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> Changing Tailpiece
ffliwt
post Jul 1 2009, 06:39 PM
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Seeing as my violin is now 100% paid for and mine, i can now get the tailpiece changed on it like i've been planning on doing for a while now... (she has a horrible metal one on i bought a nice boxwood one for her!)
But now that i can, i'm worrying - is there aaany way it could have an effect on her sound? (ooobviously i'm not going to be changing it! i'm taking her to a violin shop)
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jojo
post Jul 1 2009, 07:06 PM
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QUOTE(ffliwt @ Jul 1 2009, 07:39 PM) *

Seeing as my violin is now 100% paid for and mine, i can now get the tailpiece changed on it like i've been planning on doing for a while now... (she has a horrible metal one on i bought a nice boxwood one for her!)
But now that i can, i'm worrying - is there aaany way it could have an effect on her sound? (ooobviously i'm not going to be changing it! i'm taking her to a violin shop)


I would imagine that if the sound changed it would be for the better? (from metal to wood??) but hey, when you take it to the violin shop, play on it after it's been changed and if you don't like it have the metal one put back (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
only takes 5 minutes to a luthier to change a tailpiece
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mcm
post Jul 1 2009, 07:57 PM
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It may surprise you to know that the tailpiece can make quite a difference to the sound -- it is not the material it is made of but the weight which matters. The metal tailpieces by Wittner, with built-in adjusters, are designed to be the 'correct' weight.

Some luthiers consider a boxwood one to be a bit on the light side. I have boxwood (Hill pattern) on my violin and am quite happy with it but one of these days am going to change it to ebony.

My previous violin came with an ebony one but quite small, and it looked a bit tatty. Purely for cosmetic reasons I changed it for a boxwood Hill and the difference and improvement in sound was amazing.

There is a good book called The violin explained which goes into this (and lots of other interesting detail).

Let us know how you get on.
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rosfrog
post Jul 1 2009, 08:02 PM
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The Wittner ones are designed to be the correct weight, as already said - but honestly, the difference will only be noticeable under your ear - it will be very subtle and audience members are highly unlikely to notice the difference ( a bit like strings - I know everyone says 'oh but strings make such a huge difference' and yet our favorite violinists keep exactly the same sound irrespective of the strings they're playing on !)

It will, however, look glorious!
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jojo
post Jul 1 2009, 08:03 PM
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QUOTE(mcm @ Jul 1 2009, 08:57 PM) *



There is a good book called The violin explained which goes into this (and lots of other interesting detail).

£30!!!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)
I'll see if I can borrow it or wait for it to appear on ebay at half the price (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)
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DiscoPants
post Jul 1 2009, 09:44 PM
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There is no "correct" weight for a tailpiece.
If you have a wolf note, changing the weight of the tailpiece can help (either by changing it or sticking a blob of plasticine underneath). Otherwise, put on what you think looks nicest.

PS Jo, if you think that £30 is a lot for a book, check out THESE cheeky fellows and be glad you're a player not a maker!
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Lo-Fi Version Time is now: 21st November 2009 - 01:22 PM