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Originally posted by martyjoe

The plan is to swap out the tailpiece with a smaller one, fit a new bridge behind the soundpost and put on a new set of 4/4 strings. It will be interesting to see how close it will be to a full size for playability before I shelve out the big bucks for a master level 3/4 violin

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Your plan is to put bridge back about 7/8" behind soundpost?

While just to achieve full size fingering, comes with trade off;  bridge, to soundpost and bass bar - affects the sound. (of already weaker 3/4). Rich could probably go into more detail in how just moving the bridge would affect sound.

Might be better off keeping 3/4 set up; getting the best sound out of that  3/4; and just adjusting your fingering, as it's not as different as think. It's kind of like what happens using a capo up a fret or two (like on a mando), or playing in second position; It's the equivalent finger spacing as would be starting from up about a whole step; putting the fingers only slightly closer together.

Ah! The whole point of it is to put the bridge behind the soundpost! The soundpost position is fixed, that can’t be changed. Well maybe by a tiny bit. The bridge has a degree of flexibility. By putting it the same distance from the soundpost but behind the soundpost the soundboard behaves the same. No sound penalty. The string mass is increased (the string is your engine) and the break angle over the bridge is also increased. The longer string length helps to make up for the loss of volume by having a smaller body. The increased break angle and the smaller body adds brightness so it needs to get the darker Larsen strings. One thing for sure, it is going to be a lot better than::

And probably a lot cheaper: €50 for 2nd hand 3/4 fiddle, €9 for 1/8th tailpiece, €2.90 for tailgut, €6 for new bridge and €62 for good quality strings.

Here’s an idea of what the 3/4 Stentor will look like. I put in a 1/16th tailpiece just for the photo. The strings and 1/8th tailpiece will be here next week. So this now is essentially a smaller bodied 4/4 violin that fits all the requirements of carry on.
I also think that it is a perfect method for a students to make an earlier transition to 4/4 and then having a usable instrument to keep after they’ve completed the transition to a full sized violin.

Both GDAE an octave apart. One in the overhead the other in the cargo hold.

Here’s the overall measurement of each fiddle. So the Hopf should still fit into the maximum 22”: 14”: 9” “box” space by placing it in on an angle/diagonal, but it won’t fit the maximum “box” space requirement for Ryanair. Whereas the Stentor fits both. Ryanair’s maximum “box” space is 55cm: 40cm: 20cm.

I've traveled many times nationally and internationally with my fiddle as a carry on..Never have had even one problem...(fingers crossed)...

The soprano ukulele softbags, the 4/4 violin strings and the 1/8th violin tailpieces arrived today. Both 3/4 fiddles fit comfortably into either of the bags along with their shoulder rests. I would be inclined to place a pair of below ankle socks in each side of the bridge if I were to put them into the overhead of an airliner. The first place I would try for in a plane is under the seat. I would be very comfortable putting them/it in the overhead once everyone else has their bags in, these things are so small there shouldn’t be any problem fitting them in small gaps. They sound like normal full size violins but without the full G string. In fact the longer string length (same as 4/4) has improved them significantly, none of that hollowey tone you get from cheap 3/4 fiddles. Of course getting a full size bow that fits carry on is expensive.
For the next challenge I’ve just ordered a 7/8 violin from a Chinese eBay store. It will be interesting to see how I can get that to fit into the carry on box dimensions. I’m very confident that I can.

BIG WEEK! This week I attended two festivals. Feakle in County Clare Wednesday and Thursday. The Fleadh Ceol in Wexford Town Yesterday and Today. The small fiddles in the soft bags are a delight to carry around. I bring as many instruments to a session as I can despite being ribbed by a few people along the way. So I parked up the car about half a mile away from the action and trundled in with my accordion, wood & silver flutes, tenor viola, tenor banjo, alto saxophone and 3/4 violin. Oh and I also packed one of those round plastic collapsible stools.
I alternated the small fiddles each day. Super easy to handle in every way and they feel secure in their bags. One thing that you get with these festival pub sessions is a lot of musicians trying to get in close, then taking out their instrument/s and lying the cases on the floor around them. When the tunes fire up a crowd of onlookers pack in tightly around. What I try to do is put all my cases as far away as possible. Having the 3/4 in its soft bag at my feet is great. I can grab it quickly whenever I get the urge and it seems like it’s not taking hardly any space at all. As for the fiddle/s themselves, they are definitely not as strong in sound and volume to a full size. With a bit of heavy handed bowing they are well up for the job. You are probably not going to lead a set of tunes with them.
For anyone who’s doing the flying to festivals thing and want a carry on fiddle this is a good option. I’m really excited to see how I can get a 7/8ths to fit in within the carry on dimensions.

We just returned from a 9 day trip to visit friends in Alaska. And boy did we have a great time!  7 jam sessions total, 2 OT, and 5 OT, BG, & folk mix. And that's not counting the informal songs that got played around the "house" where we stayed. My grinning muscles are sore.

Anyway... I took a fiddle on the trip. We flew on Delta and I never had to check my instrument. Carry-on the whole way. HA - but they did lose our bags on the first leg. Long story...   Needless to say, I was very proud that I had my fiddle with me the whole flight both ways, No questions - and a few compliments for the fiddle. On the last flight to Anchorage, the flight attendant put the fiddle in the "coat closet" up front, to keep the fiddle from getting tossed around in the overhead bin. 

Great experience all the way around.