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(2 votes) 
Regulars
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I'm hoping to help my ugly duckling become a beautiful swan. This is a cheap student fiddle that was given to me by a friend. I played it for about six months before I upgraded to a little bit better cheap student fiddle. I really like the feel of this one and the way it sounds, but I just can't get past the ugly of it. So I'm giving it a facelift. It's one of those cheap factory violins. The fingerboard was painted black, the tailpiece is plastic, and the scroll had so much varnish on it that it looked plastic. I'm in the process of stripping off the old finish now. I'm going to go with a nice golden color with boxwood tailpiece and tuning pegs. I don't use a chin rest, but I'll probably get one to match anyway, just for the heck of it. Wish me luck!!
Let the bow flow.
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Oh what a nice project! Are you thinking of shellac for a finish or staying with an oil varnish?
Any color in particular that catches your fancy?
I made my violin and left the color natural with a clear/golden shellac finish and it's a eye catcher that's for sure.
Can hardly wait to see how this turns out.
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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wow.. that is going to be lovely.
I like Blonde Violins too. Thanks for the pics... can't wait to see your results. 
Cheers. Toni
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
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I'm going with an oil varnish. I thought about leaving it natural, but I think I'd rather have just a little bit of color. Probably a light golden maybe with a hint of pale amber. If I thought I could find the perfect tan color, I'd probably go with that, but we'll see. I'm really happy with the color of the fingerboard once I got all that black paint off of it. I'm really excited about this project!
Let the bow flow.
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You know what they say, "blondes have more fun".....
Don't know if there is any truth to that.....
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Regulars
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Yes. I can verify that! LOL!
Let the bow flow.
Regulars
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Denny, that is a beautiful! I do like the natural look. Did you make the whole thing or did you build it from a kit? How does it sound?
Let the bow flow.
Honorary advisor
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Wow ,
Way to go ...nice work , both of you ...and work it is ...lots of it ...great results y'all can be proud of ...
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Oh good luck. Looks like fun and going to be gorgeous!
Opportunity is often missed because it wears suspenders and looks like hard work.
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I think I like how that looks with a light stain on it. I most assuredly agree it does stand out. You'd definitely would be picked out in an angry mob of Violinists.
Honestly, it has a warm look to it. It would be a nice addition to a collection.
"I find your lack of Fiddle, disturbing" - Darth Vader
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@Fiddlechick, I built it from a semi-assembled kit although I did take it apart as Daniel has done on his kits. The inside needed a little "touch up" as the gouging was a little rough in places and needed a finish scraping to smooth it out and equal the graduations.
I assembled it the rest of way as well, bought the tail piece, pegs (had to taper and ream the holes), new strings, chinrest and end pin. Assembled after 3 months of finishing the outside. It has a nice loud very ringy sound to it, almost like reverb in a natural sense of the word.
Here's a short sound sample for you.
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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cool sounding violin Den.
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
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It would probably sound better if I had played something I actually knew a ittle better but I was playing with getting started on that christmas project so tried to see if I could remember the notes! LoL
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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