String spacing and tone? Players with large hands?

[Bill Merkel]

Is two times not enough?

Is two times of what not enough for what?

[nathan slobodkin]

7 minutes ago, Bill Merkel said:

Is two times not enough?

Is two times of what not enough for what?

I wrote twice that Perlman's instrument had a normal 16.5 mm string spacing.

[Bill Merkel]

^Good for you.  I never said anything to the contrary if that's your worry.  Go for four?

[nathan slobodkin]

2 hours ago, Bill Merkel said:

It's an unusual website in that likely as not somebody here is the person who works on Perlman's fiddles, not just some bored random dude like us.

Sorry Bill. I thought you were still speculating that Perlman used non standard measurements.

[Bill Merkel]

^I didn't speculate that.  If I was going to speculate, I'd speculate the opposite, that he grew up with standard measurement and adjusted to it in his own way as he grew. 

[GoPractice]

7 hours ago, deans said:

I dont think so, I thought it was for one performance. But again, I could have this mixed up with another story, shouldn't have even mentioned it.

No, I should not have asked so bluntly. It just sounds like a very cool story. The sound of he makes is amazing. So got a bit excited about how he might have sounded.  

[Peter K-G]

This one I made almost 25 mm. The player had very big hands (bigger than Perlman). The day after he got the violin he "corrected" the neck to his big hands. The other measures he corrected to 18.5, 19.5 mm

I think he also wanted to make a new nut, with less spacing, looking at his other violins. But he left that as is.

I now have the violin back and the neck is kind of a standard for new violins. Maybe not as extreme, but the shape is absolutely perfect for playing. I can't measure why it's so great, it just is by playing.

[Guglielmus Carinius]

On 2/22/2022 at 6:56 PM, nathan slobodkin said:

Exactly 16.5 at the nut on the Soil in 1993.

Thanks for the information, good to know the reality instead of speculation.