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I'm starting this thread to document the building of MGN's Red Fiddle from a kit.
Here's a first glimpse -
Neck and scroll:
The fingerboard appears to be real ebony that will have to be stained to a uniform black.
Belly:
MGN and I both like the stripes, but there's no telling how prominent they will be after the ground and varnish are applied.
Back:
No flaming, but still a nice grain pattern.
As with the last kit, the purfling grooves have been cut and the back is mounted to the ribs.
The final color will be red to match MGN's guitars.
Detailed posts on the blog, more progress photos and commentary to follow here. Please feel free to ask questions and leave comments 
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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CatMcCall,
That looks great! I wish I could follow your footstep soon!
Looking forward to seeing the finish product!
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pky said:
CatMcCall,
That looks great! I wish I could follow your footstep soon!
Looking forward to seeing the finish product!
I hope to make my blog posts detailed enough that anyone who wants to try can do a good job the first time 
Jump in if you can - maybe we could have a build-along? 
P.S. I love the dancing rabbit! I raise angoras and I swear they dance when they get their long, hot hair cut off!
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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What a cool project and we get to follow it too now. I love it. Thanks
I gather most of you have seen, "The Red Violin"
If not I recommend it highly.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I'm looking forward to following along with your progress, Cat.
I just saw the Red Violin for the first time a couple of months ago. What a great movie! For those of you with Netflix, that one is available for instant streaming.
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SaraO said:
I'm looking forward to following along with your progress, Cat.
I just saw the Red Violin for the first time a couple of months ago. What a great movie! For those of you with Netflix, that one is available for instant streaming.
It's available for instant streaming? I'll have to add it to my queue. I love The Red Violin and listen to the soundtrack often.
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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I'm excited! 
P.S. The band I'm jamming with plays the song, "White Rabbit" 
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Wow nice!!! I can't wait to see it when you're done! >.^
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Think you can buy a sculpted scroll neck off ebay and create your own personalised modified violin? 
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Chinny said:
Think you can buy a sculpted scroll neck off ebay and create your own personalised modified violin?
Oh, yes - there are many, many pre-carved violin necks to be found on eBay. Lions, angels, old men, horses, dragons, the list goes on and on. They are not cheap, though, if you want good quality.
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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Chinny said:
Think you can buy a sculpted scroll neck off ebay and create your own personalised modified violin?
Are you going to be her next customer, Chinny? 
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MMM! WoW! I always dreamed about a violin that is made myself 
But my hands grow from a wrong place (don't want to scare you guys, that expression about people who are really bad in some hand-making work that requires accuracy. Don't know if there is in English an equivalent for that. ). 
REEAAALLY can't wait to see and hear it!!
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CatMcCall said:
P.S. I love the dancing rabbit! I raise angoras and I swear they dance when they get their long, hot hair cut off!
Maybe they get cold and worming up that way? 
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That's what I was thinking Mad-Wed. The weather does change a lot up on the Oregon coast (pronounced organ by the locals up their 
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Mad_Wed said:
Nope - their fluff is 9 times warmer than wool. I've only seen a couple of them shiver when I cut their hair too short (1/4") and we had a below-freezing cold snap - they have to wear polarfleece jackets for a week or so if it stays that cold and they hate, hate, hate to wear clothes. Keeping them cool is a bigger problem, but it never gets what you might call "hot" here on the Orey-gun Coast.
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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Mad_Wed said:
MMM! WoW! I always dreamed about a violin that is made myself
But my hands grow from a wrong place (don't want to scare you guys, that expression about people who are really bad in some hand-making work that requires accuracy. Don't know if there is in English an equivalent for that. ).
REEAAALLY can't wait to see and hear it!!
We sometimes say a person who is not handy is "all thumbs." Really, if you take your time it doesn't require Mad Woodworking Skilz 
Slow and steady wins the race...Being a little OCD sure helps, too!
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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CatMcCall said:
Mad_Wed said:
MMM! WoW! I always dreamed about a violin that is made myself
But my hands grow from a wrong place (don't want to scare you guys, that expression about people who are really bad in some hand-making work that requires accuracy. Don't know if there is in English an equivalent for that. ).
REEAAALLY can't wait to see and hear it!!
We sometimes say a person who is not handy is "all thumbs."
I think i have heard "the hands are like the feet." LOL
Really, if you take your time it doesn't require Mad Woodworking Skilz
Hmmm, I'm stubborn, but OCD? Maybe. Definitely ADD.
CatMcCall, is this Red Fiddle a kit? If it is, where did you get it? i have been looking on ebay. I saw one that's about $48 plus shipping, plus you have to buy your own chinrest, tailpiece, tail piece string, pin, and pegs. I may get a scroll and fingerboard and try a cigarbox fiddle:P BTW I just missed a convention where they had a kids craft that showed them how to make cigarbox fiddle!! :(( Maybe I will go next year.
I saw those "headed" scrolls, I don't like them, they look a little spooky to me, especially if they are human head. I'm okay with lion head or dragon head, though:P
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I can't wait to see how it's coming along. Just make sure you check your measurements. The neck angle and the string length. I'm sure all the specs are in the instructions but if you need help just ask and maybe I can help you.
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pky said:
CatMcCall, is this Red Fiddle a kit? If it is, where did you get it? i have been looking on ebay. I saw one that's about $48 plus shipping, plus you have to buy your own chinrest, tailpiece, tail piece string, pin, and pegs. I may get a scroll and fingerboard and try a cigarbox fiddle:P BTW I just missed a convention where they had a kids craft that showed them how to make cigarbox fiddle!! :(( Maybe I will go next year.
I saw those "headed" scrolls, I don't like them, they look a little spooky to me, especially if they are human head. I'm okay with lion head or dragon head, though:P
I agree that the human "heads" are creepy, but the dragons, lions and horses are pretty cool. A rabbit or sheep would be mighty tempting, but so far I haven't found one.
I am starting with a kit, just like the Six Foot Fiddle and from the same eBay seller - bezdez. I purchased a chinrest, tailpiece w/gut and bridge. The kit came with fitted tuning pegs. Glue and tools are extra, of course, but can be used to build many fiddles.
The quality of the kits varies - I'm assuming that the kits from Stew-Mac or International Violin are more consistent quality-wise, but they are also quite a lot more expensive. I like the challenge of taking what might be a sub-par kit and making it into a nice sounding fiddle. It's easier than building from scratch in some ways, but more of a challenge in others - the more I look at the corner blocks and rib joins the more unhappy I am. Making an outside mold and rebuilding the garland would be a fun project and the fiddle would be better for it. Details about that later.
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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Kevin M. said:
I can't wait to see how it's coming along. Just make sure you check your measurements. The neck angle and the string length. I'm sure all the specs are in the instructions but if you need help just ask and maybe I can help you.
There's no doubt the hardest part of the build is setting the neck - there are so many angles that have to "meet spec" all at once that it can feel like you need four hands just to hold the thing! If the garland needs to be rebuilt the top will be glued on first to facilitate setting the neck, which seems so much more logical to me than "closing the box" and then setting the neck.
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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