Hey folks,
I was watching a cracking program on telly last night called "Scrapheap Orchestra" in which a group of skilled instrument makers were set the task of of making orchestral instruments entirely out of scrap. An orchestra then played Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture at the Proms.
(For those of you able to, watch it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b017zn47/Scrapheap_Orchestra/)
Obviously, the making of the string section was the most interesting in terms of guitar construction. They showed the violins being built with a "Sound Post", a wooden strut that makes contact with the soundboard and the instruments back. The vibrations from the bridge are directed from the instrument's top through the sound post to the back. This apparently creates a larger sound.
I'm sure that this isn't news for many of you expert builders out there, but it's
a new concept for me. The question I have is, has anyone added a sound post to their guitars, and has it had the desired effect of making a louder guitar?
Replies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W9Hopp1O1I&feature=youtube_gdat...
Since the video I have adjusted the intonation and action by adjusting the nut and bridge, I also fitted a ' sound post' inside bracing the front soundboard to the rear board, this makes it louder, also stops the boards bowing under tension of the strings, it was something I saw on tv over Xmas here in the UK there was a program about a scrapyard orchestra .. A guy was building a violin.. As mentioned by the original posting.
I think because I've used through the body stringing the energy of the strings and the tension really needed the sound post . It's now a lot louder, stays in tune and has loads of natural sustain......
It tunes EADG as a standard bass.
Oh .its standard cheap Metal Harke bass strings cut down to fit.
I have a 'job lot' of chinese ukes to use as doners for further project.
Also a set of Pahoehoe rubber string ( like on a Kala UBASS) and will try them on my next project..maybe
The Crwth is a fairly early example of this type of bridge/soundpost combination ...
try it and see, they're not that precious , are they?
er-chickenbone, it was a JUNK orchestra, when were Cigar boxes junk? ;)
he'd been trained to build a 200 year old design,i applaud his resolution to stick to the remit
junk orchestra
hehe yep you got that spot on mate the house of Commons is full of sewer Rats - it should be renamed the house of Conmen :)
Silent Jim said:
I was amazed that he didn't go straight to a cigar box fiddle...or was that just too easy? As a professional violin maker he ought to know about such things, but it makes you wonder about his knowledge. I reckon with a good solid Spanish Cedar box he could have got the tone and volume pretty much straight off. The fiddle maker was weird, it was if he didn't understand the basic principles of making an instrument...I reckon he was stuck in an orthodox traditional way of making things for too long without using any imagination or real creativity..maybe a bit of tinkering here and there, but nothing too radical, after all, it's all a very conservative scene. He really seemed to struggle to start with, but his design did eventually work. Shame about getting the percussion guy to alter the teddy bear beaters...he should have told the BBC producers to stop being so f***ing PC and get real.
JUJU AKA SOUNDSSOGOOD said:
It is more than just getting the top and back to work together. The sound post is essentially the violin's (viola, cello, bass) EQ. If you think of a violin as a speaker cabinet, the top (made from spruce) is the woofer while the back (made from maple) is the tweeter. If you notice, the sound post is positioned under the treble foot of the violin bridge so as to direct the treble energy directly to the maple. This is also one of the functions of the bass bar. It transfers energy from the bass foot along the entire spruce top. The EQ can be tweaked by how directly the sound post is positioned under the treble bridge foot. If you know any violinists, they can get OBSESSIVE about the placement. Just for further information, when setting a sound post, the grain should run perpendicular to the grain of the violin top.
Cheers John, I had thought a sound post would dampen the sound, but thanks for the informative answer.
yep i watched it too - if only they had used a Cigar Box for the violins they would have been onto a winner from the start - i thought the guy that made the violins was PANTS to say hes a master Violin maker and teacher his design sucked IMO :(
but it was a good watch indeed - and all the instruments sounded well together in the end performance - we need more stuff like this on TV :)
yep was watching too! and that post has got me thinking louds good right .and such a simple thing. just read chicken bones comment ,squibb offically dampened! great explaination though thanks and the programme still worth a watch.
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next