Andrew Carruthers Violins

My latest viola with plenty of tool marks and texture.

As far as I can tell the extra carving has no detrimental effect on the sound, the tone of an instrument is more noticeably controlled by the model, and materials used. Perhaps the tooling on these Off-beat Fiddles even mimics some of the notoriously uneven graduation patterns seen in classic master instruments and thought by some to contribute to their tonal color and richness.

Given all that, I've been enjoying the excitement, risks and rewards of exploring the uncertain and unknown.

My latest viola with plenty of tool marks and texture.

As far as I can tell the extra carving has no detrimental effect on the sound, the tone of an instrument is more noticeably controlled by the model, and materials used. Perhaps the tooling on these Off-beat Fiddles even mimics some of the notoriously uneven graduation patterns seen in classic master instruments and thought by some to contribute to their tonal color and richness.

Given all that, I've been enjoying the excitement, risks and rewards of exploring the uncertain and unknown.

Got tool marks? 15.75” viola in poplar with textured finish. #viola #violist #violin #violinist #fiddle #fiddling #texture #woodcarving #sculpting #whatsonyourbench #offbeatviolins

Very happy that the Redwood Violin was covered by Strings.

Thanks to everyone who has been involved in the project!

The Redwood Violin. Made Local, project summary Here is a short summary of the "Made local" phase of the project. I've taken some of the main ideas and action from the six and a half hours of video I've p...

Here is a sound comparison of the Dimpled Viola with a "normal viola of the same model and dimensions

Dimpled Viola. Sound comparison Compares the sound of two violas of the same model and dimensions (412mm back) . Both are made of similar poplar woods. The Dimpled viola has a scalloped sur...

When the Turtle Fiddle turned out to sound very much like a normal fiddle I wondered how far I would have to push this sort of construction before it did have a noticeable effect on the sound.

Here are a number of ideas I considered all based around patterns of repeated units or "cells".

I'm going to build two violins with contrasting cell patterns and see what the affects will be. As much as a science-lite investigation into violin sound, this is a framework that allows me to have some fun with elements that I like in Nature, Geometry and Architecture.

You can read more about the ideas behind these fiddles on my website:

https://www.andrewcarruthers.com/cellular-fiddles-part-1-braces-modes-and-the-possibilities-of-shaping-sound/