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How many coats of varnish is it going to need? It looks pretty spiffy as is, but I'm sure the varnish does something to the sound....
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The idea is to use as few coats of varnish as needed so that they lay down and shrink to the grain of the wood. Generally a builder will put on a couple coats of yellow-ish varnish followed by 4-6 coats of colored varnish and then a final coat or two of clear varnish over all. I've read that varnish mellows out the tone and that as long as it's true varnish it will remain flexible and not harm the sound. Polyurethane and other "plastic" finishes will mess with the sound in a bad way most of the time.
My varnish is not laying down as well as I would like, so I'm not sure yet what I'll do. Probably 4 or 5 thin coats, maybe even thinning out the varnish a bit for the last coat...
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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That's fascinating! How are you checking the sound between coats? Is it more of a check at the end sort of thing, or are you testing it incrementally to see what each coat does.
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Ha! Nothing scientific going on here 
I had in mind to set it up "in the white" and play a bit but the man at my address reminded me that if I get it to a playable state I would never bother to finish it at all 
Since it's a kit fiddle and I'm a total neophyte fiddle builder, I don't expect it to sound like a Strad - if it plays a decent tune I'll be happy, even if it doesn't turn out to be gorgeous.
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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XD Then again, after you're done, you may get addicted to finishing them and end up doing a full workup on the next one! It's a nice experiment and I'd love to hear how it sounds when you're done varnishing.
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I have in mind to build (at least) two more - a friend found a pair of molds at an estate sale (the deceased was a violin maker) that ended up on my bench and I almost feel like I *have* to build a fiddle from each mold to carry on the torch, KWIM?
Of course, I can't do anything "by the book" so one will be traditional wood (spruce top and maple back, ribs and neck) and the other will be non-traditional woods (pine or spruce top, with African hardwood back, ribs and neck, I think - can't decide for sure) just to compare the results. You can be sure that I'll be a bit more scientific with those.
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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Looking forward to seeing the follow-up pictures. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Fiddlerman said:
Looking forward to seeing the follow-up pictures.
"We're" looking forward too, I don't have any knowledge 'bout violin making but good luck!
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rotex13 said:
Fiddlerman said:
Looking forward to seeing the follow-up pictures.
"We're" looking forward too, I don't have any knowledge 'bout violin making (that's why I can't help you but I'm here to cheer lol). Good luck!
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I've just realized there's something I just love about playing the violin: the whole ritual of preparing for playing -taking the violin out of its case, tuning it, applying rosin, wiping down afterwards. I just love it! So much different from just sitting down in front of the piano and playing straight away.
Not to mention the interesting conversation that can happen while traveling with a violin.
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@ Franike - LOL, I never looked at it that way but I am happy that you are so positive about those things.
@ Oliver - Would be nice to hear about those conversations from time to time.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
The sight of a violin case often cues some stranger to tell about their musical background while the case holder keeps watching for the next subway car to arrive quickly.
That's about the extent of the conversations in Manhattan. Maybe better elsewhere.
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Are the subways in Manhattan super crowded? I would be a bit afraid of damaging a violin in a super packed train car. It's hard enough just taking a bookbag or laptop case during rush hour here.
Only during rush hours. People carrying violins are seldom on a 9-5 work schedule. One of the perks.
Many party all night and sleep half the day.
PS Either you didn't list your location on the PROFILE or I somehow can't find it. Where do you live? City and State will do. Need to figure just how bad your rush hour might be.
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That sounds like a pretty beast career choice...violinist are such wild creatures, but I imagine that rehearsals would fall into regular work hours.
Odd you should mention that. Not too long ago I had a forum contact who lived and played in the NYC Broadway circuit. He complained that there were so few rehearsals anymore due to budget cuts. I have no idea, years later, if things are better or worse. In his case however, he could walk to work !! No subway.
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True, there are fewer rehearsals due to budget cuts. In my past orchestras in Sweden we rehearsed during regular work hours. Here I often play with one or less rehearsals. You need to be able to read really well to do a good job.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
My Broadway buddy was not complaining specifically about the reduction in rehearsals. He was annoyed that the conductors were sometimes pretty critical at rehearsals. It had become very important to be a good sight reader if a musician wanted to stay up with the pack.
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