee bit wider than standard. The instrument is light (not much heavier than my Amati) and very alive acoustically: when our Border Collie barks, all the strings ring out in sympathy. The sound is very rich and nicely dark, but the volume is a bit low, so I'm experimenting with different bridges and soundposts and strings to see if I can make its voice a bit bigger . In working with soundpost placement, I've found that when the post is positioned to favor the G/D strings, I feel a strong vibration in the neck when I play. When I move the post to favor the E string, the vibration diminishes strongly. My question is: does anybody use the information provided by neck vibration to help determine optimal soundpost height & position? Many thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacksonMaberry Posted June 11, 2018 Report Share Posted June 11, 2018 Sounds like the neck could be slightly loose in the mortice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Cramer Posted June 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2018 Thanks JacksonMaberry, you were very kind to respond. I slacked the strings down to 0 tension & tried to wiggle the neck and couldn't sense anything. Then I made a new soundpost, positioned so its leading edge was 4mm back of the rear edge of the bridge; and its center was 2-3mm west (towards the bass bar) of the center of the A/E foot of the bridge. These measurements seem really extreme according to what I've read, but the results were fantastic. G/D are much stronger, but also A/E, which surprised me because I thought the move towards the bass bar would weaken their response. Re the neck vibration: can still feel it when I play G or D string. Not if I play of A or E alone; but it's present if I play double stops on both. I am amazed at how much better this fiddle sounds after 3 days of experimentation with soundposts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.