Fiddlerman said:

I only wonder if there is something inside the cigar-box for reinforcement. How can it hold the tension of 4 strings tuned as hard as they are for our instruments.

The sound is actually quite interesting. Very folk-like. 

I don't think it needs anything inside the cigar box, if you look carefully, her cigar-box violin is made of two cigar boxes, if you find some good cigar boxes, they are pretty well built. The two boxes are probably strongly glued together and I notice that the side (rib) is strongly taped.

Personally, I think these guys who created these balsa violins and cigar-box violin are pretty creative. I think the cigar-box would be stronger and last longer since cigar boxes are made or better wood and are better and stronger built than the balsa violin. I felt like the balsa is like my daughter's $10 guitar that would not be a vintage or heirloom in the future. However, it really would cut down cost for those who cannot afford a vso like my cvn. To be honest, they both sound pretty good. Just wait to hear from MGN's fired luthier and see what he would have said about them:)

I have been thinking about making a violin, either from a kit or from scratch. As a kid, we had made many instruments ourselves, like guitar with elastic bands out of shoe boxes, drums with tin cans, flutes out of bamboo or stems from elephant grass, etc. When I was a preschool teacher, I also let kids make their own instruments, like rain sticks, shakers, the ding-dong drums, drums, etc. We loved them and kids loved them - i guessed it involved the ownership of making your own instrument, and we had fun making them and playing with them. Most never last too long, but by then you moved on to something else, or you could make another one. Maybe Huey could make one of her own before she buys one for herself:)

I'm very tempted to try the cigar-box violin, we only have one cigar box, and it's my daughter's, she inherited it from her grandfather, so that's out of the plan:((

Hmmm....Maybe I could buy some cigars LOL

CatMcCall said:

No offense taken  I am female, 42 years old, designer/drafter by trade, beginning fiddler, wool hoarder, soon-to-be weaver, partner to an OCD wooden boat builder/restore-er, located on the beautiful Oregon Coast. No secrets here 

Wow, impressive!! I crochet and knit, was going to learn how to weave, but with a 5-year old and working fulltime, timewise, it's impossible.  

CatMcCall said:

No offense taken  I am female, 42 years old, designer/drafter by trade, beginning fiddler, wool hoarder, soon-to-be weaver, partner to an OCD wooden boat builder/restore-er, located on the beautiful Oregon Coast.  

have thought about driving to Oregon, i would love to drive through gigantic redwood! Then will i (hopefully then the cigar-box violin maker LOL) get to meet the great 6-foot violin maker?

myguitarnow said:

I understand pky, I just don't have the time to experiment with different things and materials to make fiddles. My hobby is writing songs and it turned out, that's how I make my living too. If you feel a passion to make an instrument go for it. Our world needs people like this! "If it's not built, you can't play it". Just another quote by me.

Good quote! My hobby is to try out new things:) That's how I try so many different instruments. One of my professors once hint me not to be a course collector:) Then, it's like one of my brothers-in-law's comment, "you have lots of knives, but none of them is sharp."

Hmmm...i'm still very tempted, just tempted.