MYOG Backpacking Fiddle

[Patrick W]

Just completed a ‘cigar box’ style fiddle for backpacking. My design considerations were weight, durability, and field maintainable. And I wanted the scale length of a full sized violin. Got the neck and fingerboard from eBay and bought real tonewood from a guitar wood supplier. It’s not bad. Weighs 413g.  Plan is to make a cuben sack to keep it dry, as it will travel outside the pack.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Where is the photo?  Sound clip?

 

[Patrick W]

Well, I did post 3 photos.  Not sure where they went.  Sound clip coming.

trying again with pics.

[Patrick W]

[Patrick W]

[d k]

Very nice!  Can’t wait to hear the sound clip.  Maybe a comparison with the two?

[jscott]

that’s mighty sweet Patrick! Frankly if it sounds half way decent I’d just suggest everyone in my party take a day trip while I sit and fiddle in camp. Violin in the wild! what could be better? didn’t Orpheus charm animals in the woods with his playing?

[BlackHatGuy]

Wow, nice work Patrick! It must be really nice work since Jeff got your name right!

[MJ H]

I don’t see a bow, but I’m assuming you can make one that holds up the back of a ProTrail.

[Patrick W]

I recorded a sound clip, but can’t figure out how to post it.  Any one that can help?

[BlackHatGuy]

I don’t think you can post it here, just photos. same with video, can’t post it directly here. you could always make a video, put on youtube, and then post the youtube url here (which should then embed the video here)

[Patrick W]

If you are interested in the sound of the little fiddle, you can check it out on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yibHlw4C98

[Michael B]

Very nice! Comfortable enough on the chin with that cut down pad?

[BlackHatGuy]

Patrick, that’s fabulous! I’d sit around a campfire with you any day! :-)

btw, when adding youtube links, make sure you hit ‘return’ after putting in the url, so that the video embeds into your post, like this:

 

[Ben C]

Too cool.

[d k]

That is great!  Thanks so much for posting the video.  That would be pretty sweet even to listen to from across a lake someplace.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Excellent!  Bravo! Well done sir!

[Patrick W]

The chin rest isn’t super comfortable, but I will give it a try.  It’s OK.  I have a small plastic one from a 1/4 violin that I can also use.  Trying to go with the least weight.

Thanks for all the positive feedback.  Maybe you’ll hear me out there one day!

 

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

Wow, nail that catfish! That’s pretty awesome. Maybe someday I’ll have my travel mandolin with me and we can have a little jam.

[Craig B]

Beautiful!  Thanks for sharing.  It’s fun to see projects in something a little bit different than the usual.  I kept expecting to see a picture of it all folded up in a cigar box!  (that’s where my mind went when you described it above)

[Bonzo]

I know nothing of lutherie, but I do know quality woodwork; you did a nice job on that piece.  I wish that I had even an ounce of musical ability, as it would be wonderful to sit and play for awhile after a day on the trail.  Again: lovely work.  I hope to see more.

[Patrick W]

Craig–I actually tried some other ideas, but the strings place about 80 lbs of pressure on the top, so it has to be a little robust.  Cigar box fiddles date back to the Civil War.  Apparently, there were lots of cigar boxes, but not many fiddles.

 

Piper–I hope we get to jam.  Several years ago I carried a mandolin on the AT.  Here is a pic of an ad hoc jam that broke out one night at a shelter in PA.  I’m playing a sweet pea mandolin.  The other two hikers were great–one carried a full on fiddle and the other a full size banjo!

[Andrew Marshall]

Patrick, are you interested in working with us on turning this post into a formal article where you walk us through your process step by step (with honorarium, of course!). If so email me at [email protected]

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

Can you imagine hiking the AT with a banjo? I have an octave mandolin banjo and the thing weighs 8lbs.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Maybe it’s me but playing a banjo on the Appalachian Trail might not be a great idea….

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