My fiddle exploded!

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: Mr Happy
Date: 11 Jun 10 - 09:16 AM

Splendid news!!

[both ways!]

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: Paul Burke
Date: 09 Jun 10 - 06:30 PM

Fiddle fixed! Just as good as ever.

Downside.

I play it just as badly as ever.

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 07 Jun 10 - 06:53 PM

Was it a humidity issue? Too dry? Too Damp? Too tired...?

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 07 Jun 10 - 06:46 PM

Songbob

my dad had his violin let go - and we went and bought the correct stuff and used a cigarette lighter, mucked around for ages, etc. A few years ago I found a violin at the dump in the same condition - now you just buy a premade correct length and it slips in and it sticks there. Easy and fast, and relatively very cheap.

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 07 Jun 10 - 11:08 AM

A few weeks ago somebody was playing their fiddle in Sandy Bells and it kept drifting out of tune. Then there was a sharp crack and the neck fell off. Didn't take very long to get fixed, though.

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: GUEST,Brian Daniels
Date: 07 Jun 10 - 10:55 AM

I play in a country/bluegrass duo. My musical partner has been trying his hand at fiddle. The other day during rehearsal the same thing happened to him. The fiddle was sitting on a piano bench when the end pin gave out. Been around fiddles and fiddlers my whole 42 years and never saw that happen before.

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: GUEST,Peadar (formerly) of Portsmouth
Date: 26 May 10 - 02:08 PM

Read the subject line and thought to myself..."he must have left it too close to a banjo or bodhran, and the lighting bolt missed the intended target."

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: GUEST,Songbob
Date: 26 May 10 - 01:45 PM

I was tuning a fiddle prior to placing it for sale at a festival recently, and the tailpiece gut gave out. With no replacement handy, I had to leave the damned thing home and still haven't repaired it nor offered it up for sale. And I can't sell it if'n I don't fix it!

Time to look among the boxes of miscellaneous instrument stuff before running off to the music store, sez I. It's not going to be a particularly high-priced instrument when in working condition, but it's essentially a "parts" instrument till I get it set up again.

Sigh. If 'tain't one thing, it's 'nuther!

Bob

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: open mike
Date: 26 May 10 - 11:30 AM

weapons of music destruction

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 26 May 10 - 09:33 AM

I'm glad your instrument is going to be okay.

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: Stewart
Date: 25 May 10 - 04:42 PM

I presume you have to reset your sound post.
But it could have been a lot worse.

Good luck,

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: Paul Burke
Date: 25 May 10 - 04:12 PM

I've had a chance to dare to look closely now- I don't think there's any fundamental damage done. The button seems to be made of some kind of plastic, and has just sheared off close to the body. So when I can get hold of a spare, I should be able to inflict it on the rest of you once more. I've seen strong men begging the bodhrans to play louder!

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: open mike
Date: 25 May 10 - 02:33 PM

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081105035221AAiUO56

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: open mike
Date: 25 May 10 - 02:31 PM

i suspect it might be the gut pat that holds the tailpiece to the end pin? (tail cord/tail gut)
http://www.ehow.co.uk/video_2375262_the-tail-piece-tail-cord.html

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: paula t
Date: 25 May 10 - 01:17 PM

I played the fiddle at school. I was never going to be any good though. The exploding fiddle phenomenon happened to me while I was playing a difficult (for me) solo in a concert. Quite noisy and dramatic! It was a defining moment in my musical career. I stuck to singing after that!

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: GUEST,Sapper sans cookie
Date: 25 May 10 - 12:59 PM

Paul, drop down here and borrow one of t'Lads for the weekend.

Bob

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: Mr Happy
Date: 25 May 10 - 08:45 AM

Paul,

If you can't mend/ borrow, I can lend you mine - pm me if you need it

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: s&r
Date: 24 May 10 - 06:33 PM

This guy's done somegood work for me and he's not far away

Stu

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 24 May 10 - 06:19 PM

When my beloved guitar was damaged in a mishap, I placed a call to my brother the musical genius. He said, "This is the critical question. Are there any splits in the wood that cross glued joints?"

The answer was no. He told me what to do to repair the guitar, and it's been fine since.

Therefore, Paul, I am in hopes that your fiddle does not have any breaks that cross glued joints and that it can be put back together. I assume you will engage in some detective work to figure out how this happened. If so, I would be interested to hear what you learn.

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: Stewart
Date: 24 May 10 - 04:29 PM

I hope they won't ban fiddles from airplanes now

"suspected terrorist caught with exploding fiddle"

Cheers, S. in Seattle
where the only danger to fiddles
is from the rain
they come unglued

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: BusyBee Paul
Date: 24 May 10 - 04:27 PM

Gerry McNeice's string bass did a similar trick in the middle of a gig in Mansfield a year or two ago. Spectacular at the time but repairable.

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: gnu
Date: 24 May 10 - 04:17 PM

Gosh! I hope the coroner can determine the cause of death so that such tragic events can be guarded against in future. My regards to the deceased and you and your musical family Paul.

Sorry if that sounded trite... it is indeed a tragedy. And it puzzles.... an inherent flaw which let go? How old was it?

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: buddhuu
Date: 24 May 10 - 03:13 PM

Oops. "Guest" was me...

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: GUEST
Date: 24 May 10 - 03:12 PM

Oy vey! :-(

Like a twat I *did* leave my fiddle out where the sun could get on it today. Looks like I got away with it though. Gonna be more careful!

Paul, you mean the ebony endpin button broke? Wow - ebony is no wimp.

When you said "button" for a moment I thought you meant something broke at the neck heel. My teacher always used to call that bit the button. Don't know why...

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: jeffp
Date: 24 May 10 - 03:09 PM

Can you rent or borrow one for a week or so? At least it's easily repairable by the sound of things.

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 24 May 10 - 03:03 PM

Youch!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: *#1 PEASANT*
Date: 24 May 10 - 02:21 PM

Fiddle Torch

Sounds like a good candidate for our fiddle torch workshop they burn real good! and for a surprisingly long time.

Subject: RE: My fiddle exploded!
From: olddude
Date: 24 May 10 - 02:17 PM

never put bass guitar strings on a fiddle !!

Subject: My fiddle exploded!
From: Paul Burke
Date: 24 May 10 - 02:06 PM

I came in this evening, and my fiddle, lying peacefully in its case on the spare room bed, not in direct sunlight at any time of day, has blown up in a welter of strings and flying rosin. Or rather, the button has snapped off and the tailpiece flown across the room leaving the bridge lying folornly on the bed.

So unless I can get another button during the week, no fiddle for Chester!