Wow!! That's wonderful! I'd sure love to see your project, if you're willing to send a pic or two. Thanks so much for the compliments!

Thankyou, Rick! I'll get something going :)

Thankyou so much!

You're too kind :)

Thankyou so much, Juan.

Hi Ed! Yes, thankyou!

Thankyou, James!

You're very knowledgeable and, Wes!

Hello! Thanks -- I doubt the sound post is glued.... But you CAN cheat and move the feet of the bridge closer or away. Usually what makes cheap fiddles sound terrible is poor carving. It's hard to fix, but you can improve it.

@@grandpasmountain Glary's glue their sound posts in so there's a possibility. They ship them with the bridges off and we both know that a properly set sound post wouldn't stand much of a chance staying in place all the way from China if there's no tension on the front. Anyway, Obligatos would take the edge off.

Hmmmmm. I'd insert a tool and give the post a good whack and knock it out, then!

Definitely prefer the Fiddlerman strings over the Tonicas. If I remember correctly the two fiddles are very similar in sound. I thought them pretty bright. Now, I'm a violist by original training and inclination and prefer a darker tone. Those Fiddlerman strings are pretty neutral and have a nice resonance. I was thinking of putting them on my violin the next time around. I've been using D'Addario Zyex on my viola. I wish Fiddlerman made those strings for viola... Dominants are just too rich for my blood these days. Used to have a mixed set of Eudoxas on the C&G and Dominants on the D&A. Way too pricy now. Your playing gets better and better. Thanks for all the videos. Very valuable resource. Someday when I have the time I'll try my hand at building my own fiddle.

I like synthetics alot. I am trying some new Helicores....but I don't think I will change to steel.

I hear you, Max. I started learning classical....but.... My grandkids can't dance to it, lol. Nothing like a great violinist with a great piece by Bach! Maybe be someday I'll find one. I've actually never met another person who plays the violin in my life! Seriously. Don't put yourself down, btw. We all have our strengths.

One of these days.... :)

I've been thinking about trying Helicores....I think I was biased against steel strings. Thanks for the recommendation! I would never have thought they would be warmer. I assumed they would be louder!

@@grandpasmountain Cool man, yeah warmer and quiker responce.And i love your fiddle making clips espesaily the plate tuning stuff.im keen to give making a fiddle a go

Thanks so much, Patrick. I sure hope you do!!

You're very kind.

It is terrific to hear your opinion. I think I have been using one brand of string too long! They sounded flat to me, at first. Midnight on the Water, and Napoleon's Retreat.

Thanks -- yes, they are definitely softer. They also broke in much quicker.

Noooo... Dead man's tuning....but what a pain to retune! I just keep my fiddle tuned correctly.

The differences are small --- honestly, it's all about personal preference. "Good" is subjective.

They ARE louder --- and I hear more color in the notes.

Adding the weight to the head of the violin would change its sound. Those tuners are fairly heavy, and we are shooting for less mass. Those strings....are....well....crap, lol. I prefer a real violin string for a quality sound. If I was just scratching out a time and trying to be heard over a banjo....then, maybe! :)

@@grandpasmountain Actually the N719 Silver Wound Violin Strings have a really special sound. You gotta remember those mechanical tuners aren't as heavy as you think. They're a tad bit lighter than normal friction pegs so they actually lower the weight. They said the machine head tuners would enhance the sound, that is change the sound in a good way. Machine head tuners bypass the need to use fine tuners on the tailpiece cause they stay put. Perfection Pegs are mahine heads that look like regular pegs but there's a gear mechanism inside, plus they're made out of a Synthetic material which makes them a tad bit lighter.

@@RockStarOscarStern634 I had never heard of Perfection Pegs. I looked them up, and they are definitely heavier than wood pegs, but much less than the ones I am familiar with. Thanks for mentioning them to me. I don't have fine tuners, except on my E string, as I don't want to add weight there, either. I bought a set of Helicores to see if they would last longer for me. I burn through strings in a matter of weeks. Usually my A string disintegrates. I added a tailpiece to one fiddle that incorporates the tuners for that one. I'm not in love with the Helicores. They require more bow pressure, sound metallic at times and are prone to squealing. With synthetic strings, I can use a very light tough and rarely need to rosin the bow. I truly appreciate your suggestions. Sorry I seemed to write yours off. I will try your string/ tuner suggestion so I can have an actual opinion for myself. Thanks!

@@grandpasmountain Actually Helicore Strings require less pressure to bow because they're a little bit thinner, plus a CodaBow Joule for Violin and Dark Rosin really helps. Also the perfection pegs are made out of plastic so they're actually lighter weight than friction pegs. Things have changed over the years as technology got updates.

@@grandpasmountain First of all Helicore Strings (the set with a Wound E String) have their advantages written on the back of the package. Helicore Strings are generally easier to bow cause they're a little bit thinner, also they have a Stranded Steel Core which eliminates the Squealing. The technology used to make strings has gone under many updates. Also Wound Violin E Strings never squeak, so no squeaking E String, no worries.

Could you explain the last 2 words for me?

@@grandpasmountain Sorry, I don't speak English well. I meant template soundboard .

@@user-uf7jf5if4n that is ok :) I made my own templates. There are printable templates on www.makingtheviolin.com это хорошо! Я не говорю по-русски! Я сделал свои собственные шаблоны из рисунков. Спасибо, что написали! eto khorosho! YA ne govoryu po-russki! YA sdelal svoi sobstvennyye shablony iz risunkov. Spasibo, chto napisali!

@@grandpasmountain thank you for understanding and help )))

That's what I thought. I actually re-examined the setup on that fiddle to make sure it was not the instrument doing it.

Thankyou so much for the encouragement. I need it! I get quite frustrated with my playing. I was much farther along after the same time on the piano!