bacfire - Posted - 04/26/2022:  19:49:03

I have a Stainer-pattern trade fiddle that I've owned for over 40 years. It was my first decent fiddle, gifted to me by a long-departed uncle. It always had a nice sweet tone but sounded choked, like it had a rag stuffed inside. I haven't played it much over the years because I've usually had better fiddles.



Last year I gave it to Royce Burt for revoicing. I told him I'd like to keep the tonal characteristics while getting more volume and a more open sound. Royce managed to do exactly that. My fiddle came back much better, but it still didn't have the magic I'd hoped for...until I tuned down to FCGD for some cajun tunes. I've noticed it sounded better tuned down in the past, but now it just blossoms with a warm, sweet tone and an open resonance like it's cross-tuned. A dramatic difference and easily the best-sounding instrument that I own!



So, does anyone have suggestions on how to keep that sound in standard tuning? It's strung with Helicore mediums right now and I'm theorizing that maybe lower tension strings might help(?). But what would I use? I retune often for OT and cajun tunes so synthetic strings are not the best option, but they're still an option. Before I go spending the big bucks experimenting with strings, does anyone have any input on this? Could there be a setup tweak that would help, or am I barking up an empty tree? I'm not much for soundpost work and am kinda afraid of ruining what I have. Should I just think of it as my cajun fiddle and be happy?



Barry

Edited by - bacfire on 04/26/2022 19:51:23

UsuallyPickin - Posted - 04/27/2022:  05:18:16

All you may do, IMO, is start trying out different sets and gauges strings. Buy a set or two and go for it. Prim is often a good place to start with metal core strings for a change. Keep us posted. R/

ChinnRest - Posted - 04/27/2022:  09:18:57

Barry, I just finished re-voicing a Stainer pattern fiddle myself. When I finished it, the tone was nice, but very similar to what you described. I tried 4 different sets of strings on it and all were ok, but not at all great.

I ended up with Helicores (which you mention are not great on yours) and this one finally gave me the volume and tone I was looking for.

I'd suggest trying a few more strings, and likely a metal core string will be the one that makes it go (at least from my limited experience).

KCFiddles - Posted - 04/27/2022:  11:06:09

There's a lot that can be done with a sound post, if you have someone who knows what they're doing. First, you have to have a perfect fit with really even contact on each end. You can often get a little more G by moving the post "east", while trimming it appropriately. You can also get a little more growly sound by loosening (shortening) the post veeery judiciously, but then you have to worry about the post falling over when the strings are loose.

I've been working in a 1920s German "Maker" violin worth maybe $7K to 10K the past few days. It didn't sound as good as I thought It should have done, initially. I've adjusted the post fit several times, and it's finally coming to life. I'm about ready to put in a permanent post, cut a final bridge, and finally put on some "good" (expensive) strings. Sometimes it takes a while to get the best out of an instrument.

Helicore Mediums tend to give the low end sound that a lot of fiddlers like, as do Prims and Thomastic Prazisions.

I used to have a friend who was a world class violin maker regraduate fiddles for me ( he was very quick and did them on the side of his regular full time violin making job). I just found that if the wood and arching weren't great to begin with, it was rarely worth the effort, especially when I had so much other stuff to work on that paid better.

bacfire - Posted - 04/28/2022:  19:54:48

I wish I had the skill for sound post work. But then I'd probably spend way too much time fitting and moving them around. As it is, I seem to be hopelessly hammy when it comes to any sort of lutherie. It's about a 4-hr roundtrip to the nearest person I trust to tinker with my fiddles, but I'll probably head that way soon.

I'll experiment with strings also, of course. It's just that in the case of this particular fiddle there is such a dramatic difference in sound when tuned down a step. It's not a balance issue or any specific tonality or frequency range, just an overall blooming of volume, tone, fullness...everything. I'm wondering if that bit of extra string tension could be damping vibration of the top?

Earworm - Posted - 04/28/2022:  20:20:30

I’ve heard that some (or most?) fiddles have a certain key tuning where they really ring. Don’t know how true this is, or if it’s more like folklore. I think the idea is that the wood just resonates best at a certain frequency. Maybe your fiddle is just "happy" in FCGD. Clearly there are a lot of variables though, so listen to the people who know better than me.

Edited by - Earworm on 04/28/2022 20:23:25