Anyone working with soundports on violins?

[Anders Eliasson]

Thats the question: Anyone working with soundports on violins?
If so, how does it affect the sound of the violin?
I´ve made many flamenco guitars with soundports and I like ported flamenco guitars a lot. But its another very different instrument. The Spanish guitar is not specially loud and the soundhole bursts sound away from you. With a port you get more volume for yourself and a nice stereo or surround sound like effect.

[Greg Robinson]

Any help for Anders?

[Douglas Ingram]

Doesn't the violin already blast the sound to the player's ear?

[Michael Lewis]

The Catgut Acoustical Society has experimented with that concept many years ago. One violin they used had holes all along the ribs and they would plug them in various configurations with corks to change the resonant frequency of the air chamber. Check their web site for more information.

[Craig Tucker]

Oops, other than ff holes as soundports. I don't know what to say.
If you meant soundposts, then I can answer this



Anders,

I must say that this post, if asking about soundposts, to a violin maker, has really only one *standard, correct* answer.

As you look at the violin, head on, as if the front were a standard map, the post goes inside the belly just below (south of) the treble foot of the bridge's leg - I say about the thickness of the belly below the line of the bridge foots south edge. Perhaps more, perhaps less, and perhaps just a tad east or west of that position, may be correct for the tone of that particular fiddle. But starting off making any post you,ll be lucky to get it the right height and the ends trimmed correctly to contact the inside top and bottom plates perfectly evenly anyway, where it belongs. Which they should do.

The post should just fit in with enough pressure so that, without strings, it will just fit tight enough to stand on its own.

Some makers put the post it's own diameter below the right foot of the bridge - some tighten it up a bit more.

A lot depends on the violin. And the maker.

Once you are able to correctly fit a bridge on either of these positions, vertically and with the ends correctly trimmed, you will have already learned most of the other things having to do with setting a violin sound post.. So until you can roughly fit the post "standardly" most of the finess about fitting it, doesn't really matter much and will be beyond caring much about.

It's a pretty standard job. So correctly fitting one should be pretty achievable - given a certain amount of practice, time, and attention to detail.

[Jim McConkey]

Hi ctviolin, Welcome to the Forum! Please note that we require the use of real first & last names on this forum. Please PM me or one of the moderators with your first and last names and we will update your login information (you unfortunately cannot do that yourself).

[Craig Tucker]

Hi Jim, sorry, I didn't notice that requirement, but like the idea a lot.

My name is Craig Tucker.

Thank you again and if there's any other thing I missed please let me know.

[Mark Swanson]

Ha! Craig, welcome back, it's been a long time since we've seen you here!

[Chet Bishop]

Good to see you here, Craig, my friend!

[Craig Tucker]

Ha! Craig, welcome back, it's been a long time since we've seen you here!

Hey, thank you Mark.
Yes it has, but I still have a big mouth and so, I hope to use it some here...

Again, thank you for welcoming me,
Craig T

[Craig Tucker]

Good to see you here, Craig, my friend!

Hey bro! good to see you too. I feel like I know you after all this time, but we have never met!
Still, it feels like we have.

Interesting, isn't it?
Craig Tucker

[Craig Tucker]

Hmmm,

Very interesting...

[Greg Robinson]

Hi Emma,
I've changed the inline image you included in your post to a link, as we ask that you only post images you have created yourself, as otherwise is a violation of copyright law, and this rule is designed to protect the MIMForum from litigation. You're always welcome to link to the source of an image however.
Thanks.

[Greg Robinson]

No worries Emma, but you should make sure to familiarize yourself with the Forum policy.
Thanks for your understanding!