I am currently in South Korea, and I took a crap fiddle with me so that I could play while I am here. I think my sound post fell over. I hear a rattling noise moving around whenever I pick up my fiddle. How much of an issue is this? I am sure I could try and get it fixed, because the city I live in has a symphony, but is it worth it? Will I hurt my violin if I leave it as is? It would be a chore to find the place and then explain to them whats wrong. People do not speak much english in my city. Thanks in advance for any opinions or advice that is posted!
You can play it but it will sound rubbish. If it's only a cheap fiddle the damage incurred may not be a problem. What happened to let the sound post fall over -- did you take off all the strings at once? Hold the fiddle so that strong light shines in and look through the f-holes. You should see the sound post standing just behind the treble foot of the bridge. If you can't see it, or see it rolling around in the bottom, you will have to get it fixed. Take it to a luthier and shake it -- you won't need to say anything!
Yes, it will be a problem. Even if it's a couple of millimetres out of position, it will afffect the sound enormously. A well-placed soundpost can mean the difference between a terrible-sounding good-quality fiddle and a decent-sounding cheap fiddle. So leaving it rattling around inside shouldn't really be an option.
The soundpost is an important part of the structure , it not only aids in vibration transfer, it keep the top plate (belly) from buckling under the string pressure.
If you continue to play it you wont have a cheap fiddle, you'll have a junk fiddle
Thank you for all the advice. I suppose I will get over myself and try to find a violin shop. It will be an adventure maybe right? I really do enjoy playing and I am going to be here for at least a year.
I'm honestly not sure why the sound post was knocked over. It could have been like that for awhile. I left my nice one at home and brought my moms crap one. It hasn't been played for years and I had to replace some strings, so maybe it was already like that pre-travel.
My boyfriend spent a couple years in Southeast Asia and found that his fiddle cracked and the sound-post came loose due to the extreme heat and humidity. Coming from Colorado, your fiddle certainly won't be acquainted with that level of humidity!
Ha, TSS. A pal of mine had his fiddle disassemble into component parts whilst he was playing it in similar circumstances in the Southern Pacific. It glued together fine.
@banana512 If you have difficulty finding a luthier in south east asia fear not. Re-fitting/positioning the sound post isn't a major operation. Getting it into the correct position is an art but simply getting it in there standing in roughly the correct position ain't difficult.
A friend had this happen, and the biggest impact seemed to be the loss of volume, not to mention tone quality. It was easy to hear why the sound post was created as part of the instrument's design!
As long as you are sure the fiddle is of no significant value I would agree with Solidmahog, it's not too hard to fit the soundpost yourself. You might be lucky like I was the other day when the soundpost in my "disposable" 2nd fiddle fell down. I put it back up, and the fiddle sounds a lot better than it did before!
I have found a long needle (I think it was something to do with dissecting insects) was a reasonable emergency substitute for the spikey end of the luthier's soundpost setting tool, and a drinking straw, with a loop of string inserted, allowed me to get hold of the post once it was in place and move it around.
It amazes me to see the way a proper luthier bangs on the post with the setting tool to move it. I don't think I could do that without damaging the f-holes.
"As for fitting it yourself; there is a knack to fitting one, but you have to start somewhere." Weejie
It amazes me how few fiddlers are actually able to refit the post should the worst happen, which is usually when about to play with no professional assistance at hand.
Absolute position is a job for a professional. Approximate position, which is good enough to enable playing and essential to avoid damaging (some) the fiddle, should be within the capabilities of the fiddler themselves IMO.
I'm no fiddler or fiddle fixer but I've bailed more than one fiddler out the stook by knowing the knack over the years. A knack shown to me by a fiddler a youthful self was helping evaluate some old fiddles, most of which had their posts rattling around their innards and required resetting.
I think I've still got the tool we made that day in my bits box somewhere. Made from an alloy tent peg with the help of a file and a handy vice lying around an out house. I've made a few since, once under exceptional and trying circumstances, all of which worked perfectly replacing the post and saving the day. I appreciate that it's not a job for the ham fisted, but the semi handy should have no problem.
Putting a soundpost back into position requires a steady hand and lots and lots of patience! The post setting tool should only set you back a small amount of money and really is worth getting and keeping handy. Mine lives in my fiddle case.
When you have run out of patience after it has fallen over again you must count to ten and say to yourself - patience! It's fiddly and awkward but it does pay dividends in terms of the sound produced.
I love the idea of the drinking straw and thread to grip the post! I sometimes use very soft wire that just comes unwound very easily.
It is also worth remembering the ends of the post are shaped (hopefully) to the profile of the interior of the fiddle - the grain of the post goes at right angles to that of the grain of the top of the fiddle.
Thank you everyone. I have been looking for a couple days now, and I have had no luck with finding a lutherie. If I still can't find one soon, I will definitely try to do it myself. I appreciate the reminder that I need patience. I definitely will need it.
So . . . some frustrating hours . . . but I did it! I feel like an engineer . . . except I now know I never would want to be one because the trial and error tests my patiences . . but how rewarding!
Yay! Well done you! Now you have done it once it won't seem so daunting in future if you need to do it again. Of course you might just want to experiment with the placement - given that it is not an expensive instrument. There is plenty of info on the internet about soundpost placement and I won't add any more to it. Like I said it will likely test your patience but is a skill well worth mastering; practice makes perfect and gently does it!
Sound Post?
Sound Post?
I am currently in South Korea, and I took a crap fiddle with me so that I could play while I am here. I think my sound post fell over. I hear a rattling noise moving around whenever I pick up my fiddle. How much of an issue is this? I am sure I could try and get it fixed, because the city I live in has a symphony, but is it worth it? Will I hurt my violin if I leave it as is? It would be a chore to find the place and then explain to them whats wrong. People do not speak much english in my city. Thanks in advance for any opinions or advice that is posted!
-Anna
# Posted on September 5th 2011 by banana512
Re: Sound Post?
Yes it can hurt the fiddle if you leave it that way, loosen the strings and leave them that way until you can take it in to get it fixed.
It's a simple and inexpensive fix. But you need to get it fixed, the instrument is not in playable condition with a fallen sound post.
# Posted on September 5th 2011 by Marklar
Re: Sound Post?
You can play it but it will sound rubbish. If it's only a cheap fiddle the damage incurred may not be a problem. What happened to let the sound post fall over -- did you take off all the strings at once? Hold the fiddle so that strong light shines in and look through the f-holes. You should see the sound post standing just behind the treble foot of the bridge. If you can't see it, or see it rolling around in the bottom, you will have to get it fixed. Take it to a luthier and shake it -- you won't need to say anything!
# Posted on September 5th 2011 by gam
Re: Sound Post?
Yes, it will be a problem. Even if it's a couple of millimetres out of position, it will afffect the sound enormously. A well-placed soundpost can mean the difference between a terrible-sounding good-quality fiddle and a decent-sounding cheap fiddle. So leaving it rattling around inside shouldn't really be an option.
# Posted on September 5th 2011 by Dragut Reis
Re: Sound Post?
The soundpost is an important part of the structure , it not only aids in vibration transfer, it keep the top plate (belly) from buckling under the string pressure.
If you continue to play it you wont have a cheap fiddle, you'll have a junk fiddle
# Posted on September 5th 2011 by Barry1963
Re: Sound Post?
Thank you for all the advice. I suppose I will get over myself and try to find a violin shop. It will be an adventure maybe right? I really do enjoy playing and I am going to be here for at least a year.
I'm honestly not sure why the sound post was knocked over. It could have been like that for awhile. I left my nice one at home and brought my moms crap one. It hasn't been played for years and I had to replace some strings, so maybe it was already like that pre-travel.
# Posted on September 5th 2011 by banana512
Re: Sound Post?
My boyfriend spent a couple years in Southeast Asia and found that his fiddle cracked and the sound-post came loose due to the extreme heat and humidity. Coming from Colorado, your fiddle certainly won't be acquainted with that level of humidity!
# Posted on September 5th 2011 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Sound Post?
Ha, TSS. A pal of mine had his fiddle disassemble into component parts whilst he was playing it in similar circumstances in the Southern Pacific. It glued together fine.
@banana512 If you have difficulty finding a luthier in south east asia fear not. Re-fitting/positioning the sound post isn't a major operation. Getting it into the correct position is an art but simply getting it in there standing in roughly the correct position ain't difficult.
Take your pick:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fitting+fiddle+sound+post&aq=f
# Posted on September 5th 2011 by Solidmahog
Re: Sound Post?
A friend had this happen, and the biggest impact seemed to be the loss of volume, not to mention tone quality. It was easy to hear why the sound post was created as part of the instrument's design!
# Posted on September 6th 2011 by AlBrown
Re: Sound Post?
As long as you are sure the fiddle is of no significant value I would agree with Solidmahog, it's not too hard to fit the soundpost yourself. You might be lucky like I was the other day when the soundpost in my "disposable" 2nd fiddle fell down. I put it back up, and the fiddle sounds a lot better than it did before!
I have found a long needle (I think it was something to do with dissecting insects) was a reasonable emergency substitute for the spikey end of the luthier's soundpost setting tool, and a drinking straw, with a loop of string inserted, allowed me to get hold of the post once it was in place and move it around.
It amazes me to see the way a proper luthier bangs on the post with the setting tool to move it. I don't think I could do that without damaging the f-holes.
# Posted on September 6th 2011 by Bernie 29
Re: Sound Post?
"If you have difficulty finding a luthier in south east asia fear not."
South Korea - instrument makers?
I don't see there being any difficulty.
As for fitting it yourself; there is a knack to fitting one, but you have to start somewhere.
# Posted on September 6th 2011 by Weejie
Re: Sound Post?
"As for fitting it yourself; there is a knack to fitting one, but you have to start somewhere." Weejie
It amazes me how few fiddlers are actually able to refit the post should the worst happen, which is usually when about to play with no professional assistance at hand.
Absolute position is a job for a professional. Approximate position, which is good enough to enable playing and essential to avoid damaging (some) the fiddle, should be within the capabilities of the fiddler themselves IMO.
I'm no fiddler or fiddle fixer but I've bailed more than one fiddler out the stook by knowing the knack over the years. A knack shown to me by a fiddler a youthful self was helping evaluate some old fiddles, most of which had their posts rattling around their innards and required resetting.
I think I've still got the tool we made that day in my bits box somewhere. Made from an alloy tent peg with the help of a file and a handy vice lying around an out house. I've made a few since, once under exceptional and trying circumstances, all of which worked perfectly replacing the post and saving the day. I appreciate that it's not a job for the ham fisted, but the semi handy should have no problem.
# Posted on September 6th 2011 by Solidmahog
Re: Sound Post?
Putting a soundpost back into position requires a steady hand and lots and lots of patience! The post setting tool should only set you back a small amount of money and really is worth getting and keeping handy. Mine lives in my fiddle case.
When you have run out of patience after it has fallen over again you must count to ten and say to yourself - patience! It's fiddly and awkward but it does pay dividends in terms of the sound produced.
I love the idea of the drinking straw and thread to grip the post! I sometimes use very soft wire that just comes unwound very easily.
It is also worth remembering the ends of the post are shaped (hopefully) to the profile of the interior of the fiddle - the grain of the post goes at right angles to that of the grain of the top of the fiddle.
Have fun and oh, did I mention patience?
# Posted on September 6th 2011 by john knoss
Re: Sound Post?
Scroll down to the "Swiftsetter"
http://www.theviolinman.co.uk/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=New_Products&cart_id=9633819.4572
# Posted on September 6th 2011 by On Sabbatical
Re: Sound Post?
Thank you everyone. I have been looking for a couple days now, and I have had no luck with finding a lutherie. If I still can't find one soon, I will definitely try to do it myself. I appreciate the reminder that I need patience. I definitely will need it.
-Anna
# Posted on September 7th 2011 by banana512
Re: Sound Post?
So . . . some frustrating hours . . . but I did it! I feel like an engineer . . . except I now know I never would want to be one because the trial and error tests my patiences . . but how rewarding!
# Posted on September 7th 2011 by banana512
Re: Sound Post?
p.s. Thanks for all the help!
# Posted on September 7th 2011 by banana512
Re: Sound Post?
Well done you banana512.
That's great news.
# Posted on September 7th 2011 by Solidmahog
Re: Sound Post?
Yay! Well done you! Now you have done it once it won't seem so daunting in future if you need to do it again. Of course you might just want to experiment with the placement - given that it is not an expensive instrument. There is plenty of info on the internet about soundpost placement and I won't add any more to it. Like I said it will likely test your patience but is a skill well worth mastering; practice makes perfect and gently does it!
# Posted on September 7th 2011 by john knoss