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banjowen - Posted - 06/26/2007: 04:29:44
I have an old fiddle with a couple of hairline cracks on the top near the F holes, is this a great detriment to a fiddles tone,if so would it take an expensive repair job to rectify it.
Owen
(Stiffhand Grab-any)
Twelvefret - Posted - 06/26/2007: 06:19:04
My fiddle makers tell me that cracks in the top are ok, but cracks in the back are the death of an instrument Many times a poorly fitting sound post and too little humidity can cause these cracks. If you decide to have it repaired, make sure you use a sponge in a container with holes next winter season.
chuck
Here is an archive of old time music from Berea College in Berea Kentucky, http://tinyurl.com/d5mnx
voodoo - Posted - 06/26/2007: 07:20:28
Depends on where exactly the cracks are, how dirty they are, and so on. Fresh cracks not near the soundpost or bass bar aren't really any trouble. Special clamps exist allowing gluing while the top is on. Serious cracks generally require taking the top off, which is more trouble and expense. Dirty cracks are also more trouble.
www.giannaviolins.com
Friendsville, TN
fiddlemaker - Posted - 06/26/2007: 08:45:45
cracks on the f hole wings can also cause a buzz to develop. It's best to have them fixed. It's usually not very expensive.
Strings Attached Violin Shop
708 Charles St
Waynesboro, Va 22980
duke13 - Posted - 06/26/2007: 09:50:49
quote:
[i]
too little humidity can cause these cracks. If you decide to have it repaired, make sure you use a sponge in a container with holes next winter season.
I wouldn't think that be a problem in the U.K. In arizona maybe!
FIDDLE PLAYERS DON'T FRET
Ray Soulard - Posted - 06/26/2007: 21:06:10
I very recently got an estimate from Vermont Violins to repair two cracks in the top of my violin; one crack running close and parallel to the fingerboard from the top of the right F-hole torward the neck. The second crack (also on the right) runs from the bottom of the F-hole down. The luthier said the top had to come off and the repair would be around $200.00
Ray
allenadale - Posted - 06/26/2007: 23:09:09
I've got a hairline crack in the top of my fiddle, running parallel to the fingerboard about a half inch from the E string. The crack doesn't go anywhere near the f hole. My great grandfather thought the crack improved the sound. I don't know what it sounded like before the crack, but it sounds great now.
Many years ago, I took the fiddle to a repair shop and got an estimate of a couple hundred dollars to fix it. I consulted with my grandfather, and he would not allow the repair to be made. Now that I own it, I just haven't gotten around to doing anything about it.
Edited by - allenadale on 06/26/2007 23:11:08
Couchie - Posted - 06/27/2007: 11:34:20
My favourite fiddle suddenly developed four major cracks in the top. I took it to my friend James Young and he fixed them so you wouldn't know it had been cracked, and it sounded no different to my ears.
0=='=# + CD=#
Don.
Edited by - Couchie on 06/28/2007 09:12:59
'Shenandoah Valley Jams' 2 hrs
