Say you wanted to set about building a fiddle (Oh, I know you could probably buy a better one for two/three hundred quid, but that's not the point here...)
How would you go about it? Would you buy a £20 ebay fiddle, take it apart and reassemble it for practice? Are there any fiddle-making kits available? Can you recommend any good books on the subject? Does anybody out there in ITM-land have any experience in making them?
I've got four white fiddles that someday I intend to fool around with, largely to learn more about things like setting soundposts and stuff. I don't intend to ever become a luthier or anything, but I just want to find out what happens when you do *this* and what happens when you do *that* in a more visceral way than just reading about it.
You can buy white fiddles on E-bay or from just about any luthier who can order them in for you from various shops round the globe. And there's tons of books on building fiddles.
Are you just casting about trying to find an instrument to play these days, Karen?
International Violin Company, Ltd.
1421 Clarkview Road
Suite 118
Baltimore, MD 21209-2187, USA http://www.internationalviolin.com
Baltimore Maryland Toll Free (US) 1-800-542-3538
Phone: 410-832-2525
Fax: 410-832-2528
They sell all sorts of kits and pieces and tools. I've ordered parts and tools from them and have never been disappointed.
They sell a mostly finished kit for $225 which includes just about everything you need to build the fiddle.
You'd probably have an easier time building from a kit than trying to "take apart" a cheapo ebay fiddle as there will be far less to break as pieces are coming apart ... sometimes the glue is stronger than the wood (especially if they didn't use hide glue).
I've read on other forums of beginning luthiers having very good results with these kits, ending up with fiddles that soud far better than $200 would buy in a shop or from eBay.
Thanks for the gen so far, folks. Any more info/tales of (innocence and?) experience welcomed.
Zina - nope, I posted the mandolin thread for a friend who's not on thesession.org but plays and makes mandolins and banjos, and we were noodling on the subject of wee octave mandos over the weekend. He was also thinking it might be nice to branch out into violins. Coincidentally, another (violin-playing) friend was asking about violin kits when I spoke to him on Sunday; I think he's looking for the finding-out-what-happens experience, rather than hoping to better the violins he already owns! I just thought I'd recruit youse lot into the discussion. I decided umpty-odd years ago which instrument I'd like to play, thanks! Make one myself? 'Struth, no! ;-(
Another approach, which I've known some do, is to buy some dirt cheap beat-up old fiddle at an auction or second-hand shop, or whatever, and use it as a test-bed for learning how to do repairs and setting up. A guy I knew some years ago did just this and after two or three years of taking old fiddles apart and repairing them (and incidentally selling the repaired fiddles at a profit) eventually took the plunge and started making his own from scratch (not from kits). He tended to specialise in violas, and some were used professionally. I don't know whether he's still around, he must be getting on a bit.
Trevor
Oh no, I went to bed at 11:00 or so (2300 to you!) and got up at 4, Karen. I'll be doing nonsense like that for a few more days until these dresses are ready. I get to sleep on Sunday, though! Yay! Then Monday I start over again with four more dresses and a solo for Oireachtas.
Yes,I have actually.In a Stewert & MacDonold catalog.They mostly do guitar making, but they have a violin making section too, and there's a kit in there.I don't know their website,but you could try a search.Maybe try searching for StewMac.
Ever seen a violin/fiddle-making kit?
Ever seen a violin/fiddle-making kit?
Say you wanted to set about building a fiddle (Oh, I know you could probably buy a better one for two/three hundred quid, but that's not the point here...)
How would you go about it? Would you buy a £20 ebay fiddle, take it apart and reassemble it for practice? Are there any fiddle-making kits available? Can you recommend any good books on the subject? Does anybody out there in ITM-land have any experience in making them?
# Posted on November 4th 2003 by nastyweegirl
Re: Ever seen a violin/fiddle-making kit?
I've got four white fiddles that someday I intend to fool around with, largely to learn more about things like setting soundposts and stuff. I don't intend to ever become a luthier or anything, but I just want to find out what happens when you do *this* and what happens when you do *that* in a more visceral way than just reading about it.
You can buy white fiddles on E-bay or from just about any luthier who can order them in for you from various shops round the globe. And there's tons of books on building fiddles.
Are you just casting about trying to find an instrument to play these days, Karen?
# Posted on November 4th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Ever seen a violin/fiddle-making kit?
A google search for violin making kit gave me these three: (and about 25000 other sites)
http://www.violin-world.com/sound/lecone.html
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Kits/Violin_Kits/1/Plain_Maple_Violin_Kit/Related_items.html
(STEWMAC seems to have a lot of fun stuff)
http://www.minehara.com/tezukuri/enzairyo.htm (if you want to order from Japan)
I'm also setting out to build a fiddle, but I probably won't go for a kit. I want the real thing!
Dont forget to post your results and perhaps put some pictures somewhere!
# Posted on November 4th 2003 by Pontus Adefjord
Re: Ever seen a violin/fiddle-making kit?
International Violin Company, Ltd.
1421 Clarkview Road
Suite 118
Baltimore, MD 21209-2187, USA
http://www.internationalviolin.com
Baltimore Maryland Toll Free (US) 1-800-542-3538
Phone: 410-832-2525
Fax: 410-832-2528
They sell all sorts of kits and pieces and tools. I've ordered parts and tools from them and have never been disappointed.
They sell a mostly finished kit for $225 which includes just about everything you need to build the fiddle.
You'd probably have an easier time building from a kit than trying to "take apart" a cheapo ebay fiddle as there will be far less to break as pieces are coming apart ... sometimes the glue is stronger than the wood (especially if they didn't use hide glue).
I've read on other forums of beginning luthiers having very good results with these kits, ending up with fiddles that soud far better than $200 would buy in a shop or from eBay.
# Posted on November 5th 2003 by KeepFiddlin'
Re: Ever seen a violin/fiddle-making kit?
Thanks for the gen so far, folks. Any more info/tales of (innocence and?) experience welcomed.
Zina - nope, I posted the mandolin thread for a friend who's not on thesession.org but plays and makes mandolins and banjos, and we were noodling on the subject of wee octave mandos over the weekend. He was also thinking it might be nice to branch out into violins. Coincidentally, another (violin-playing) friend was asking about violin kits when I spoke to him on Sunday; I think he's looking for the finding-out-what-happens experience, rather than hoping to better the violins he already owns! I just thought I'd recruit youse lot into the discussion. I decided umpty-odd years ago which instrument I'd like to play, thanks!
Make one myself? 'Struth, no! ;-(
# Posted on November 5th 2003 by nastyweegirl
PS NOT a piano
... and Zina, it's time for bed, surely?
# Posted on November 5th 2003 by nastyweegirl
Re: Ever seen a violin/fiddle-making kit?
Another approach, which I've known some do, is to buy some dirt cheap beat-up old fiddle at an auction or second-hand shop, or whatever, and use it as a test-bed for learning how to do repairs and setting up. A guy I knew some years ago did just this and after two or three years of taking old fiddles apart and repairing them (and incidentally selling the repaired fiddles at a profit) eventually took the plunge and started making his own from scratch (not from kits). He tended to specialise in violas, and some were used professionally. I don't know whether he's still around, he must be getting on a bit.
Trevor
# Posted on November 5th 2003 by lazyhound
Re: Ever seen a violin/fiddle-making kit?
Oh no, I went to bed at 11:00 or so (2300 to you!) and got up at 4, Karen. I'll be doing nonsense like that for a few more days until these dresses are ready. I get to sleep on Sunday, though! Yay! Then Monday I start over again with four more dresses and a solo for Oireachtas.
# Posted on November 5th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Ever seen a violin/fiddle-making kit?
Oy! :o(
# Posted on November 5th 2003 by nastyweegirl
Re: Ever seen a violin/fiddle-making kit?
Yes,I have actually.In a Stewert & MacDonold catalog.They mostly do guitar making, but they have a violin making section too, and there's a kit in there.I don't know their website,but you could try a search.Maybe try searching for StewMac.
# Posted on November 5th 2003 by seisflutes
Re: Ever seen a violin/fiddle-making kit?
Sounds like an interesting (and tricky) project. I found the Stewmac website:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Kits/Violin_Kits/1/Plain_Maple_Violin_Kit/Instructions/I-0301.html
# Posted on November 5th 2003 by Concertina Player
Re: Ever seen a violin/fiddle-making kit?
Yes I bought one of these fiddle kits and had great luck with it. I highly recommend this kit.
-dogma
# Posted on November 6th 2003 by dogmageek