Violin Forum/Message Board

[tomigv]

What is the average weight of a completed violin scroll in grams. Trying to determine how much to take off on a completed violin scroll made from hard red locust for an electric/ acoustic violin
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I am very interested in violin and bow making. Have quite a few interesting bows and a large cache of pernambuco. I like to experiment using local midwest hardwoods,

[John Cadd]

If you were a scientist you would wrap cling film tightly round the scroll,see how much water it displaced and then look up the density of your midwest wood.
But you still need to do that with a maple scroll.
Forget all that. Just look up the table showing densities of wood.
If you have made yours to normal measurements it will show up the difference. Have an educated guess. It won`t vibrate in the same way as maple. You won`t mind that will you?
Plan B Get some modelling clay. Make one out of that. Squash it flat and make it into a cube so you can get the exact volume.
Phew!

[tomigv]

I/m guessing it/s about 15 % more dense than euro maple.But am looking for an approximate weight in grams. I want the scroll to be about the same weight as a maple scroll. and will take the weight off the bottom of the fingerboard.
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I am very interested in violin and bow making. Have quite a few interesting bows and a large cache of pernambuco. I like to experiment using local midwest hardwoods,

[FiddleDoug]

I don't think that too many people weigh the scroll. No good weigh to actually do it other than by cutting it off. Better that you should make it to more or less standard dimensions and go from there. Differences in style, and wood density would probably make the weight range fairly high.
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Doug Wall

www.wallindependent.com

[tomigv]

thanks will just make it like a regular neck. If the neck is too clubby or thick I will reduce it, till it feels comfortable
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I am very interested in violin and bow making. Have quite a few interesting bows and a large cache of pernambuco. I like to experiment using local midwest hardwoods,

[Dave Chandler]

I have a 4/4 neck & scroll that I replaced rather than try to repair a bad break, it weighs 55 grams.

Even if you were to match the weight you probably won't get the same accoustics. However, the impact of the neck on the accoustics of the entire violin is probably not significant. Fingerboard would probably have greater impact.
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Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill

"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo

[L P Reedy]

What Doug said.

Many people finish the neck in place so they could only weigh it by difference, if they remember to weigh after all changes. I mostly finish mine before installation and sometimes weigh them. I have a low density (0.51 g/cc) neck nearly finished that is about 55 g and I think most of my red maple necks are about 70 g. I make a good many sugar maple necks because I have it and they will sometimes be around 85 g. I have not been able to tell that neck weight affects the sound, although it probably does, but it can affect the balance a little.

I think you will be fine the way you are going.

[Dave Chandler]

I think its important to get the weight down if possible, more for balance as L.P. mentioned. If the neck/scroll is a bit weighty, the player will perceive that the overall violin is heavy. Weight on the shoulder will be less noticeable than weight out on the scroll. Adding weight would be easier than reducing, so I don't know what to advise there, take weight off the underside of the fingerboard?
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Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill

"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo

[tomigv]

thanks for all the helpful hints . I will try and balance the weight of the neck.
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I am very interested in violin and bow making. Have quite a few interesting bows and a large cache of pernambuco. I like to experiment using local midwest hardwoods,