Violin Forum/Message Board

[John Cadd]

The approved way to do soundpost adjustments is with the strings disconnected and end pin removed so the alignment of the post can be seen .Now leave aside what you do with the soundpost itself and concentrate on keeping the strings and tailpiece in a comfortable position .
The strings can be evenly slackened enough to take off the bridge and replace it with a piece of fom rubber to avoid any scratching. Hold the tailpiece gut to keep the strings straight .The tailpiece can be held to one side (LEFT) of the tailpiece position. Use some tape to fix the tailpiece to the top so the strings are still between the f holes but not obstructing them . Tie some cord to the tailpiece loop and bring it round the back and up round the middle bout (RIGHT) side,then up to the neck where the cord is tied safely .
That preserves the strings and avoids kinking the metal wound strings..It saves taking the strings out of the peg holes which can be a nasty job when reversed . A small battery pack with a tiny light bulb can be taped onto the fingerboard for illumination .
There is an end pin design with a central hole for looking inside the violin but a soundpost change needs the strings out of the way . That is best practice .
Use a strip of tape across the tailpiece to stop any strings popping out of their holes .

[tyrionlannister]

[John Cadd]

The lamp I used to have was a small oblong battery in a plastic box with a tiny 9 volt bulb on a strip of wire .The box is taped to the fingerboard and the wire and lamp are hanging inside the soundhole .But that bulb started to go black and stopped working .So I got a bundle of white Christmas Tree lights. The bulbs are all in parrallel wiring so I used one and chopped off the rest .
But to improve soundpost setting I have another new tool .It`s a length of brass wire a bit thinner than a biro refill . It`s about 12 inches long. I use that to push the post into position if it needs to be shifted sideways . Even Edgar Russ uses a setter to bang it sideways.That is a very good way to mess up the soundhole .
Bend the end of the brass over tight and then shape that bent bit into a curve.Big enough to fit round the soundpost. It can also be used as a hook to pull it back. Use that through the end pin hole .You can`t fit the hook through the end pin hole though .You need to put the straight end into the soundhole and the out through the end pin hole. Then you can gently position the top or bottom of the post in the vertical directions .
Is that an old idea or a new one ?

[Sophiana]

[John Cadd]

Just use Green sticky tape . I think it`s got Frog in the name . Put the battery box on the fingerboard and wrap the tape round the neck .
I tried a tiny lamp but that went black . Any old Christmas tree lights will do . Cut most of them off to use later . Basically one single lamp works better than two .No special position . You can move the light around as you want .
What I wrote seemed to go out of date very fast . I made a better tool to shift the top of the soundpost.It was made from a 3/4 inch piece of copper pipe. Cut the pipe open .Flatten it . Then make a sort of --outline shape ---like a flat spoon . You need a simple handle .The working end has a slot big enough to fit round the soundpost. So if the handle points away from you --the slot is sideways .Open end on the left .Then if you want to push the post away from you it`s easy.But if you want it back towards you a bit that is easy as well. The normal setter needs to be repositioned every time you want to reverse the movement.
Make a gentle curve in the handle to fit the soundhole shape and arching curves . Do not try to force anything .It works gently .A normal setter is awkward. Try the idea outside ,away from a violin. Cut a shape in cardboard
and a tiny disc to represent a soundpost cross section. Use that on a table to move the disc forwards and w .Avoid trying to swing anything sideways to bang on a soundpost.
Looking back now I gave up bothering with the long brass wire. I made a thin plastic tool to clip around the bottom of the post . Squeezing the clip releases the post when it`s in position .
The plastic controls the bottom and the copper controls the top . When I slacken the strings and remove the bridge I keep the end pin in place and tie the strings over to one side with a cloth to save scratching .
The bridge position is taped on the belly with a few marks to show where the post should be.Check the measurement of the bassbar from the left soundhole edge and copy that measurement with the soundpost on the right .
So work out where the post needs to be first . Make sure you know where the centre line is .All that good stuff .
I am surprised how all my first comments went out of date so quickly .
Ask any questions if it sounds confusing . Make small feeler gauges to find out where the soundpost top is--left to right plus up or down . Don`t trust cheap Chinese soundposts . A bundle will have half of them with slanted grain lines . Throw those away .Check everything .