mayofiddler6

I seem to remember a thread a year or so ago about designs for workshops. Tried a search but couldn't find it. Does anybody remember the thread (maybe the person that started it)?

I'm thinking of building a bigger place but don't want to re-start a topic if it's already been covered in another thread.

Many thanks.

I'm still waiting for this super-fast (cough) delivery of the Amati Alard poster from the Strad mag. Looking at the Ashmolean tech drawing, the ribs seem to go like this, starting from the tail

31 mm , 31.5 mm, 32 mm and then 29.5 mm

It seems a bit weird that they get higher and higher until the top corner blocks and then dive. I could understand them staying the same and then dipping or even a gradual or sudden dip towards the top. But not getting taller. Can anyone confirm these rib heights for me from the Strad poster please?

My only thought about this is maybe someone removed a chunk from the bottom ribs making a repair at some time and then blended the rib heights up towards the top of the C bouts. Which would mean the ribs were all around 32 mm high until they reached the top corner blocks at one time.

I realise that 1 mm is not a huge difference, although it seems like it with the tolerances we're used to. But still, I'm intrigued by this and would like to do it right just to see/hear the end result.

Appreciate any help, thanks a lot.

http://news.bbc.co.u...gy/10089419.stm

A couple of people have asked me to post here on irish trad styles etc. I think I've probably ranted anough by now to make clear my views, so don't want to bore anyone. If there are any specific questions I might be able to answer or find out the answer to, let me know. Otherwise I'll just keep quiet (is that a chorus of "Hoorays" I hear?)

On a general note I don't like any modern artists who have made CDs, which means anything after the 60s or early 70s to me. Even then things were beginning to change towards the pop-band sound. My favourite county style is South Sligo so Killoran, Coleman and so on are my heroes (I'm not really able to comment on other county styles as I don't play them). Sure all these guys were individualists but there is a strong common style to their playing. There are re-released CDs of their old wax-cylinder and 78 recordings available through online stores. There also used to be many tracks on The Internet Archive for free download, not sure if they are still there.

There are a lot of good youngsters playing in a very trad style, but when they hit their teens they get into little bands and the tradition goes out the window and in comes syncopated guitar playing, machine-gun banjos, awful Aztec style hooting flute playing and generic "A few cuts and rolls will do the job" fiddling.

See? I can't shut up on this. I'll stop now  

Another thread on strange marks, this one probably easier to get an answer to.

When I was in Florence a few weeks ago I was looking at the Strad tenor viola in the accademia. The lighting is very bad, especially on the back of the instrument. I was almost standing on my head trying to get some reflections to show the archings when I noticed a series of dimples around the pegbox cheek. They seem to be shallow dents about a mm or so in from both the top and bottom of the cheek. They follow the line of the pegbox exactly.

Does anyone know what they are? They look as though they might be dimples left by a tool to mark carving depths, but it's odd to see that on the outside pegbox walls. I couldn't really see where they went because of the lighting but they seemed to start at the beginning of the pegbox and go around at least as far as the bottom of the scroll. I could see maybe four or five of them at top and bottom.

They seemed to share the same reflections as the cheeks, so I assume they are under the varnish or polish. I don't know if the finish over them is original.