Hi to all,

I recently bought a Hofner H5D-V. This model already comes with a Wittner-type tailpiece, with the built in tuners. The pegs are ebony, as is the chinrest (a Guarneri-type)...

Now, I don't really like the look of the Wittner-type tailpiece (too modern looking, like a Floyd Rose whammy on a guitar), and I'm thinking of changing the thing. I have an old ebony tailpiece from a previous violin, and I was able to get four Wittner finetuners. However, I got to thinking, kasi most of the nice violins whose pics are posted here have only one or two finetuners on them. I've been playing with Finetuners on all four strings since day one, and I guess I'm kind of used to them, especially with the ease of tuning (I mean, minimal fiddling with the pegs, one-handed manipulation of the finetuner while bowing, etc. etc.).

So my questions:
1) Should I just use two of the finetuners, or should I go with four? Would I have a difficult time adjusting to just two finetuners? Will the presence/absence of finetuners have an effect on the sound?
2) Will changing the tailpiece have a serious effect on the sound? I think the Wittner-type tailpiece on my Hofner is metal (well it feels like metal). Will my violin sound better with a wood tailpiece?
3) Is the tailguit sold at JB okay to use, or should I buy from another store? Sound Essentials sell a tailgut, and Lyric does as well. Are there brands that I should go for Tailgut-wise? Or are they just generic?

I'm raising these questions so that when I go to Mang Angel for set-up, I will already have the materials needed, and the ideas to go with them.

I hope to hear from you guys, and I will update as the upgrades (if any) progress.

Thanks,

Cube

these are just my opinions alright...

1) you may want to go with 2 finetuners only for A and E. However, if you think that you are pretty much fine and happy with having the four of them, that shouldn't be a problem. as long as you are happy with the sound, the play, the instrument itself, that shouldn't be a concern.

2) for the tailpiece, a friend of mine once said wood tailpiece will always make a violin sound better since the body in itself is made of delicate wood - right ron? hehe... or maybe i'm wrong.

3) tailgut - ask ron. hehe...


bottomline, as long as you're happy, nothing else matters.

Kapag tumutugtog ka, you are not really concerned about the looks of your violin kasi mawawalan ka ng concentration and you don't want to sound bad..

In my point of view, wala looks yan, nasa sound and how comfortable you feel with your instrument while playing..

Base sa alam ko, mas madaling magtune gamit ng fine tuners kung metal core strings ang gamit mo. Mas sensitive daw kasi sa tension ang metal core strings.

Kung gut strings naman ang gagamitin mo, kahit na pegs ang gamitin mo sa pag-tono, ok lang.