Well, I made it back from La-La Land again... what a trip. I think the anesthesia is mostly out of my system now, but not enough to go up to the shop, and even if it was, because they took some biopsies and tissues out, they stopped my NSAID osteoarthritis meds for a week. (already been off it for 5 days, prior) so I don't feel too much like working. They said I talked crazy for a while. Maybe it just seemed that way to everyone else... made sense to me! Anything I post here that looks suspect, just know that I was trying really hard. This has not been a fun couple days, but tomorrow will be better.
Anyway... lemesee here. Brian had a question about bridges. Traditionally yes, violin bridges are maple, though applewood and willow have been used. Maple is very hard and stable. Maple bridge blanks are sold in grades, the highest being seasoned wood of very tight grain. I usually buy something closer to the lower end, up to mid-grade, depending upon the instrument I'm working on. While appropriate for an orchestral grade instrument, on a laminated (plywood) bass, there's no reason to put a $139 bridge made of aged, seasoned European wood on there when a $37.50 bridge will sound just as good. I would probably avoid the $24.50 special, with wavy grain and knots in most cases. More importantly, there is a whole science behind how the bridges are cut too. I'll attach a diagram showing all the individual parts, but the tone of a particular instrument can be altered some by how a bridge is cut and shaped. Thickness, taper, size of the heart and kidneys, the legs and ankles, all have some bearing on the way vibrations are transmitted from the strings to the soundboard. (called a table or plate on a violin) Granted, on most of the instruments that come my way, just carving the taper on the front face, getting the arch to match the curvature of the fingerboard, and making sure the feet fit the top is the most important job. I have on occasion, when a bass has a wolf note or dead note, carved out some mass from the bridge if, and only if, moving the soundpost didn't solve the problem. I have changed the soundpost in a totally dead-sounding bass before and had it make a world of difference. I've also done everything I knew to do, to absolutely no avail. To answer Part 2, yes, there are alternatives. I've even seen an aluminum, mechanical 3-legged bridge once that was fully adjustable, but I think it was actually a
tool, made for holding string tension on an instrument while a wooden bridge was being cut. If I could find one, I'd buy it. Sorry for the ramble, hope that explains things a little more clearly.
Ahh, the fiddle and the violin... other than beer stains Coz, a violin has strings; and a fiddle has
strangs!
And for those who never get a chance to meet Dave Houck, you're seriously missing out... an email from Dave, while sitting in a hospital waiting room waiting your turn is a very calming thing.
I'll be back in the Scroll Shop tomorrow... stringing up The King. (that didn't come out right...)
