rounder - Posted - 07/11/2007:  10:11:36

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I've been messing with sound posts and having difficulty getting the correct angle on the ends to match the top and bottom. It looks like the post is standing on it's 'toe' or 'heel' I can get the correct height but not with the correct angle. I have a bunch of too short sound posts now. How does one get the correct angles with the correct sound post height all in one shot? I think that when the whole sound post diameter meets the surfaces it will impart a better sound. Or is just touching sound board and back good enough. Thanks for your help.

Regards, rounder

woodwiz - Posted - 07/11/2007:  10:35:32

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The fit of the sound post is probably the most important factor in getting the best sound out of your fiddle. It needs to be as close to dead solid perfect as possible. Uneven contact will make a fiddle squeaky and unresponsive. Too loose, and the sound will be thin, too tight and you risk damage. Location doesn't make much difference if the post doesn't fit.

Practice is usually what's recommended, plus lots of inspection with a mirror and through the end pin hole. It's a skill, and there aren't many shortcuts to learning it. It took me about a hundred or so to start getting it right, and I'm still not that great. You can wet the end of the post to see where it is touching, plus you can rotate the post gently with a scissors-type soundpost setter to feel whether it is locked in solid or pivoting on a point. Mostly, though, it's just practice, learning to see and feel. Make sure the grain rings are 90 degrees to the grain of the top.

Be very careful with the sound post. You can easily damage the inside of the top, and it's easy to chew up the sound holes.



Michael R

www.kcstrings.com

M-D - Posted - 07/11/2007:  11:56:00

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This has to be the biggest PITA of setting up a fiddle. As Michael said, it takes lots of practice. I dont know any real shortcuts to offer, but here's how I start.

First, I assess the approximate length required. Then I'll use the outside of the fiddle as a guide to the correct angle. 'Taint always so, however. I'll mark the lower of these angles on the post, and cut it. Insert the post through the sound hole, and mark the upper angle, BUT leaving the post about 2mm longer than I think needed.

Then, I'll insert the post, lining everything up square inside. As Michael stated, look through the end-pin hole and the f-hole. Use the edge of the end-block as a guide. These may not always be square, neither, so adjust accordingly.

Once the post is square in place, I'll start looking at the fit inside, making note of any discrepancies, both in fit and length. You need to look at this fit all the way around the post, too. This is where the mirrors and lights come into play.

Cut the needed adjustments, then refit the post in place. Do everything over again. If you've done good, the post is fit. If not, remove and do all over again.

Realise that the angles change as the post move further toward the f-hole.

It usually takes me three times to get a post right., sometimes more, rarely less.



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M-D

Music is found in the space between the notes -- in the silence between the chords. Get your spaces right, and you've got it. ~ Albert Greenfield

woodwiz - Posted - 07/11/2007:  12:14:42

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quote:

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Originally posted by M-D

Cut the needed adjustments, then refit the post in place. Do everything over again. If you've done good, the post is fit. If not, remove and do all over again.

It usually takes me three times to get a post right., sometimes more, rarely less.

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That's pretty good, actually. It's very much a "cut and try" operation. The better you get, the closer you can get on the first try, but even the guys here who do setups all the time have to cycle through a few times to get a perfect fit.

Michael R

www.kcstrings.com