David Burns said:

I have seen violins with the amplifier jack attached to the body with a device like the one that holds the chin rest. No extra holes in the body. Of course the wires run from the pick up to the output jack on top of the violin.

Okay.

About dampening the violin for practicing purposes. Have you ever tried one of the big heavy practice mutes?

I use one of these when in hotels or while I'm warming up to play on stage and there is a show going on, etc. They work great.

Okay, thanks for the information, but can't we start separate threads for discussing pracice mutes, piezo pickups and chinrest jacks?

I'd really like to get to the bottom of this and get to know how much a ribs-mounted jack would actually affect the tone. It may be true that it diminishes the output volume considerably, but I'm not ready to believe that yet. The world of fiddles is more ruled by sentimentality and superstition than by science and actual experiments.

Oliver said:

I missed why you passed up carpenter jacks ?

I didn't, but that's not what this particular discussion is about. IF a jack in the ribs would ruin the sound, I won't take up a hole but look for some other solution, but I do want an electric instrument with full acoustic volume, so if it's possible, I'll mount the jack permanently in the ribs.

Interesting. Actually it's not the hole that concerns me but the jack. The hole will be covered but there will be a small metal plate screwed to the ribs and then the jack itself.

My guess is that two factors can change the sound. On one hand the alien elements on the ribs, on the other the jack intruding into the resonance chamber. Yet, theorethically I can't believe either factor would actually change the sound noticeably to a normal human ear. The ribs are very rigid and not supposed to vibrate. The moving parts are the string, the bridge and the soundboard, while the bottom and the ribs serves the purpose of containing the air that amplifies the sound of the top. The output jack will take some of the resonance space, but percentually so little that I hardly believe that the tone will get weaker.

I've posted this question on some guitar forums (not first revieling that it's a fiddle I'm talking about). They all say that operations in the bridge won't affect the tone the least. Then I ask the next question, if there theorethically someone believes that it would be different with a much smaller body and they all say there would be no difference.

Oliver said:

To rob the violin of resonance space I would guess your contraption would have to be pretty big.  I've read reports of people stuffing rags into a violin to mellow the tone but I'm sure that was a lot more intrusive than phone jack hardware. 

I would agree with your guitar people.  

But I was also thinking that such a modification might affect resale if you ever had that in mind.

 

PS  Just maybe there is a missed communication here.  A carpenter jack is not a jack.  Are you familiar with that ?

I don't believe I'll ever sell this one. It's the only one in the world of its kind and the only acoustic fiddle that matches my requirements. Besides it's not finished yet, I got a body with a neck and a nut and it still needs some work before it's ready to be played. I've made a simplified scroll myself and now a carpenter is making the overhang on the top and the bottom, beause there were none from the start. Next thing will be to have the soundpost set and then varnish it. So tele jack or not, this will be the original look and setup of the instrument. I was involved in designing it a few years ago and now got it as a gift. I didn't pay for the instrument, only to have it fixed and set up.

Fiddlerman said:

Svento said:

What I meant about rubber foam body was that for practicing purpose, it's usually better the more silent the instrument is. A solid wodd body would be sufficient but an acoustic – even a low-output acoustic – is a bit to much. When I had my electric built, I got more practice than ever before, but I still found it a bit too loud.

The practice mute was in reference to your own remark on this particular thread. Unfortunately, We are kind of sloppy here when it comes to staying on the topic.

That's not a specific trait for this forum but a very very grave human disease.

About muting: No practice mute has been made that would fit on the bridge of my electric...

myguitarnow said:

Mmm… The website shows up a little jarbled. Bottom of the page shows a New Mexico number and email. Is that you? Looked at the wild violin styles. They're pretty thick. Could you make me a Gibson SG shaped violin with a humbucker pickup in front of the bridge? My favorite guitar ever built (as I close my eyes and say sorry Les. P.) ?

ah, you changed the page link. That's a pretty cool violin.Would like to here what something like that would sound like. Very deep I guess?

I can design anything but I have no skills in wood working. Designing an SG style fiddle wouldn't be a problem at all if you can find someone to make the actual work. Body and neck, no big deal - the challenge is making a bridge construction to work with it. But I've solved that problem too... You don't have to make any apologies to Les Paul about the SG, as far as I know he didn't design the Gibson Les Paul either...

About the pu once again: If it's a fiddle, the proper position isn't by the bridge but closer to the fingerboard. This is irritating, for even if the sound is very full, warm and round there, it isn't very sharp and pronounced. Singlecoil is better than humbucker for fiddle. Then there's the electrodynamic principle that Michael Edinger uses for his Stringamp. This idea opens up for a number of solutions and has been developed by a guy I know. His idea includes a special kind of bridge and some magnets near it.