Fiddle Scales - Length - Postion - 4/4, 3/4 ??? Hellllp

Posted by James Boutilier on October 21, 2011 at 12:13pm

Hey all, man I wish the A.D.D would stop kicking in , hahaha,  now I see these fiddles and it's like,  what was I thinking about building yesterday?

 

First THANKS to Diane for the beginner helps, but thought I'd try a post here to give the poor lady a breather (grin).

 

I want to build one of these guys, and have much of the stuff, and a line on the parts I don't.

 

The BIG 2 QUESTIONS:

 

1. Size :  4/4, 3/4 1/2 ???  Whats the big diff, and what do folks prefer ??? (best sound?)

 

2. Scale Length :  so, for CB guitars we have calculators to show the position of the frets based on total length and bridge position.   But with Fiddles,  How the Heck do we know what size box, how long fingerboard, where the bridge goes ????

 

Are there any plans/calculators/rules?    I mean, parts come in 4/4, 3/4 etc as above, so what measurements are determining this\?

 

Any help?  Would love to order up the parts I need, just not sure about this

 

 

Thanks kindly

 

Jim

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Replies

  • Yellowbelly Flatt October 21, 2011 at 6:51pm

    Hi there,

    As with most things cigar box, it is said that there are no rules. However, it's no good making things hard for yourself.

    Like Diane said - you want a full size fiddle. I use ready made fingerboards and they are about 10 1/2" long. I also tend to use pre made bridges. They then can be customised to your needs and to your playing style. The only thing that I might mention is to make sure that the box is narrow enough or adapted in such a way that you can play all the strings with your bow. I have seen some beautifully wonderful cigar box fiddles that look almost impossible to play because the width of the box would seem to make it difficult if not impossible to be able to play the E and G strings

    I'm currently working on a skeleton stick fiddle that will be a silent or electric fiddle. This means that I don't even need a box.

  • Diane in Chicago October 21, 2011 at 12:20pm

    Fractional size fiddles are generally only for young children.  You'll want a full size.

     

    Some standard fiddle measurements:

    width at bridge:  4.5"

    nut to bridge:  13"

    bridge to tail: 6"

    height of box:  1.5" (you can go taller, but not much.  If you go more than that, you'll need a viola sized barrel on your chinrest

    length of box (but that really does not matter, you make your neck/box however long it needs to be): 14"

     

    There's a start!

     

     

  • Tres Seaver October 21, 2011 at 12:17pm
    Per Wikipedia, the standard violin scale length (4/4) is 327mm (12.8 in).
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