Quincy - Posted - 03/13/2022:  22:31:48

Tuneweaver's recent topic 'playability vs sound' inspired me to get my 90 euro violin shaped object (suitcase , bow and piece of rosin and cleaning towel included) produced by Stagg instruments, with headquarters in Brussels, from the corner under my bed. It had been there since I learned Twinkle twinkle and Amazing grace on it and then shortly after my purchase I switched to a rental instrument, so that means for more than 1.5 year it had been laying there untouched.

To my surprise I noticed the strings were still intact, I forgot the local music store replaced the original strings by decent ones. It was only totally out of tune. I managed to tune it to GDAE.



At first I played it with my rather expensive wooden bow I bought from my luthier, but I noticed the bow that came with it  gives even more options because it feels lighter to handle.



-  The fine tuners seem okay, they are made of some kind of metal but the whole rests on plastic that looks very delicate.

The tuning pegs are easy to handle , but are also made out of plastic.

The chin rest could maybe better be replaced by a wittner piece, seen my allergies to nickle.

I don't kown which strings the guy from the local music store put on them. I guess I can try to replace them myself?

- The bridge is not standing straight at all, but it has been glued on the violin, so it looks like it is meant to stand this diagonal.



I wonder what you people here think: is this violin shaped object worth the effort?



Here you can hear me play the instrument 

1) one time with one my heaviest metal mutes on, playing Spotted Pony, with my expensive bow

2) one time without mute playing Waltzing Matilda, with the cheap Stagg bow



I do use a decent shoulder rest here, my Match One.



As you notice, the violin is black. Maybe I can get it more crafty also?



At first I considered this as a violin shaped object, a toy instrument even. Now I'm not sure what to think of it.

Edited by - Quincy on 03/14/2022 00:45:20

VIDEO: Back to my 90 euro Stagg violin set.
(click to view)

VIDEO: Back to my 90 euro Stagg violin set with my own bow and shoulder rest and a heavy mute on
(click to view)

crunchie812 - Posted - 03/15/2022:  20:31:51

Never heard of a bridge being glued on, hopefully it is correctly placed. As far as it not standing up straight, loosen the strings until you can move the top of the bridge to where it is vertical. You might want to check the string height at the end of the fingerboard, I had to sand down the bridge on my electric VSO to get the right height. Makes a big difference. You can look up what it should be online, or I'm sure somebody here could tell you the correct height. 



Black violins are cheaper to make because because they do a one coat job with a quick drying varnish. Refinishing it may be fun, but the wood might be something that looks better with a heavy coat of black varnish on it. Or it may look and sound better with a hand rubbed coat of thin spirit shellac. Only way to find out is to strip it down. 



Some cheap instruments are just as good as a student model that sells for two or three times as much. The quality control, finish, setup, and aging of the wood are the difference. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes not so much.



If it sounds OK and plays decent, it's always good to have a back up.

Edited by - crunchie812 on 03/15/2022 20:36:49

Quincy - Posted - 03/16/2022:  04:47:56

Hello crunchie812, thank you for your answer. I just had my lunch and managed to put the bridge straight, it turned out it was NOT glued , it was easy to put it straight again. The effect on sound quality is clear!

Quincy - Posted - 03/16/2022:  09:51:10

I contacted the local music store here, they will send me an offer to replace the tail piece , because I'm not sure if I myself can replace the tail piece. Can I?



My bet is a new tail piece with decent fine tuners will make the instrument a lot easier to tune, now the fine tuners seem the problem, it's very hard to turn them and it does not feel right, doesn't go smooth at all, and the tail piece feels very delicate. The pegs don't scare me, they seem alright, for as far as I know with my limited experience.



How do you pick a tailpiece? Are wittner tail pieces ok? They are not really expensive... and the brand should offer a better quality then the crappy tail piece that's now on the fiddle, not?

Edited by - Quincy on 03/16/2022 09:52:48

pete_fiddle - Posted - 03/16/2022:  10:25:18

Maybe you should have got a white one rather than a black one..



youtube.com/watch?v=RL9UyLFTCY8

DougD - Posted - 03/16/2022:  10:35:27

Anja, when you inspect your bridge, the side towards the tailpiece should be perpendicular to the top. (Actually it should be perpendicular to the top of the ribs, but that's hard to judge, and the top is usually close enough). Use a small ruler or square, or even a business card - anything that has a right angle. It often looks like its leaning back, even when its correct.
I'm wondering - has something happened to your other violin?

Quincy - Posted - 03/16/2022:  11:38:24

Thank you Doug, that was really helpful (after I put it through google translate hehe). I think I got the bridge more or less right now, strings were not in the incisions either, I just tried to fix it.

The fiddle my mother gave me is at the moment in it's suitcase, well cleaned and treated with a lot of care!

This one I might be able to take with me when I feel like playing outside in the woods, I would never dare to take my other violin outside on a walk.

Quincy - Posted - 03/17/2022:  04:04:04

Ok now my desire to own several instruments is growing. I want one that sounds completely different also  I was very happy rediscovering my Stagg thing , to hear something else was nice but a few days later I know for sure I like my decent instrument a lot better Stagg thing will get another tailpiece soon, and this summer on my long walks I will take it with me.

Edited by - Quincy on 03/17/2022 04:04:51

boxbow - Posted - 03/17/2022:  04:34:00

Wittner composite is a great choice for a tailpiece. I paid $25 for a used fiddle. The sound quality is no more than adequate but it's very easy to draw tone. I keep it for playing in places I wouldn't take a better fiddle. I put a Wittner on it right away, thereby doubling my investment. Right now the fiddle hangs above my bench at work for the occasional quick tune. The boss seems to enjoy eccentric behavior from his employees. The workspace is in a warehouse with a high ceiling so it has a big sound.

Edited by - boxbow on 03/17/2022 04:34:48

Quincy - Posted - 03/18/2022:  22:54:04

quote:

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Originally posted by boxbow

The boss seems to enjoy eccentric behavior from his employees. The workspace is in a warehouse with a high ceiling so it has a big sound.

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I love bosses like that! Must be cool to play in there.