Do you tend to go for fiddles of one body type over another?
And, if so, what draws you to that model?
I like the Amati (early) pattern. Early Strads are similar but later Strad came up with a bigger/different pattern. Max will correct me on this, but i believe, Strad was related and worked for Amati.
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Originally posted by farmerjonesI like the Amati (early) pattern. Early Strads are similar but later Strad came up with a bigger/different pattern. Max will correct me on this, but i believe, Strad was related and worked for Amati.
Do you prefer them because of some tonal difference?
I realize the old classic instruments of the original violin Era were measured to death. Even individual violins like Paganini's IL Cannon was measured in a thousand ways. The ground and finish were also analyzed. The wood was analyzed. If one were to take five Cannon replicas, set them up identical, I don't think they'd sound alike. So this is a terrible way of saying no. I chose my violin from eight or ten bench-made Amati pattern violins. This one was the loudest. Head and shoulders above the others. I knew it would only get better, more complex tone. One has to start somewhere. I find the Amati appealing to the eye. Incidentally, I dislike artificially distressed finish.
I too like an Amati style, might only be for aesthetics, I don't know, but the one I have has a nice loud voice l. Also Maggini. I have two Maggini copies, both are warm and have great projection, great bluegrass fiddles.
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Originally posted by farmerjonesI like the Amati (early) pattern. Early Strads are similar but later Strad came up with a bigger/different pattern. Max will correct me on this, but i believe, Strad was related and worked for Amati.
The talk is that Stradivarius did his apprenticeship with the Amati family. He was a very successful sculptor in his own right which explains how he refined his work on his violin family instruments.
My preferred fiddle shape is the Gamba shape. It has a wider but more compressed lower bout which puts the bridge closer to your chin and reduces the reach for your left arm. My fiddle is Tenor Viola GDAE, an octave lower than a regular violin. I have always struggled with an 18" due to the long reach for the left hand it's too hard to get onto the tips of my fingers and the bowing is a long way out. I have found the 16" Gamba shaped fiddle to be an enormous improvement in ease to play and with a few radical modifications such as a relocated bridge position and a 1/4 size violin tailpiece it sounds great.
Thanks for responses. I enjoy learning about different preferences and the history associated with instruments.
Edited by - MikeVB on 02/14/2025 03:24:47
Body shape wise, I always liked the Stainer profile, with its high arching. But I've never let body shape guide the fiddles I bought. It's sound, sound, sound! My current main fiddle is a Strad Hellier copy.
I am wondering what are the characteristic features that you all are using to define a body type? Maggini I get,
Is there a post somewhere on this website or the net that has comparison photos between the Strad, Amati and other fiddle designs?
A Stainer seems to make my ears prick up when i hear a good one.
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Originally posted by Lonesome FiddlerIs there a post somewhere on this website or the net that has comparison photos between the Strad, Amati and other fiddle designs?
I went over to maestronet.com and browsed the gallery.
Many of the millions of fiddles sold with these names are copies in name only, so whether you have a preference may depend on what you have, or have seen. The National Music Museum has real instruments by some of these makers for viewing on their website.
My best violin is this one, made in the later 19th century on the Hopf model.
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Originally posted by Lonesome FiddlerIs there a post somewhere on this website or the net that has comparison photos between the Strad, Amati and other fiddle designs?
I've wondered that as well. I found this https://www.wrightviolins.com/blog/f-hole-models-violin-viola-cello. where the f-holes of the various renowned makers are compared. But I'm still not sure what a "build style" is and how to recognize it in a trade violin... I guess those who deal in a lot of violins learn to tell based on subtle cues of proportion and arching.
I have one that has been called a French violin, though I don't think it's from France, and it has a different shape to my eye.
ChickenMan -- To my eye the most distinguishing characteristic to the shape of your fiddle is that the differences in the sizes of the two bouts is slightly more radical than what we usually see (or at least what I'm used to seeing). The fiddle's shoulders, in particular, are definitely smaller than those on any of my trio of German fiddles.
lonesome, I think the camera angle and wide lens might be playing tricks here. billy, beautiful back on that fiddle! Actually the front not too shabby either. Over on Maestronet there are threads that go into excruciating detail on all the features that distinguish a Markneukirchen from a Mirecourt from a Mittenwald. They are mostly internal clues and are related to the build methods standard to each region at least over a certain time period.
There are appreciable differences in the styles of the great makers, but the “models” after those makers can be misleading—commercial violins were and are often given labels that don’t really correlate to a specific form or instrument.
The Amati family made violins with an arch that was a little higher and fuller in the middle. Nicolo extended the pattern to make the “Grand Amati” pattern that was the basis for other Cremonese makers who came after. The form was a little narrower at the waist and the corners were extended fairly far. Stradivari and the Guarneri family took cues from the Amati and then made their own adjustments, both of them flattening the arch and changing the shapes of the bouts.
Strad and Guarneri had very different approaches to finishing their work, and while Strad tended to finish everything to exacting detail, Guarneri worked fast and left a lot of toolmarks behind. The great makers made changes over their careers, so instruments from one period in their time differ from those at another—an early Strad looks different from a Golden Period or Late Period Strad. The greats had their own f-hole designs that they used and modified over time.
Tonally, things get much more complicated. After hundreds of years of repair and restoration work, the violins have undergone a lot of change. The Strad or Guarneri sounds are not necessarily so clearly distinguishable, especially to listeners.
A lot of makers copy famous violins, but what’s being copied tends to be more the outline and general dimensions. These things do give some general direction to the results, but there are other factors that will impact the tone. Even if you make two violins using the same wood from the same trees using the same form, they’ll end up sounding different. That’s part of the mystery and romance of violin making.
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Originally posted by ChickenManI have one that has been called a French violin, though I don't think it's from France, and it has a different shape to my eye.
I don't know but that looks like the Stainers i have seen with a High carved belly and back? So maybe a copy of a Stainer? I Have not seen many of those.....
Jon, it may be the camera angle (Billy would know), but it looks to me like the upper bout on the fiddle is smaller in proportion to the lower than most I've seen
Pete, I have this fiddle with quite abrupt arching in the top, although maybe not really high, but a fairly flat back. I don't really know what is, except German. The action on this instrument tends to change with the seasons, and my luthier told me that could be a problem with that model.
Yes the upper portion is smaller and I think it looks more feminine, more lady-like.
It's not overly arched, that might be the lighting, but it is less flat than most fiddles I've seen.
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Originally posted by ChickenManIt's not overly arched, that might be the lighting, but it is less flat than most fiddles I've seen.
Maybe it's the lighting, but it does look very much like the arching you see in many old German Stainer or Amati "copies."
The shape of my next tenor. Put in an hour graduating the mold for the back and belly today cut out the mold for the ribs yesterday. I haven’t decided whether l’ll make in carbon fiber or hemp fiber. The neck will be a bolt all bamboo affair.
